Cryptography Research announces licence agreement with Broadcom for DPA countermeasures patents
May 31, 2011
Cryptography Research has announced that Broadcom Corporation has signed a licence agreement regarding the use of CRI’s patents. CRI focuses on combating Differential Power Analysis (DPA) and related attacks. Under the agreement, Broadcom receives the freedom to use CRI’s patents.
“Broadcom is a prominent technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for a wide range of sophisticated secure applications,” said Carole Coplan, vice president of business development, tamper resistance solutions, Cryptography Research. “We are pleased to include Broadcom among our list of leading licensed chip suppliers.”
“Protections against power analysis attacks are critical for tamper-resistant semiconductors. The DPA countermeasure licence with Cryptography Research is an important ingredient in our efforts to provide our customers with strong security across our product lines,” said Dan Marotta, executive vice president & general manager, Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group.
DPA is a form of attack that involves monitoring the fluctuating electrical power consumption of a target device and then using advanced statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets. Strong countermeasures to DPA help protect tamper-resistant chips used in applications such as banking, pay television, mass transit, secure ID, and wireless telecommunications.
Cryptography Research has been awarded a portfolio of more than 55 patents covering countermeasures to DPA attacks, with additional patent applications pending worldwide.