Certicom
Latest
BlackBerry wants to lock down security for the Internet of Things
Say what you will about BlackBerry's current state of affairs, but in its heyday it was a workplace no-brainer because of its then-unparalleled security systems. Well, the Canadian company has plans to make that work in its favor with an encryption certificate based on subsidiary Certicom's elliptic-curved cryptography. As Reuters reports, this could secure numerous devices ranging from connected car systems to smart meters -- ease of security and authentication are the name of the game here. In fact, the outfit's already netted some support from across the pond with a contract that'll cover some 104 million household energy management gizmos and smart meters in Britain. BlackBerry also wants to beef up its research and development that could improve on computer data security. So in case you were wondering what the company formerly known as Research in Motion's been up to, now you know. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Sony targeted in new lawsuit on AACS encryption
Sony can't seem to catch a break.According to ars technica, the troubled electronics giant is facing yet another lawsuit, less than a week after a Blu-ray related complaint filed by Target Technology. This time, Canadian encryption company Certicom filed a suit claiming Sony had infringed their elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) through the use of AACS encryption.AACS, or Advanced Access Content System, is a standard encryption technique that's used on both Blu-ray and HD-DVD products. AACS can be found in all PS3 systems and Blu-ray (game and movie) discs. According to the suit, Sony must pay license fees for use of this technology, which will cost company a hefty price, increasing the cost of PS3 that much more. Other Sony products are affected by the suit, including (but not limited to) certain VAIO computers, televisions and DVD players.
