Encryption

Seqr does not require merchants to install new hardware and promises to cut transaction fees in half by bypassing the traditional payments networks. McDonald's, Axfood and Kjell & Company have already adopted the system in Sweden. More

Key2Share allows virtual keys stored on NFC phones to be shared securely using QR codes that can be sent by email or MMS message — or even in the mail. More

Chip maker NXP has licensed Intrinsic ID's Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) technology for use with its SmartMX2 smart card and secure element chips. "PUFs are an innovative way of safeguarding individual chips from data theft... More

Android users can ditch their passwords and instead wave a contactless smart card over their phone or tablet to securely log in to apps and access encrypted data. More

Good Technology's Good Vault enterprise email security solution for iPhones can now use a sleeve from DeviceFidelity to hold a microSD card as part of its two factor authentication scheme. A secure element on the... More

The Spanish bank is to issue contactless TAP Visa stickers in Barcelona, and expects some 200,000 to be in use by the time the city hosts the Mobile World Congress in February. More

The sale suggests that Apple's interest in acquiring Authentec lies with the company's innovative combined fingerprint and NFC solution, which is not part of the division being acquired by Inside Secure, and will lead to renewed speculation that Apple will include NFC in future iPhones and other devices. More

HID Global has launched HID Trusted Tag Services, a cloud-based platform that works with NFC tags to authenticate a wide range of assets. "HID Trusted Tag transponders can be applied to physical objects and documents... More

"With the availability of the VaultSecure IC, smartphone manufacturers, mobile network operators and other trusted third parties can co-own the SE and install, personalize and administer their own open- or closed-loop payment, access control, transit, loyalty or other secure applets," says Inside's Pierre Garnier. More

Researchers at Intrepidus Group have demonstrated how an Android NFC phone can be used to add value to a transit card without paying but, says NXP, the vulnerability is limited to transportation card issuers that haven't upgraded from Mifare Ultralight to the newer Mifare Ultralight C technology. More

TmoNews reports that Isis NFC SIMs will be available from T-Mobile stores in Salt Lake City and Austin from Monday 1 October. A screenshot that appears to be from an internal T-Mobile system explains to... More

"The NFC Forum works to ensure that tools are available to allow applications to operate with the appropriate level of security," says the industry standards body. "Mr Miller's demonstration underscores the importance of providing appropriate security measures at the application layer and enabling users to adjust security settings to suit their own needs and preferences." More

The body that manages the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) has published a fact sheet outlining how merchants can securely accept payments using smartphones and tablets. In the document (pdf) the PCI... More

Zvelo engineer Joshua Rubin has released details of a security vulnerability in rooted Android phones running Google Wallet. Rubin was able to crack and expose the four digit PIN used to protect access to Google... More

The amount of unencrypted data stored by the Google Wallet app "surpasses what we believe most consumers find acceptable," says digital forensics specialist viaForensics in a report on the security of the search giant's NFC wallet — but no access to the secure element was gained. More

The organisation, which aims to establish an open standard for transport ticketing to rival Mifare, has made available the first version of its Cipurse specification. More

The new solution is designed to make it easy for card issuers to prepare and encrypt customer data so that it can be sent securely over-the-air to cardholders' NFC phones. More

Chip maker Infineon has launched a secure element IC designed to be embedded in NFC-enabled mobile phones. The SLE 97144SE uses the company's Integrity Guard technology to ensure that sensitive data is handled at the... More

The card giant has set out best practices and minimum standards for encryption and made clear the solution provider's responsibilities to secure cardholder data when mobile devices are used to accept payment. More