.: Certicom Collaborates with Texas Instruments for RFID Authentication and Encryption :.

November 20, 2006

Certicom Security for RFID Product Authentication protects high-value products against counterfeiting and ensures privacy.

Certicom Corp, today launched Certicom Security for RFID Product Authentication, a solution that ensures authenticity and prevents counterfeiting of high-value items as they move through the supply chain. In collaboration with Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) Certicom is using its elliptic curve cryptography expertise to add item-level RFID tag security that protects product information and proves the legitimacy of products, such as pharmaceuticals and other high-value consumer goods. For products like these that require a high level of security, RFID solutions providers can use Certicom security and TI's family of ISO 15693 RFID tags to deliver product protection with authentication and encryption.

Certicom and TI are currently engaged with companies in the pharmaceutical supply chain where valuable medicines are susceptible to counterfeiting, which can lead to significant asset losses and patient consumer safety issues. In tandem, they are addressing the high-value goods industry where protection of brand integrity is imperative to reducing product theft and diversion of goods for sale on the black market. Examples of these products range from brand-name apparel and cosmetics to professionally signed baseballs, poker chips, printer ink cartridges and legal documents.

Certicom uses standards-based and proven cryptographic protocols for its RFID appliance, including a standardised public-key cryptography scheme from IEEE 1363a. This efficient ECC-based digital signature scheme enables a high level of security to be added to the tag without requiring a lot of computing power and storage. For example, at 160 bits, ECC provides the same level of protection as a 1024-bit RSA key but is approximately one-third the size.

"By collaborating with Certicom, we demonstrate a highly efficient, standardised security solution that delivers privacy protection and authentication," said Joseph Pearson, Business Development Manager for TI-RFid™. "A standardised approach is imperative to provide a proven level of security, and to promote interoperability and compatibility going forward."

Certicom Security for RFID Product Authentication works as a distributed system where there may not be dedicated internet connectivity to a database, to provide real-time authentication of a tagged product. A simple application programming interface (API) enables developers to integrate the product's components with RFID middleware and enterprise applications.

"The RFID industry is telling us that what is needed is a security infrastructure that provides the smallest possible standardised digital signatures, along with privacy protection features, with integrated key management to meet the needs of the supply chain constituency, especially the pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers," said Jim Alfred, director of product management for Certicom. "TI has been instrumental in providing their expertise and insight on the industry when it comes to what is required for RFID product authentication. This is what we are delivering."

For more information on how TI and Certicom are collaborating on RFID product authentication and to view the demonstration of Certicom's new security product in action, please visit www.ti.com/rfidvidcast. For more information on the product visit www.certicom.com/rfid.

ABOUT TEXAS INSTRUMENTS RFID SYSTEMS
Texas Instruments is the world's largest integrated manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders and reader systems. Capitalising on its competencies in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics packaging. TI is a visionary leader and at the forefront of establishing new markets and international standards for RFID applications. For more information visit the Website at www.ti-rfid.com.

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational & Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more that 25 countries.

Please contact Electro-Com on 1300 130 806 or email us for further information.