NXP Semiconductors N.V. has announced a strategic deployment of FIDO U2F secure element ICs for accessing consumer cloud services. Google has announced support for FIDO U2F Security Keys for secure sign-in.
Amid growing consensus that password-based security needs to be improved, the FIDO U2F ecosystem, consisting of web browsers, applications, hardware authentication devices and authentication servers, offers online users easy, private and secure login to cloud services such as email, shopping, financial and social sites from both their desktop and mobile devices. NXP secure element solution has been a cornerstone technology significantly contributing to the security advantages in the U2F standard.
“NXP's security expertise has helped shape FIDO U2F since its inception,” said Sam Srinivas, Chair of FIDO U2F working group and Product Management Director, Information Security, at Google. “We are now excited to see the FIDO U2F ecosystem launch.”
FIDO U2F Security Key manufacturers can benefit from NXP’s U2F secure element solution using the A7 Secure Microcontroller Series which are EAL 5+ certified, physically tamper and side channel attack resistant. The NXP Solution is made available with trust provisioning keys cryptographically signed by NXP and accepted by any FIDO U2F authentication servers.
“Secure element ICs revolutionised security for banking cards, ePassports and mobile payment,” said Sami Nassar, vice president and general manager of cyber security solutions at NXP Semiconductors. “Today, through the FIDO U2F authentication protocol, secure element ICs bring a new level of security to user authentication for enterprise networks and consumer cloud services.”
NXP’s broad range of secure elements enables a variety of U2F authenticator form factors, ranging from a USB key, to NFC keys, BLE key fobs, wearables and cell phones. NXP’s security technology has seen extensive global deployment with billions of units shipped to support mobile payment, bank cards, access, and ePassports.
