Standards for Efficient Cryptography Group (SECG) Announce New Initiatives

[R.A. Hettinga]

<http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/09/c2130.html?view=print>

Canada NewsWire Group

CERTICOM CORP. Attention Business Editors:

 Standards for Efficient Cryptography Group (SECG) Announce New Initiatives
    Elliptic Curve Cryptography protocol test site and test certificate
    authority to promote interoperability and facilitate faster time
    to-market

    MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 9 /CNW/ - Two new initiatives being spearheaded by
the Standards for Efficient Cryptography Group (SECG) will help developers
quickly and effectively test elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)-based
implementations to facilitate faster time-to-market, according to Certicom, a
founding member of SECG. Announced today, an ECC protocol test site and
certificate authority (CA) will be available to SECG members in the spring of
2005.
    The SECG, an industry consortium, was founded in 1998 to develop
commercial standards that facilitate the adoption of efficient cryptography
and interoperability across a wide range of computing platforms. Where
standards already exist, SECG may promote a refined, peer-reviewed profile of
the broader standard to promote adoption and interoperability. The SECG also
provides guidance to governments and organizations that are developing
cryptographic standards.

    The initiatives announced today include:

    -  ECC protocol test site: developers will be able to vet their protocol
       implementations against reference implementations to test
       interoperability. Each test - such as Transport Layer Security (TLS)
       and S/MIME protocols - has been peer-reviewed by the leading ECC and
       protocol authorities.

    -  ECC-based certificate authority: the group will issue free ECC-based
       certificates for testing and prototyping.

    "SECG's role is to make it easier to use ECC by promoting practical
standards, interoperability and by providing mechanisms to test
implementations and prototypes," said William Lattin, chair of SECG. "Recent
developments, such as advances in the cryptographic world and U.S. government
security initiatives, have elevated the need for ECC and for resources like
ours."
    "The work of SECG is valuable resource for companies committed to ECC,"
says Gloria Navarre, senior architect, Unisys Global Security Practice. "As
Unisys develops next-generation ECC applications, such as our solutions to
help banks embrace image exchange in check processing, and transform payments
operations as a whole, we can take advantage of the expertise,
interoperability and testing standards that SECG offers to provide new levels
of security to our clients and their customers."
    "SECG enables access to proven and effective algorithms and protocols to
secure a communication channel between computers. It is particularly important
when communicating computers have limiting computational resources and when
the bandwidth of the channel has limiting capacity. This is the case of
important mailing applications where Pitney Bowes has established a strong
leadership position worldwide. In addition SECG allows to have a common
foundation for all communication security needs regardless of the limiting
factors. This in turn enables interoperability between a broad variety of
applications," said Dr. Leon Pintsov, Pitney Bowes Fellow and vice president,
International Standards and Advanced Technology.
    ECC, a computationally efficient form of cryptography, is used in a
growing number of sectors ranging from consumer electronics, embedded devices
and semiconductors to government and financial services. Several changes have
spurred the adoption of ECC. The first is the need for a stronger public-key
cryptosystem that doesn't affect performance. For example, a high security
encryption algorithm like the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) demands
equivalent security for the accompanying digital signatures and key exchanges.
To achieve this level of security without overwhelming the processors of most
mobile devices, developers would need ECC, which offers equivalent security to
other competing technologies but with much smaller key sizes. The second is
the National Security Agency's recent decision to name ECC the public-key
cryptosystem needed to meet the new, stronger security requirements under its
crypto modernization program.
    The SECG is open to all interested parties who are willing to contribute
to the ECC standards development process. To become a member of the SECG,
simply send an email to the SECG mailing list
(secg-talk-request at lists.certicom.com) with the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the
subject line. To find out more about SECG and to download the latest
standards, visit www.secg.org, or visit us at the RSA conference, in the
Certicom booth No. 430, February 14-18, Moscone Center, San Francisco.

    About SECG
    The Standards for Efficient Cryptography Group (SECG) is an industry
consortium for the development of standards based upon Elliptic Curve
Cryptography (ECC). It was chartered to develop commercial standards that
specify the basis for creating interoperable, cost-effective security
solutions across a wide range of computing platforms. The SECG was founded in
1998 by Certicom and currently includes member companies such as: Entrust,
Fujitsu, Pitney Bowes, Unisys and Visa International. Visit www.secg.org.

    About Certicom
    Certicom Corp. (TSX: CIC) is the authority for strong, efficient
cryptography required by software vendors and device manufacturers to embed
security in their products. Adopted by the US government's National Security
Agency (NSA), Certicom technologies for Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
provide the most security per bit of any known public key scheme, making it
ideal for constrained environments. Visit www.certicom.com.

    About Pitney Bowes
    Pitney Bowes is the world's leading provider of integrated mail and
document management systems, services and solutions. The $5 billion company
helps organizations of all sizes efficiently and effectively manage their
mission-critical mail and document flow in physical, digital and hybrid
formats. Its solutions range from addressing software and metering systems to
print stream management, electronic bill presentment and presort mail
services. With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves
more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. For more
information about Pitney Bowes please visit http://www.pb.com.

    About Unisys
    Unisys is a worldwide information technology services and solutions
company. Our people combine expertise in consulting, systems integration,
outsourcing, infrastructure and server technology with precision thinking and
relentless execution to help clients, in more than 100 countries, quickly and
efficiently achieve competitive advantage. For more information, visit
www.unisys.com.

    Certicom, Certicom Security Architecture, Certicom CodeSign, Security
    Builder, Security Builder Middleware, Security Builder API, Security
    Builder Crypto, Security Builder SSL, Security Builder PKI, Security
    Builder NSE and Security Builder GSE are trademarks or registered
    trademarks of Certicom Corp. All other companies and products listed
    herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
    holders.

    Except for historical information contained herein, this news release
    contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
    Actual results may differ materially. Factors that might cause a
    difference include, but are not limited to, those relating to the
    acceptance of mobile and wireless devices and the continued growth of
    e-commerce and m-commerce, the increase of the demand for mutual
    authentication in m-commerce transactions, the acceptance of Elliptic
    Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology as an industry standard, the market
    acceptance of our principal products and sales of our customer's
    products, the impact of competitive products and technologies, the
    possibility of our products infringing patents and other intellectual
    property of fourth parties, and costs of product development. Certicom
    will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
    circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about
    potential factors that could affect Certicom's financial results is
    included in the documents Certicom files from time to time with the
    Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

    %SEDAR: 00003865E



For further information: please contact: Tim Cox, Zing Public Relations,
(650) 369-7784, tim at zingpr.com; Brendan Ziolo, Certicom Corp.,
(613) 254-9267, bziolo at certicom.com



CERTICOM CORP.

 CERTICOM CORP. - More on this organization
 Quotes & Charts


News Releases
(79)

Webcast
Company Earnings
CIC.(TSX)


STANDARDS FOR EFFICIENT CRYPTOGRAPHY GROUP

 STANDARDS FOR EFFICIENT CRYPTOGRAPHY GROUP - More on this organization


News Releases
(1)



-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'