A High-Performance FIPS Certified Smart Card Solution for HSPD-12 Requirements

LITTLETON, Colo., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- CPI Card Group -- Colorado Inc. announced plans to deliver next generation identity management smart cards under the Federal HSPD-12 deployment program scheduled to be launched this year. In August of 2004 President Bush set in motion a program to establish personal identity validation smart cards for all Federal employees and contractors serving the government. The industry has been preparing for these new higher standards established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] for the smart card 7816 ISO format.

CPI Card Group, based on Atmel(R) Corporation's secure silicon platform and with technologies assembled by TecSec(R) Inc., will provide 144K of Flash memory at a per byte cost advantageous to competing solutions. This next generation CKM Enabled(R) Smart Token(R) includes the following: Atmel's Flash AT90SC144144CT+ mini PIV with AT90SC12872RCFT single-interface, dual-interface contactless and contact chip. This Smart Token solution includes a CKM Enabled JAVA(R) operating system PKI authentication, PIV2 and Precise Biometrics Match-on-Card(TM) technology. TecSec's CKM(R) technology serves more than ID cards as it is integral to an ID access and data management system solution that can provide persistent protection to data. This is enhanced by accessing multiple applications (silos) upon this same trusted Smart Token platform thereby serving as a true federating device.

This Smart Token federating device is designed to be interoperable with other PIV2-compliant cards and to become the preferred workhorse for not only this HSPD-12 requirement, but for Homeland Defense and other applications (e.g., first responders, border control and state government programs). Various card issuers will find their requirements met by this high capacity uniform platform with multiple silos.

TecSec Inc, a leading high-grade security solutions provider, brings its CKM technology to protect content as well as to enforce permissions and functions, including discrete access rules and various permissions that allow for numerous silos on their Smart Token. Each silo contains a distinct service application, the access to which is under the control of the respective application provider. Access permissions may vary and they are assigned to cardholders by the application provider. In this manner "roaming" on the card is denied, privacy is assured and the liability exposures of the Smart Token issuer are substantially curtailed.

Overall system installation and ongoing operating costs for this Smart Token are significantly lower than traditional Java smart card solutions. This is because the content protection of CKM and the multiple discrete application silos, permit highly-secure network-independent updates (loads and deletes) to intended segments of the memory of the ATMEL secure chip. In this manner, fixed facilities needed for cardholders to update smart cards are no longer needed, obviating a major cost. Furthermore, given the discrete and protected nature of each application silo, the Smart Token issuer has the opportunity of gaining "cost offsets" or rental income, from application providers paying for silo space on the issuer's card platform. This Smart Token establishes a new, more favorable, business model for the card issuer.

The Smart Token's contactless RFID feature is designed with a secure close-proximity range limitation, guarding privacy and thwarting vulnerabilities.

Precise Biometrics' use of the secure smart card environment to match the cardholder's stored fingerprint against the cardholder's finger is another example of the next generation nature of this Smart Token solution. Conventional biometric solutions match the fingerprint against a remote data base, involving additional off-card processing and costs while exposing the stored templates to potential compromise. The Precise Match-on-Card(TM) solution is a clear step ahead, increasing security while enhancing user privacy. This Smart Token solution is interoperable with the efficient MyID(R) card life cycle management system of Intercede(R).

CPI Card Group will manufacture this Smart Token. The FIPS and NIST certifications are in place or scheduled to be completed in a timely fashion. A long-life composite card material base, providing heightened durability, is also available that delays normal card replacement costs well into the future.

CPI Card Group

A world leader in plastic card manufacturing for over 20 years, CPI offers a single source for plastic cards from foil cards and holograms, to translucent and smart cards. CPI's two ISO 9001:2000 certified sites include CPI Card Group -- Colorado, Inc. in Littleton, Colorado and CPI Card Group -- Nevada, Inc. in North Las Vegas, Nevada. CPI Card Group produces high- quality, general-purpose, magnetic stripe and smart cards for many applications. Certified to produce contactless products, our facility specializes in distinctive cards and we offer the largest production capacity in North America.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions. Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere You Are(R).

(C) 2006 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof, Everywhere You Are(R) and others, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

TecSec Incorporated is a recognized standards based provider of high quality information assurance solutions that complement PKI and augment network perimeter defenses with content protection and controlled access. Its CKM products are suitable for all forms of digital data transfer, storage and management. Highly scalable CKM Enabled solutions are transport agnostic. A private company, TecSec is located in Vienna, VA. http://www.tecsec.com/

Precise Biometrics AB (publ.) is an innovative security company that supplies world-leading systems for fingerprint and smart card-based authentication. The company's solutions replace keys, PIN codes and passwords and enhance the integrity of ID cards and passports. With its proprietary Precise Match-on-Card(TM) technology, the company is a market leader in smart ID cards. The product line includes systems for access control to buildings, computers and networks and for integration into ID cards and passports. Precise Biometrics is listed on the O-list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange (symbol: PREC A). For more information, please visit http://www.precisebiometrics.com/

Source: CPI Card Group