Software module helps put security on-chip

Module enables Microsoft CryptoAPI to offload much of the security heavy-lifting to the PadLock security engine integrated directly into VIA C7 family processors.

The VIA PadLock Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) is a software module that enables the Microsoft Cryptographic Application Programming Interface (CryptoAPI) - used by programmers to enhance security in applications - to offload much of the security heavy-lifting to the VIA PadLock security engine integrated directly into VIA C7 family processors.

With the explosive growth of networked x86-based applications such as VoIP, video on demand and personal storage, and the escalating threat of theft of valuable information, the protection of data exchanged and stored has become of paramount importance in industrial, commercial and personal computing.

Today's advanced security needs to employ multiple encryption techniques and increasingly complex algorithms to provide the ever higher levels of protection required.

The VIA PadLock CSP helps build that protection by enabling developers using the Microsoft CryptoAPI in their applications to benefit from the military-grade security tools of the VIA PadLock security engine with little program modification.

By leveraging the cryptographic strength and power of these tools, the VIA PadLock accelerates AES ciphers by over 50x, SHA secure hashes by seven times, and public key generation by up to two times, enabling real-time protection of information with extremely low processor utilisation.

Key generation, used for authentication, is also strengthened with the VIA PadLock CSP by using the dual Quantum-based random number generators integrated into the VIA PadLock security engine.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, CE, and the forthcoming Windows Vista, the VIA PadLock CSP can be used in any current VIA processor based server, desktop, embedded or notebook system.

"The VIA PadLock CSP is a practical tool that takes full advantage of the cryptographic strength of our VIA C7 processor family to better protect users from today's security threats", said Chris Bennetts, Processor Platform Marketing, VIA Technologies.

"Security is a key issue that must be addressed in order to successfully move x86 further towards convergence, and VIA has taken a proactive approach with the PadLock CSP that programmers can implement quickly and easily".

Back to top