Atmel and Cryptography Research Announce Agreement for Use CRI’s Patents to Differential Power Analysis (DPA)

Atmel receives the freedom to use CRI’s patents as part of its strategy to develop and enhance its security chips used in smart cards and other applications. The license also covers software executing on Atmel chips, allowing Atmel’s customers to develop their own security countermeasures without a separate license from Cryptography Research. Differential Power Analysis (DPA) is a form of attack that involves monitoring the fluctuating electrical power consumption of a target device and then using advanced statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets. Strong countermeasures to DPA help protect tamper-resistant chips used in applications such as banking, pay television, mass transit, secure ID, and wireless telecommunications…