Broadcom launches new secure processor

Broadcom Corporation said Tuesday it has introduced the world's first secure processor with integrated RFID technology.

The BCM5890 secure processor, part of the semiconductor company's Trusted Authentication Initiative, was designed to secure "personal authentication transactions associated with physical access, logical access (into a PC or network) and contactless payment applications," the company said.

Broadcom also said that the processor enhanced the use of authentication technologies such as biometrics, encryption and contactless technologies.

And unlike other processors that allow authentication operations to be in the open, Broadcom noted that its "processor runs in a special secure mode that protects the software, and the security keys that run on it, from tampering or theft."

"Our society has become quite comfortable with our digital identities, yet in the pursuit of convenience we have opened ourselves up to identify theft and loss of privacy," said Joseph Wallace, senior director for Broadcom's Security Line of Business. "Broadcom is committed to providing the technology that joins security with convenience for such applications as physical access, logical access and financial payments."

In addition, Broadcom also introduced Tuesday its Integrity Platform, consisting of a set of tools and standards-based application programming interfaces, enabling manufacturers to develop personal authentication products.

Both RSA Security and HID Global are working with Broadcom, too. As part of this initiative, Broadcom and RSA Security are partnering to embed the market-leading RSA SecureID technology within the BCM5890 secure processor, while HID Global was chosen to port its Prox and iCLASS physical access credentials to the processor, Broadcom said.