PCMCIA Establishes Security Card Working Group

The dream of a standardized encryption interface may soon be realized!

San Jose, Calif., October 1, 1995-PCMCIA has formed a new Working Group
dedicated to standardizing and promoting the PC Card as a security device.
The Working Group was formed to work within the PCMCIA Technical Committee
to help the Association define and standardize the capabilities and
requirements for PC Card Security Card devices. 

The Working Group will accomplish this by making recommendations as to how
to enhance the PC Card Standard to better support the Security Card class
of device. The group's immediate goals are to define the necessary
extensions to the PC Card Standard that will allow easy identification of
Security Card devices, and to proactively identify other vendors in the
market and solicit their support for standardizing PC Cards as a security
device. 

"The formation of this Working Group represents the formalization of an
industry trend. A standardized form factor and interface for security
devices is finally an attainable goal thanks to the widespread acceptance
of PC Card technology," said Gary Visser, a senior software engineer with
Spyrus Communications and Co-Chairperson of the Working Group, "It is this
high level of host support that will promote PC Cards as a solution for
electronic banking and commerce." 

PC Cards are seen by many as an ideal solution for digital signature and
data encryption applications due to the established base of PC Card slots,
and because most security applications are math intensive and require the
processing power and storage of computers. In fact, since 1993 PC Card
slots have been listed as a required feature on all computers purchased by
the United States Department of Defense, primarily because of the
government's own work on a PC Card-based data encryption system. 

The proposal to form the Group was presented to PCMCIA by Spyrus, Inc. of
San Jose, California. The group will be co-chaired by Edward Tuggle of IBM
Corporation and Visser of Spyrus, Inc. 

Data Encryption and Digital Signatures

As more secure data is transmitted via wireless devices, over the Internet
and over phone lines, new technologies are needed to guarantee the
security of the message. Data encryption is the technology that enables
these secure communications. 

One large-scale application of data encryption employing PC Cards is the
Defense Messaging System of the United States Department of Defense. With
the NSA-approved Fortezza encryption card, government officials enjoy
secure communications through standard PC Card slot-equipped computer. 

Digital Signature will be the enabling technology for the emerging
electronic banking industry. The standardization of PC Cards will allow
the development of sophisticated authentication applications that will be
able to authenticate that a purchase order, credit card authorization, or
other important financial transaction was initiated by the right person. 

About PCMCIA and PC Cards

PCMCIA is a non-profit trade association and standards body with over 500
member companies that promotes the worldwide adoption of PC Card
technology by defining technical specifications and proactively marketing
the technology. 

PC Cards are credit-card-size peripheral devices that add memory, mass
storage and I/O capabilities to computers and other electronic devices in
a rugged, compact form factor. In addition to worldwide acceptance in the
mobile computing industry, PC Cards are now being adopted by a wide range
of industries such as desktop computing, digital imaging, cable television
and transportation. 

PCMCIA Headquarters
2635 North First Street, Suite 209
San Jose, CA 95134  USA
Tel +1 408 433 CARD (2273)
Fax +1 408 433 9558
BBS +1 408 433 2270
Internet: office@pcmcia.org

European Chapter
Avenue Marcel Thiry 204
B-1200 Brussels  Belgium
Tel +32 2 774 4620
Fax +32 2 774 9690
 
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