SecureRF Awarded SBIR Grant from U.S. Air Force for Secure Global RFID System: System Will Enable Secure Tracking of In-Transit Assets
SecureRF Corporation has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the United States Air Force for a secure, satellite-enabled, radio frequency identification (RFID) system to verify the actual location, and precisely track in-transit assets without providing targeting information and exposing tactical locations or logistics information to unfriendly forces.
Westport, CT, December 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- SecureRF Corporation, a leading provider of secure embedded solutions, announced that they have been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the United States Air Force (USAF) for a secure, satellite-enabled, radio frequency identification (RFID) system. The secure global RFID system is intended to verify the actual location, and precisely track in-transit assets without providing targeting information and exposing tactical locations or logistics information to unfriendly forces.
“The Department of Defense is looking for a way to securely know where their assets are at all times in order to improve logistical support and supply chain efficiencies,” said Louis Parks, SecureRF’s CEO. “The secure global RFID system that we are planning to develop will enable them do that and we believe parts of the technology developed will later answer some significant needs in the commercial sector too.”
To enable world-wide tracking, this system will use an encrypted military or commercial satellite network, rather than an expensive fixed RFID reader infrastructure or cell phone coverage. Once developed, the technology could also allow commercial shippers to securely track high value assets within containers before and after they reach our borders. A secure “sensor-enabled” RFID tag for the logistics industry could monitor any tampering of the shipment while in transit and protect the identity of the container’s content without disclosing the location to potential thieves.
SecureRF’s team of world-leading mathematician/cryptographers have developed a new cryptography method known as the Algebraic Eraser™ which is able to deliver both public and private key solutions that are thousands of times smaller and faster than any other technologies currently available. The resulting protocols, which can provide authentication and data protection functions, are small enough to fit on resource constrained devices like RFID and microcontrollers.
In Phase I of this grant, SecureRF will focus on determining the feasibility of implementing this protocol within an active RFID tag with GPS functions. In Phase II of the project, a prototype of this system will be designed, developed and produced for field testing.
The SBIR project is under the direction of SecureRF’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Iris L. Anshel. This work is supported by the USAF as part of the Department of Defense 2008.1 SBIR solicitation under topic number AF081-097. The proposal is titled: “Highly Secure Active, Satellite-enabled RFID System with Sensor Capability.”
About SecureRF
SecureRF Corporation provides secure embedded and radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions for high value asset tracking, monitoring and anti-counterfeiting applications in the pharmaceutical, food, defense, homeland security and other sectors. The company’s technology, based on a breakthrough in cryptography that is lightweight yet highly secure, provides authentication and data protection security for embedded systems, RFID tags and other low resource devices. SecureRF’s LIME Tag™ is a secure, battery-assisted, passive RFID tag, which meets both EPCglobal and ISO standards, with optional sensors that provide cold chain management functionality. SecureRF solutions can also be licensed as a software toolkit, a core, or a chip, addressing a wide range of applications and environments. More information about SecureRF can be found on its Web site at www.SecureRF.com. SecureRF’s insights into RFID Security can be found on its blog at www.SecureRF.com/RFID-Security-blog/.
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SecureRF, LIME Tag and Algebraic Eraser are trademarks of SecureRF Corporation.
“The Department of Defense is looking for a way to securely know where their assets are at all times in order to improve logistical support and supply chain efficiencies,” said Louis Parks, SecureRF’s CEO. “The secure global RFID system that we are planning to develop will enable them do that and we believe parts of the technology developed will later answer some significant needs in the commercial sector too.”
To enable world-wide tracking, this system will use an encrypted military or commercial satellite network, rather than an expensive fixed RFID reader infrastructure or cell phone coverage. Once developed, the technology could also allow commercial shippers to securely track high value assets within containers before and after they reach our borders. A secure “sensor-enabled” RFID tag for the logistics industry could monitor any tampering of the shipment while in transit and protect the identity of the container’s content without disclosing the location to potential thieves.
SecureRF’s team of world-leading mathematician/cryptographers have developed a new cryptography method known as the Algebraic Eraser™ which is able to deliver both public and private key solutions that are thousands of times smaller and faster than any other technologies currently available. The resulting protocols, which can provide authentication and data protection functions, are small enough to fit on resource constrained devices like RFID and microcontrollers.
In Phase I of this grant, SecureRF will focus on determining the feasibility of implementing this protocol within an active RFID tag with GPS functions. In Phase II of the project, a prototype of this system will be designed, developed and produced for field testing.
The SBIR project is under the direction of SecureRF’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Iris L. Anshel. This work is supported by the USAF as part of the Department of Defense 2008.1 SBIR solicitation under topic number AF081-097. The proposal is titled: “Highly Secure Active, Satellite-enabled RFID System with Sensor Capability.”
About SecureRF
SecureRF Corporation provides secure embedded and radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions for high value asset tracking, monitoring and anti-counterfeiting applications in the pharmaceutical, food, defense, homeland security and other sectors. The company’s technology, based on a breakthrough in cryptography that is lightweight yet highly secure, provides authentication and data protection security for embedded systems, RFID tags and other low resource devices. SecureRF’s LIME Tag™ is a secure, battery-assisted, passive RFID tag, which meets both EPCglobal and ISO standards, with optional sensors that provide cold chain management functionality. SecureRF solutions can also be licensed as a software toolkit, a core, or a chip, addressing a wide range of applications and environments. More information about SecureRF can be found on its Web site at www.SecureRF.com. SecureRF’s insights into RFID Security can be found on its blog at www.SecureRF.com/RFID-Security-blog/.
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SecureRF, LIME Tag and Algebraic Eraser are trademarks of SecureRF Corporation.
Contact
SecureRF Corporation
Joanne Kelleher
203-227-3151 ext. 1302
www.securerf.com
RFID Security Blog - http://www.securerf.com/RFID-Security-blog/
Joanne Kelleher
203-227-3151 ext. 1302
www.securerf.com
RFID Security Blog - http://www.securerf.com/RFID-Security-blog/
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