Infineon Technologies has announced it is supplying the security chips for Malaysia’s new national eID cards.

Popularly known as ‘MyKad’, the new generation smart card features Infineon`s SLE 78 security controller with its Integrity Guard security technology. The card also uses SOLID FLASH for fast deployment.

The multi-application MyKad includes biometric identification, which will allow the implementation of additional applications such as driving licence, health, ATM, eSignature and eGovernment services.

According to Infineon, in the past few years Malaysia has issued approximately two million new identity cards annually. These are used for many years and are subject to intense wear and tear. This is why they must meet rigorous requirements. In particular, the bearer’s personal data must be secured during the entire life of the card.

“We have already proven the robustness and reliability of our security chips for identity documents in many projects worldwide,” says Dr Stefan Hofschen, president of Infineon’s Chip Card & Security Division. “The MyKad programme clearly follows the industrial trend to move from MASK ROM-based smart card ICs towards secure and certified state-of-the-art flash controllers like Infineon’s SOLID FLASH products. With these we can fulfil the future challenges of government and payment projects while providing a competitive total cost of ownership.”

Infineon says the SOLID FLASH product combines the highest level of flexibility provided by dedicated Non Volatile Memory (Flash, EEPROM) technologies with reliability and security. It adds: “The security-certified flash product allows a faster reaction to market changes through short lead times and flexible product usage, and offers many advantages in logistics, development and throughout the certification process. A full range of SOLID FLASH products are Common Criteria certified by the BSI (Federal Office for Security in Information Technology) in Germany as well as type approved by EMVCo, making it the choice for many applications while keeping full flexibility for upcoming changes.”

MyKad also uses Infineon’s Integrity Guard security technology. The company claims that this offers long-lasting security with encrypted Dual CPU-core for identification documents with high demands on security and robustness. With this technology, data is encrypted along the entire data path during processing. The security controller core has two processing units, constantly checking each other’s correct function by using error detection. Infineon’s SLE 78 product family with Integrity Guard is used in eGovernment applications, such as electronic health cards and eID, and in residence permits with biometric data.