Sharp IC Module*1 for E-passports Gets Common Criteria Validation*2
Sharp Corporation has announced that its IC module for e-passports has received validation for EAL4+*3 (Evaluation Assurance Level 4+) of the Common Criteria, an international security evaluation standard.
The rapidly growing move towards e-passports is based on their effectiveness in preventing passport forgery, accurately verifying identities, and speeding up customs procedures. Sharp’s IC module for e-passports has large-capacity flash memory (512KB) that holds data on the physical attributes of the passport holder, and can handle high-speed data processing and rapid readout (424kbps) of passport data. Already highly rated, Sharp’s IC module is among the first to be based on the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) e-passport recommendations.
The Common Criteria EAL4+ validation is proof that Sharp’s IC module effectively meets international assessment standards for ensuring passport security including effective forgery prevention and accurate identity verification.
Sharp intends to use its proprietary technology to create highly secure and functional IC modules to expand its IC card business, with emphasis in the personal identification sector.
| *1 |
Flexible passport-sized IC card for e-passports that can
be placed in between the passport pages. |
| *2 |
Common Criteria is an international accreditation standard
to evaluate and validate targeted security levels for information systems and
the hardware and software that comprise them. It was adopted as an international
standard in December 1999, as the ISO/IEC Information Technology Security Evaluation
Standard 15408. Currently, 21 countries participate in the Common Criteria, including
the US, the UK, France and other advanced nations (as of March 2005). |
| *3 |
EAL4+ is one of the EALs (Evaluation Assurance Levels), numbered
from 1 to 7, for the Common Criteria. |
Click to download the Common Criteria Certificate
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