Integrated NFC, Secure Processor and Biometric Capabilities Enables Cross-Platform, Standards-based Security Solution
Semiconductor giant Broadcom, today announced two additions to its “security system-on-a-chip” (SoC) processor family with the introduction of the BCM5882 and BCM5883, highly integrated secure SoC processors. The new SoCs provide PC OEMs with a scalable and cost-effective security solution, integrating near field communication (NFC) technology, a secure processor and biometric capabilities all on one chip.
The new SoC processors isolate user authentication from the host computing system through a multi-factor, multi-choice authentication and data protection process.
The security platform can be leveraged across product families and form-factors, allowing IT managers to have a consistent security platform throughout the organization. NFC is poised to become ubiquitous in smartphones and consumer electronic devices over the next few years and can be utilized in PCs and tablets for user authentication, payment, virtual currency transactions, ticketing, advertising, and location-based services and applications.
With the rise in enterprise network security breaches and increasing concerns related to social media sites and data stored in the cloud, security experts, suppliers and service providers alike see the need to improve network security. With this in mind, Broadcom has developed Credential Vault, a feature at the core of the SoC where user and device keys and credentials are securely stored. The hardware-based authentication provided by the SoC can be directly linked to data access on self-encrypting hard drives (SED), thus offering an additional layer of security for critical user data.
Broadcom’s says its secure SoCs can ease the use of cloud computing applications by eliminating the need for repeated log in and authentication through enterprise-class single sign-on applications.
Each secure SoC has a unique device-specific key that can serve as a root of trust to generate device and user-based certificates. These certificates enable a secure work flow environment through the use of digital signatures in documents, email, VPN access, and digital rights management (DRM) applications.
“Our latest secure SoCs provide a flexible solution for increased security throughout enterprise and cloud networking applications. By delivering all necessary functionality on a single host-isolated device, IT managers can secure data literally at the ‘front door’ of the system,” said Chuck Tato, Director, Connectivity, Processor & Security Solutions at Broadcom.
