OTI to Provide First Contactless PKI Smart Card Solution
Rosh Pina and Petach Tikva, Israel (ots)
OTI (Neuer Markt: OT5) today announced that it will provide the first contactless smart card supporting public-key infrastructure (PKI) encryption, used for digital certificates in such secure environments as Internet transactions and in government agencies, under a reseller agreement with Algorithmic Research, a subsidiary of Cylink Corporation (Nasdaq: CYLK). OTI, a global provider of contactless smart card technology and product solutions, thus becomes the first company to offer a complete security solution utilizing contactless technology in both the physical and virtual worlds.
"By offering the first contactless PKI solution, OTI has strengthened the link between the virtual and physical world, offering all levels of security to meet customer requirements," said Oded Bashan, President and CEO of OTI. "Providing Algorithmic Research's PKI technology on OTI's field-tested contactless smart cards further enhances our strategy to provide complete, reliable, secure solutions."
Most digital certificates are stored on a computer hard drive, vulnerable to attack by unauthorized users. Incorporating Algorithmic Research's PKI technology onto OTI's EYECON product platform of contactless smart cards provides a secure, portable solution, as the user's private key will reside on the smart card. Users can then encrypt and sign data from any location - crucial in shared-computer environments.
Encryption technology provided by Algorithmic Research adheres to PKCS#11 and CAPI standards, enabling users to secure standard Microsoft applications such as Outlook and Explorer, as well as work with standard PKCS-11 certificate vendors including VeriSign and Entrust. OTI's patented contactless system uses 3DES and RSA encryption to communicate between card and reader, thus maintaining security levels throughout the encryption and transmission process.
"We are excited about working with OTI. Contactless smart card technology opens up a whole new set of applications for AR's PKI technology. PKI is the one technology that offers a truly distributed security solution for the physical, as well as the virtual worlds," said Nir Naaman, CISSP, V.P. Product Strategy of Algorithm Research.
PKI combines software and encryption technology to protect the security of communication and transactions across public networks, private intranet and extranet sites, and the Internet. Digital certificates issued to individual users in a PKI system are used to encrypt information to protect it from interception during transmission and to verify the sender's identity to the recipient.
Since the Electronic Signatures in Global & National Commerce Act went into effect in the United States in October 2000, digital signatures are now accepted as legally binding and have been implemented by the US Government.
About Algorithm Research
Algorithmic Research Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cylink Corporation (Nasdaq: CYLK), is a leading global supplier of cryptographic data security solutions for financial, commercial, industrial and government applications. AR specializes in implementing advanced PKI security solutions in large distributed computing environments and open networks like the Internet, allowing transparent integration of smart cards, readers and cryptographic processors that ensure high-level security for the most demanding and highly sensitive mission critical applications. AR products feature a Java applet client, security enhancements and support for SSL and WAP, implementation of highly secure digital signatures, user ID/password, RADIUS authentication, and more. For further information about the company, products and latest announcements, please visit the AR website at http://www.arx.com
About OTI
Established in 1990, OTI (On Track Innovations) designs and develops contactless microprocessor-based smart card technology to address the needs of a wide variety of markets. Applications developed by OTI include product solutions for mass transit, parking, gas management systems, loyalty schemes, ID and secure campuses. OTI has regional offices in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa to market and support its products. The company was awarded the prestigious ESCAT Award for smart card innovation in both 1998 and 2000. Visit OTI on the Internet at www.oti.co.il.
ots Original Text Service: OTI Internet: www.newsaktuell.ch
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