Blog - Rambus

What is card-on-file EMV payment tokenization?

Payments | September 17th, 2018

The way we pay is changing. Consumers are now using their PC, smartphones, wearable devices and even cars to buy goods and services. The size and value of the card-not-present (CNP) market is increasing exponentially [...]

Token Gateway certified Visa Ready diagram

Rambus Token Gateway for E-Commerce Certified “Visa Ready”

Payments | September 12th, 2018

Rambus announced on September 12th, 2018 that its Token Gateway for e-commerce solution is one of the first to be qualified under the “Visa Ready” for Tokenization program. This certified solution enables token requestors like [...]

Don’t Tread on Me: Smart Cities and Private Information

General | September 11th, 2018

People are living in an age with an unprecedented level of access to all kinds of information. Users of social media and networks can contact their far away friends in real time, and have access to events right as they develop. Such technology was the stuff of dreams, only imagined in science fiction stories in the late 20th century. Yet, the unprecedented access to citizens’ private information is something only imagined in George Orwell’s 1984 as well.

Californian Legislation and IoT

CryptoMedia | September 7th, 2018

State Senator Jackson’s S.B. 327 and Assemblywoman Irwin’s A.B. 1906 have both passed the California State Senate and State Assembly, respectively, and are on Governor Brown’s desk awaiting a signature or a veto by the end of September, 2018.

Tencent and Ant Financial’s Measures on Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency | September 7th, 2018

Chinese companies Ant Financial and Tencent, who own AliPay and WeChat, respectively, have taken measures to monitor cryptocurrency transactions on their popular mobile wallet platforms in light of the Chinese government’s recent crackdown on cryptocurrency-related fundraising and trading activities, one of them being a cryptocurrency gambling ring for the 2018 World Cup.

No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: How Easy It Is to Build with RISC-V

CryptoManager | September 7th, 2018

The single software ecosystem built on the RISC-V standard allows for OEMs to bypass having to lock into a specific processer ecosystem. When an OEM chooses a particular processor type, it not only has to pay for that particular processor, but it has to continue to purchase from whichever company it purchased it processor from, leading to a market where profits are not driven by competition

A Foreshadowing of Another Exploit: The Appearance of the Foreshadow Attack

CryptoManager | August 30th, 2018

Dubbed “Foreshadow,” this speculative execution attack allows an attacker to steal sensitive information stored inside personal computers or third-party clouds. There are two versions: the original attack designed to extract data from Software Guard Extensions (SGX) enclaves and a next-generation version that affects virtual machines (VM), hypervisors, operating system kernel memory, and System Management Mode (SMM) memory. SGX is a new feature in modern CPUs which allows computers to protect users’ data, even if the entire system falls under the attacker’s control.

Hack the Vote: The Simulation of Vote Hacking at DEF CON

General | August 30th, 2018

At the second annual DEF CON Voting Village, a part of the convention that seeks to exploit voting machines to better understand vulnerabilities, an 11-year old boy managed to hack into a replica of the Florida state election website, making it appear that 2016 independent presidential candidate Darrell Castle won the state.

The Robin Hood Partnership – Making Travel by Smartcard Simple and Hassle Free

Smart Ticketing | August 24th, 2018

In 2015 Nottingham City Council launched an innovative new travel smartcard which allowed members of the public across Nottingham to pay for services on the city's buses and trams. The newly launched Robin Hood smartcard was intended to be as easy to use as London’s Oyster card.

Memory Does not Come Cheap…. Or Does It?

General | August 24th, 2018

In the age of cryptocurrency mining and with demand for memory getting higher, it is getting harder to find more affordable memory. Yet, there is a belief that RAM and graphics cards prices may be cheaper by about 25% in 2019.

Lowering Risks with RISC-V

CryptoManager | August 24th, 2018

Reduced Instruction Set Computing Five (RISC-V) is an open Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) designed with small, fast, and low-power real-world implementations in mind. It describes the way in which software talks to an underlying processor

Starbucks’ Partnership with Microsoft for Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency | August 17th, 2018

It is only recently that cryptocurrency has entered into mainstream thought. One major recent development in bringing cryptocurrency to the mainstream is Starbucks’ new deal with Microsoft and the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to launch a [...]

A Rise in IoT Spending: Bain and Company’s Findings

CryptoManager | August 16th, 2018

According to a new report published by Bain and Company, the combined markets of the Internet of Things (IoT) will grow to about $520 billion in 2021, more than double the $235 billion spent in [...]

Collaboration can Enable a Frictionless Travel Experience for Rail Passengers

Smart Ticketing | August 16th, 2018

The UK Government and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) have recently published their ‘Joint Rail Data Action Plan’ which outlines how rail operators and tech firms can better collaborate on data sharing to drive innovation [...]

What is a Trusted Service Manager?

Payments | August 13th, 2018

Learn more on mobile payments and the vital role of a TSM in the near field communication (NFC) ecosystem.

What is White Box Cryptography

Payments | August 8th, 2018

Learn what is white box cryptography and how it can be used to minimize security risks for open sevices and secure HCE-based mobile payments.

World Cup Cryptocurrency Ring Bust in China

Cryptocurrency | August 6th, 2018

Every four years, the FIFA World Cup is a chance for people to come together and celebrate the beautiful game, and for some lucky enough to be born in a country with a successful soccer [...]

A closer look at ScotRail’s Mobile Ticketing Launch

Smart Ticketing | August 3rd, 2018

ScotRail, the national rail operator for Scotland, has recently launched an innovative form of mobile ticketing across its network. The new solution has been delivered by Rambus and is built into ScotRail’s existing consumer app, [...]

What is Host Card Emulation (HCE)?

Payments | July 24th, 2018

Learn how card emulation allows a mobile device to mimic a payment card, enabling users to make card transactions using a mobile device. HCE enables the SE to be placed in a remote and hosted cloud environment, rather than inside the mobile device.

GSMA’s Guidelines and Assessment for IoT Security

General | July 24th, 2018

A group of wireless carriers worldwide announced in late June that they would adopt and implement standard procedures developed to secure the Internet of Things (IoT). They have committed to implementing the GSMA IoT Security [...]

Mobile Payments: A Way of Life in the Middle Kingdom

Payments | July 18th, 2018

While mobile payments are starting to catch on in the United States, mobile payments in China are so prevalent, they have begun to shape everyday life in the country. Chinese users are able to hop [...]

The Rise of Mobile Payments in America

Payments | July 17th, 2018

The irony is that while some of the most prolific mobile payment platform, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are from the United States, Americans are not at the forefront of mobile payment adoption, [...]

Securing real-time payments with tokenization

Payments | July 16th, 2018

For banks, direct debit (ACH) fraud represents a bigger financial risk than card fraud. In particular, growing momentum for real-time payment schemes across the world is creating huge opportunities for fraudsters and placing increasing pressure [...]

Rambus Smart Ticketing Solutions for West Midlands Trains

Smart Ticketing | July 12th, 2018

Rambus is working with West Midlands Trains to support the rollout of smart ticketing across its rail network. This new deployment will help deliver a modern smart travel experience for passengers with Rambus’ interoperable ticketing [...]

Data Breaches in Retail over the Last Two Years

CryptoManager | July 12th, 2018

Depending on the person doing the shopping, it can be either a relaxing or a stressful affair. The latter is certainly true for those who are concerned about security and personal information. Since January, 2017, [...]

Innovator of the Future: a Scholarship from Rambus

General | July 6th, 2018

The Rambus “Innovator of the Future” Scholarship seeks to broaden the educational opportunities of students who, by virtue of their academic and extracurricular achievement, demonstrate a passion for science and technology that extends beyond the classroom. The winners must possess strong leadership and communication skills and the desire to positively impact society through innovation in science and technology.

Thanks for the Money, Sucker! The Disappearance of $17 Billion in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency | June 28th, 2018

The deletion of $17 billion from cryptocurrency exchanges, in addition to the hacks at Bithumb and Coincheck, is indicative of how lax cryptocurrency exchanges are. Even if crypto exchanges are able to recover and reimburse investors, the solution is but a flash in the pan against long-lasting damage.

The US Department of Homeland Security’s Guidelines for IoT Security

CryptoManager | June 27th, 2018

March of 2018 saw the United States Department of Defense (DoD) introduce a guidelines document through the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled Enhanced Assessment and Guidance are Needed to Address Security Risks in DoD. Two [...]

Webinar: How Digital Transformation is Changing Retail Payments

Payments | June 22nd, 2018

Merchants who fail to recognize and instill payments as a strategic enabler and differentiator in their digital transformation will fall behind their competitors. Join Rambus for the upcoming webinar titled, “How Digital Transformation is Changing [...]

Cool Story, Bro: Payments and Instagram Stories

Payments | June 20th, 2018

Earlier in May, photo and video sharing app Instagram quietly launched an in-app shopping feature. With more than a million advertisers and 25 million businesses on Instagram, the Facebook-owned app is rolling out a new [...]

Thales e-Security’s Countermeasure Validation Certification

DPA Countermeasures | June 15th, 2018

Side-channel analysis, and specifically Differential Power Analysis (DPA), can be used as an attack, statistically analyzing power consumption measurements from a cryptosystem. DPA attacks exploit biases in the varying power consumption of microprocessors or other [...]

How can real-time payments be secured?

Payments | June 14th, 2018

In today’s on-demand world, we expect to be able to spend, move and receive money instantly. For this reason, real-time payments (RTP), also known as ‘faster payments’ or ‘instant payments’, are gaining momentum globally. Accenture estimates [...]

Mobile Scan-and-Go: From Cashier to Concierge

Payments | June 11th, 2018

With robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technology advancing, many industries are now addressing the opportunities and challenges presented by increased automation. Retail is no different. In particular, the emergence of checkout-free retail has excited consumers [...]

Music, Drinks, and Mobile Payments

Payments | June 8th, 2018

The live music industry, currently valued at around 10.43 billion dollars in 2018, is expected to reach to 11.99 billion in 2021. Music festivals are often accompanied by concession stands selling food, and drinks. With [...]

Sicherheit Uber Alles: Germany Prioritizes IoT Security

CryptoMedia | June 4th, 2018

Industrie 4.0 aims to drive digital manufacturing forward by increasing digitization and the interconnection of products, value chains, and business models.

The importance of a hardware root-of-trust in an anti-counterfeiting IC

CryptoMedia, DPA Countermeasures | June 1st, 2018

Scott Best, a technical director at Rambus Security, has written an article for Semiconductor Engineering about the important role a hardware root-of-trust plays in an anti-counterfeiting IC. As Best explains, during manufacture, an anti-counterfeiting security IC is [...]

Who Should be the Token Service Provider?

Payments | May 31st, 2018

The TSP provides registered token requestors. They manage ongoing operation and maintenance of the token vault, deployment of security measures and controls, and the registration process of allowed token requestors.

Cryptojacking and How it Works

Cryptocurrency | May 29th, 2018

As the new frontier for technology, blockchain has shown plenty of promise. However, in the realm of cryptocurrencies, there have been several high profile attacks and heists that have brought the security of exchanging and [...]

An introduction to side-channel attacks

DPA Countermeasures | May 24th, 2018

The rapid growth of connected devices and the sensitive data they generate poses a significant challenge for manufacturers seeking to comprehensively protect their devices from attack. Indeed, consumers expect their IoT devices and data to [...]

Rambus at the Samsung Foundry Forum

SerDes PHYs | May 21st, 2018

In 2005, Samsung launched its Foundry business to provide leading-edge technology to the broader market. Based on accumulated technology leadership, Samsung successfully developed the foundry industry’s first 32nm High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) process in 2010, [...]

Grand theft crypto: How cryptocurrencies thefts underscore a need for security

Cryptocurrency | May 16th, 2018

Cryptocurrencies represent a new frontier for currency and payments. From 2008, when Satoshi Nakamoto published Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, introducing the world to Bitcoin, to 2017, where it nearly reached $20,000 in value, [...]

Mobile Coin’s $30 million bid for mobile payments

Payments | May 15th, 2018

In late April, 2018, MobileCoin, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency announced that Binance Labs, the major blockchain incubator associated with the Binance exchange, led a $30 million round in Bitcoin and Ether for the new cryptocurrency. As [...]

Money in motion: Mobile banking’s importance in the digital age

Payments | May 14th, 2018

The evolution of the smart phone has dramatically changed parts of every day life. In the case of consumer banking, executives from both small and large financial institutions are realizing how vital a mobile presence [...]

Yes, cryptocurrencies are vulnerable to theft

Cryptocurrency | May 10th, 2018

Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives issued its annual Joint Economic Report, which included an entire section dedicated to blockchain and cryptocurrency. According to the report, the potential for digital currency theft “remains [...]

Making Real-Time Payments Safer: Payment Account Tokenization

Payments | May 9th, 2018

Rambus has just announced the launch of its Payment Account Tokenization solution to secure account-based transactions, such as automated clearing house (ACH) and real-time payments. The solution will enable central banks and clearing houses to replace [...]

What is Secure Remote Commerce?

Payments | May 8th, 2018

Mastercard and Visa recently announced a standardized method for e-commerce checkout, based on a unified, streamlined checkout framework that was proposed by EMVCo in November, 2017. Dubbed Secure Remote Commerce (SRC), the unified digital checkout [...]

These points aren’t loyal: The Panera Bread data theft

Payments | May 7th, 2018

Attackers are finding new ways to steal data and sensitive information, such as credit card details and identity, from databases to, in Panera Bread’s case, loyalty reward programs. According to KrebsOnSecurity, Panera Bread had leaked [...]

NIST eyes lightweight cryptography to protect small electronics

DPA Countermeasures | April 26th, 2018

Small devices, comprehensive protection Cryptography experts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have kicked off an initiative to protect IoT devices that require a new class of cryptographic defenses against cyber-attacks. More [...]

Machine learning in scientific fields

General | April 24th, 2018

As machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated and advanced, there are more practical uses for the technology. Machine learning can advance scientific achievement, especially where medicine and space-exploration is concerned. Since machine [...]

Let’s talk about mobile payment regulations in China

Payments | April 23rd, 2018

In an effort to tackle fraud, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the national central bank of China, has plans to enact a cap on mobile spending. While solutions such as Apple Pay and Google [...]