GE Picks up a New Public Key Algorithm

May 25, 2006
GE Security licenses elliptical curve cryptography from Certicom

Now that the security industry moves it data digitally, public keys have been placed at the forefront of device communications and integration. For those more familiar with access control and locks, a public key is part of a two-step data security process for "locking data."

GE Security is among the businesses that's trying to stay on the forefront of PKI (public key infrastructure). Today, it was announced that the company had licensed a new public-key cryptograph from Ontario-based Certicom Corporation (www.certicom.com).

The license applies to Certicom's elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) technology for public keys.

According to Certicom, the strength of their keys is that they can offer security that compares against other competitive public key technologies, but in a format that uses a "smaller key size," allowing for faster data transfer and lessening memory and bandwidth requirements.

Certicom's ECC has also been adopted by the NSA for securing both classified and unclassified information.