SmartMX2-P60 secure microcontrollers meet demanding requirements for security and performance
NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today announced that Germany and Switzerland are shipping supplemental access control (SAC) electronic passports based on its SmartMX2 family of secure microcontrollers.
The two European countries are among the first to have rolled-out SAC ePassports ahead of the European Union (EU) mandate requiring all new ePassports to be SAC compliant by the end of 2014. Built on NXP's unique IntegralSecurityTM architecture, SmartMX2 products not only implement over 100 interlinked features for attack protection but also have achieved Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (CC EAL) 6+ certification, the highest security level available so far, for one of the world's most trusted and robust security profiles
"Germany and Switzerland are well recognized for having the most demanding requirements from both a security protocol and performance perspective for their ePassport programs. Choosing NXP's SmartMX2-P60 secure microcontroller enabled them to provide the most advanced and secure ePassport solution to their citizens, ensuring that identities are safeguarded at the highest level," said Marcus Rosin, general manager secure identity, NXP Semiconductors. "Migrating to SAC-compliant ePassports in a timely and risk-free manner is important for all nations in the European Union and, as such, 2014 will be a milestone year. NXP's SmartMX2 products and our vast experience with global ePassport rollouts help mitigate the risks and provide a fully-compliant SAC ePassport solution."
Passports typically have a lifespan of many years and as such the security needed to authenticate and safeguard identities must have longevity. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced SAC in the third generation of ePassports to provide additional layers of security on top of those already deployed in the first two ePassport generations. NXP's long standing history in providing secure solutions for the world's ePassports and deep understanding of the infrastructure requirements for a successful implementation make them the ideal partner for SAC upgrades.
NXP's SmartMX and its successor, the SmartMX2 secure microcontrollers are the core component in a wide variety of digital identity schemes and are deployed in close to 100 countries implementing eGovernment programs, such as USA, UK, Germany, China, Russia, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Nigeria. Used in many sovereign electronic documents such as ePassports, citizen cards, national ID cards, driving licenses, social security cards and health cards, SmartMX2-based solutions protect citizens from identity theft and reduce fraud via the products' world class security features. The SmartMX2 secure microcontrollers also secure financial transactions on over one third of the chip-based payment cards in circulation today, protecting financial data on over a billion bank cards.
