GlobalPlatform argues for Trusted Execution Environment in new report
16 February, 2011
category: NFC
GlobalPlatform, the organization which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technology, has published a white paper that outlines the benefits of introducing and standardizing the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) in mobile devices.
The report, titled “The Trusted Execution Environment: Delivering Enhanced Security at a Lower Cost to the Mobile Market,” deals specifically with security in digital rights management and finance applications, but will be of interest to all parties operating within the mobile services sector, including service providers, mobile network operators, application developers and device manufacturers, says GlobalPlatform.
According to the report, TEE is a secure area that resides in the main processor of the phone and guarantees that sensitive data is stored, processed and protected in a trusted environment. Its ability to offer safe execution of authorized security software, known as trusted applications, enables the TEE to enforce protection, confidentiality, integrity and access rights of the data belonging to those trusted applications, thus providing end-to-end security.
GlobalPlatform says that standardizing the TEE will benefit the industry as a whole by lowering implementation costs and creating interoperability across the applications operating on the mobile device.
The white paper provides an overview of the TEE, and explains how the technology works alongside operating systems such as Android, Windows Phone 7, LiMo, iOS and webOS to provide high level security services for corporate environments, content management, mobile payments and service deployment. The document also outlines GlobalPlatform’s TEE Specification road map and objective to standardize this environment.
The white paper follows the launch of GlobalPlatform’s TEE Client Application Programming Interface Specification in July 2010. The specification outlines how to establish communication interoperability and support the migration of sensitive services into the TEE, enabling an application to become isolated and easier to control and secure.
GlobalPlatform member organizations involved in the creation of the white paper include: American Express, ARM Ltd., Gemalto, Giesecke & Devrient, Nokia, Orange, ST Ericsson, and Texas Instruments.
Click here to download the free report.