February 28, 2014, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company serving customers across various electronic applications and a leader in digital security, has unveiled KERKEY™, an advanced security module designed to prevent malicious attacks on smart grid gateways, concentrators, and smart meters. KERKEY not only meets high-level industrial security standards but can also be customized to suit customer needs.

ST has supplied over one billion security elements to numerous embedded security projects worldwide and developed KUKY based on successful achievements in the e-government, transportation, finance, and consumer sectors. KUKY utilizes the robust architecture of ST's security processor family. It offers even greater advantages by possessing a verified hardware foundation that meets CC EAL6+ penetration testing for smart card ICs and FIPS-140 penetration testing for multi-chip cryptographic modules.

Kucky has received Common Criteria (CC) EAL4+ and AVA-VAN Level 5 certifications and meets the BSI protection profile for smart grid security modules. It is also the first chip of its kind capable of supporting the Java Card Operating System (JC2.2). Therefore, it allows for the efficient implementation of cryptographic services using Java applets and offers greater flexibility in diversifying functionalities within applications. Kuki is sold as a ready-to-use security module that can be used immediately with minimal final configuration.

"Governments and public institutions are increasing their reliance on green energy sources such as wind and solar power, while recognizing that safe and secure smart grids are essential for meeting growing electricity demand," said Marie-France Florentin, General Manager of ST Security Microcontrollers. "Equipment manufacturers can use KUKY to provide exceptional flexibility for application customization and differentiation on a single chip, while satisfying the highest security standards at an effective cost."

ST's custom sample for smart grid security modules is available in a QFN32 package with ISO-7816 and I2C interfaces.