The UK Identity and Passport Service has deployed Cryptomathic’s PKI solution in its recently launched national e-passport scheme.
Cryptomathic says that its module is responsible for generating all cryptographic data, encrypting the data files for each UK passport holder – within the secure confines of a tamper resistant Hardware Security Module (HSM) provided by nCipher – and forwarding them to a production site where the data is loaded onto the passport chip in a secure manner. The data will then be used to verify the validity of passports, or individuals travelling on them, thanks to a dynamic dialogue which takes place between the chip in the passport and the local passport authority upon the passport holder’s arrival into a country.
What they say
Peter Landrock, Executive Chairman of Cryptomathic, says: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the UK Identity and Passport Service on such a high profile e-passport scheme. The selection of Cryptomathic’s PKI solution for this deployment is testament to the flexibility of the solution. It can very easily be adapted to suit similar security data preparation requirements across industries, including the government, healthcare and ID markets. Once you have established a credible solution, the only difference between different environments is the detail; the security challenge remains the same. Ultimately, the solution must be extremely secure, 100pc reliable, available 24/7, be capable of processing a large volume of data in a short timeframe and be resistant to circumvention by hackers or operators.”
