At a U.S. government research laboratory, a group of infrastructure security experts
were brainstorming how to solve the ever-increasing problem of stolen personal identification
and financial transaction information. In analyzing the problem, the experts determined that
the root of the existing threat and vulnerability landscape was caused by the use of static
numbers and rudimentary encryption systems that relied on decades-old technologies. The solutions
were obvious:, move to random, one-time-use numbers and high-entropy cryptography and the problem
would be solved and – the risks could be mitigated. As simple as that solution set appeared to be,
the barriers and constraints became readily apparent – the most glaring of which was a question
of power.
The energy issue is rooted in the origins of the technologies that are currently
used in today’s identification and transaction systems. The magnetic stripe on the
back of credit and identification cards is based on 1950’s technology that relies
on a base station to read the information embedded as a series of simple magnetic
markers in plastic tape. Another example is proximity badges and contactless payment
cards, which use rudimentary wireless technologies originally invented and implemented
in the 1970’s that also require a base station to activate them and trigger a blind,
pre-programmed response to anyone that activates them. Both of these systems were
constrained by the fact that they do not have sufficient energy to independently
assure the integrity of the information that is programmed into them. Their protective
features were limited because they simply did not have sufficient power. The near-ubiquitous
deployment of mobile phones now has created a unique opportunity to take the generational
leap forward to exponentially increase the security of identity and transaction
technologies.
Now, billions of people carry a reliable energy source with them providing a unique
opportunity to deploy the next-generation in identity and transaction
technology. The mobile phones that over 3 billion people around the world use on
a daily basis are now capable of supporting high-power encryption, generating one-time-use
codes, managing complex trust relationships, and actively protecting sensitive information
from malicious attacks. When RFinity product penetration among consumers and business
reaches critical mass, there will exist a new universe of possibilities in identity and
transactions. The RFinity Universe will be a generational leap forward – highly secure,
extremely portable; built by hackers to defeat hackers.
Invented at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
by a team of expert security researchers, the RFinity Universe represents a singular
opportunity to take the leap forward to get ahead of the organized criminals targeting
identity and transaction technologies. By using the increasing computing power of
mobile phones, incredible new market opportunities will be created – at the same
time mitigating the vulnerabilities of the legacy identity and transaction infrastructure
with which that we are currently burdened with.