Adding backdoors at the chip level — Schneier on Security — “In this paper we propose an extremely stealthy approach for implementing hardware Trojans below the gate level… we insert our hardware Trojans by changing the dopant polarity of existing transistors. Since the modified circuit appears legitimate on all wiring layers (including all metal and polysilicon), our family of Trojans is resistant to most detection techniques.”
Chips
Acer adds donations and discounts to prayer beads
Buddhists go high-tech: Acer to launch smart prayer beads — EJ Insight — “The smart product looks just like traditional Buddhist prayer beads except that one of the beads has an embedded chip which can connect with the user’s smartphone and show the number of times a mantra is recited on the mobile app…. The smart Buddhist beads also come with fintech functions for electronic payments, facilitating donations and offering discounts at certain shops and restaurants in the Buddhist community.”
NXP puts eSIM, secure element and NFC on a single chip
NXP ushers in new era of eSIM-enabled devices for 5G and IoT with industry’s first single NFC and secure element monolithic chip — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “The new NXP SN100U is the world’s first single-die chipset featuring an embedded secure element (SE), near field communications (NFC), and eSIM for added advanced functionality, cellular connectivity, and security. The company also introduced the SU070 standalone eSIM solution, which offers the industry’s smallest footprint and is ideal for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other IoT devices that require cellular connectivity with low power consumption.”
Garmin picks NXP chip for wearable payments
NXP and Garmin team up to bring secure and convenient NFC mobile payments to new fitness wearables — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “[Garmin] has chosen NXP’s PN80T embedded secure element and NFC solution… ‘In collaborating with NXP, we can better provide the ultimate on-the-go lifestyle to our customers,’ said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. ‘This technology, featured on the Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 645 Music, enables customers to leave their cash and credit cards at home and securely make purchases where NFC payments are accepted.’”
Shell pilots RFID system that scans all the items in a shopping basket in one go
Supermarket checkout designed to scan entire shopping basket trialled in London — Evening Standard — “Each shopping item has a tiny ‘radio frequency identification’ chip embedded in it… The customer first places their items on a scanning platform, which displays the full list on a screen. They open a smartphone app and tap the device on a reader to deduct payment from an account linked to a card app, such as Apple Pay or Android Pay, and are then emailed a receipt.”
Visa, Mastercard and JCB back payment card with built-in cell phone chip
Dynamics Inc, global banks, payments networks, and telecommunications carriers unveil Wallet Card — Dynamics — “With almost 200 internal components, this Internet of Things device incorporates a number of cutting-edge technologies including: A cell phone chip and cell phone antenna so data can be transferred between Wallet Card and the bank anywhere in the world and at any time of the day; A battery and organic recharging chip so that the card charges itself through normal operation. Wallet Card can last indefinitely without the need for the consumer to perform any physical action.”
Adidas includes NFC chip in official Fifa World Cup football
2018 FIFA World Cup official match ball unveiled: an exciting re-imagining — FIFA — “Telstar 18 features a brand new carcass, high technology and sustainable elements such as recycled packaging. It also includes an embedded NFC chip, which enables consumers to interact with the ball using a smartphone. The personalised and location-aware experience displays specific details of each ball and provides access to challenges which users can enter in the run-up to the Fifa World Cup.”
Australian festival-goers try out NFC ticket implants
Under the skin: How insertable microchips could unlock the future — The Guardian — “Ten volunteers received a microchip at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne on Wednesday to mark the launch of Pause Fest, a technology and culture festival now in its eighth year. Their chips were preloaded with a three-day pass to the festival and will be programmed to unlock the door to their home, gym, or workplace, or potentially to function as their public transport pass.”
White paper sets out how fashion brands can add payments, loyalty, ticketing and more to wearable devices
Fashion brands looking to include payments capabilities in their wearable devices need solutions that are pre-certified, inexpensive, easy to implement and offer the wearer the ability to quickly and easily add their choice of payment, transit, loyalty and identity cards throughout the lifetime of their watch or fashion accessory, wearables platform provider Fidesmo explains in a new white paper which is now available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
NXP releases IoT microcontroller with NFC and energy harvesting
NXP integrates NFC technology into LPC800 series microcontrollers revolutionizing smart tagging in IoT applications — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “Offering an integrated near field communications (NFC) interface with energy-harvesting capability, the LPC8N04 MCU is optimized to address the growing need for cost-effective, short-range two-way wireless communication… The LPC8N04 MCU enables developers to quickly implement broad-based solutions that leverage system diagnostics or environmental conditions for a smarter tagging experience.
STMicroelectronics unveils all-in-one NFC module for wearable payments
PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has launched a new NFC payments module which is designed to overcome the space and cost constraints faced by wearable devices makers by integrating a miniaturized contactless radio booster with a secure microcontroller in a 4mm by 4mm package... More
NXP unveils world’s thinnest contactless chip module
NXP revolutionizes ID security and durability with world’s thinnest contactless chip module — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “Measuring just 200μm thick — roughly four times the thickness of an average human hair — the MOB10 is 20% thinner than its predecessor and is ideally suited for use in ultra-thin inlays for passport data pages and identity cards.”
NXP releases NFC tag toolkit for iOS
PARTNER NEWS: NXP has announced a toolkit designed to make it easy for iOS 11 developers to take advantage of the NFC tag reading capabilities that are now supported by iPhones and unlock “the potential to now connect billions of consumer and industrial products to the Internet of Things (IoT)”... More
Opal card implanted into Sydney man Meow-Meow could be deactivated by NSW authorities
Opal card implanted into Sydney man Meow-Meow could be deactivated by NSW authorities — ABC News — “Transport authorities in New South Wales have threatened to deactivate an Opal card that has been implanted in a Sydney man’s hand… ‘Transport for NSW does not support the tampering or damaging of Opal Cards, which would be a breach of the terms of use,’ they said.”
Sydney man has Opal card implanted into hand to make catching public transport easier
Sydney man has Opal card implanted into hand to make catching public transport easier — ABC News — “Bio-hacker Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow, his legal name, had the Opal near-field communication (NFC) chip cut down and encased in bio-compatible plastic, measuring 1 millimetre by 6 millimetres. He then had the device implanted just beneath the skin on the side of his left hand. “It gives me an ability that not everyone else has, so if someone stole my wallet I could still get home,” he said.”
ABN Amro pilots wearable payments with select customers
A select group of ABN Amro customers has begun piloting payments using NFC-enabled rings supplied by Kerv and smartwatches... More
Swedish commuters validate tickets using NFC microchips implanted in their hands
Commuters travelling on trains run by Swedish transport operator SJ are trialling a system that lets them have their ticket validated using an NFC microchip implanted in their hand... More
Report: 70% of financial cards have chip
Report: 70% of financial cards have chip — International Card Manufacturers Association — “Chip cards represented 88.6% of revenue for cards globally manufactured in 2016… SIM cards make up the largest dollar market at $6.53 billion and the third largest unit market at 5.4 billion cards. Financial cards make up the second largest unit market and dollar market at 5.5 billion cards and $5.1 billion.”
Galaxy S8 gets Gemalto secure element to support Samsung Pay
PARTNER NEWS: Digital security giant Gemalto’s embedded secure element (eSE) solution is to be integrated into Samsung Galaxy S8 devices to support the deployment of Samsung Pay — including for transit and ticketing services — in select markets. More
STMicroelectronics launches ST25DV chips that can be read by both RFID readers and NFC phones
PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has introduced a range of dynamic tag chips that support both the NFC Type 5 and the ISO 15693 RFID specifications, enabling them to be read by both standard NFC smartphones and, at a longer range of up to one metre, by RFID readers. More
