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Why tokenization is critical for mobile payments

Steven Anderson of PaymentWeek recently observed that tokenization is a critical aspect of the mobile payments revolution.

Essentially, tokenization protects payment credentials by replacing them with a randomly generated number that resembles the customer’s primary account number (PAN). The unique identifier, known as a ‘payment token’ or ‘tokenized PAN’, is worthless if stolen, as it acts as a reference for a consumer’s original card data which only the card networks and the consumer’s bank can map back to the original account.

Safecracking goes high-tech with side-channel attacks

During the early days of safecracking, rudimentary rotary locks were compromised by feel or sound to determine the correct combination. Following in this tradition, a security researcher known as Plore recently demonstrated how side-channel attacks can be exploited to unlock “high security” electronic safes without leaving any evidence of unauthorized access.

Protecting avionic systems from side-channel attack

Asaf Ashkenazi, a senior director of product marketing at Rambus’ security division, recently sat down with Neil Tyler of NewElectronicsto discuss the potential threat side-channel attacks pose to avionic systems.

As Tyler points out, encryption is typically used to protect aerospace platforms. Although it is difficult to break the cryptographic algorithm itself, devices can readily reveal information during routine operations from such factors as power consumption, heat dissipation, time of computation and electromagnetic leaks.

Rambus eyes the future of smart ticketing

Now a part of Rambus’ security division, Ecebs provides smartcard solutions for governments, transport operators, banks and systems integrators. This makes Rambus one of the leading providers of ITSO-compliant smart ticketing solutions.

The strategic addition of Ecebs to our security division has allowed us to create a more comprehensive and dynamic product stack. At the base, we enable foundational security with our DPA technology, architecture and design. The second level of the stack helps customers facilitate secure provisioning and management with CryptoManager, which is built around a hardware-based root-of-trust. The third level, or top tier of the stack, offers smart ticketing (viaEcebs) and mobile payments (via Bell ID).

Let’s talk about VIDITY and 4K UHD

Home Media Magazine staff recently sat down with David Huerta, GM of the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA), to talk aboutVIDITY. Essentially, VIDITY allows consumers to download, store and play 4K Ultra HD movies with high dynamic range (HDR) across a plethora of devices.

“With VIDITY, a single content purchase gives the consumer comprehensive ownership — not just a license, but ownership — of whatever title they’ve selected. With that purchase, they download 4K UHD with HDR and HD and/or SD files of the film, along with additional copyrights,” Huerta told the publication.

Rambus inks security licensing agreement with Idaho Scientific

Rambus has signed an agreement with Idaho Scientific to license its Differential Power Analysis (DPA) countermeasures. According to Dr. Martin Scott, general manager of Rambus’s Security Division, the DPA countermeasures will be used in Idaho Scientific’s FPGA and defense ASIC security IP Cores.

“Today’s leading aerospace and defense companies are looking for solutions to counter the increasing threat of side-channel attacks,” said Scott. “This licensing agreement will grant Idaho Scientific’s customers access to advanced DPA countermeasures – allowing them to safeguard the data integrity of applications requiring a high level of security, particularly those serving the aerospace and defense sectors.”

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