In Brief: Spansion designs Flash cell-phone barrier

Silicon Valley's Spansion Inc. Monday announced a new cell-phone security system that wards off viruses and other wireless threats.

Spansion said in a news release it had designed a solution that can be directly embedded into the phone's Flash memory subsystem, protecting the vital component against tampering and theft of consumer data.

Most wireless security systems function in the potentially vulnerable operating software while embedding the solution chip directly into the Flash subsystem offers better protection.

The company said the development will fit in well with advances that allow consumers to use cell phones for credit-card functions, electronic keys and storage of sensitive data.

"As more m-commerce and content applications become available, our mobile security approach will provide secure data storage and give consumers the confidence to use their handsets for important financial transactions and downloading digital media," said Spansion Vice President Amir Mashkoori, "That will open up revenue opportunities for wireless operators and content providers."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International