Geneva, September 10th  2004. WISeKey SA, a global leader in identity management services, today announced that it is now providing to digital TV broadcasters and to manufacturers of DVB MHP consumer devices a security infrastructure that it has built and operates on behalf of DVB Services Sarl. The infrastructure enables the Digital Video Broadcasting community worldwide – broadcasters, digital television device manufacturers, and interactive TV application developers – to benefit from an unrivalled level of trust and reliability on global digital television networks.

The DVB MHP security system has been devised to avoid the typical information security risks that plague cyberspace today:

• "Denial of Service" through competing applications, malicious attacks or other means
• Unauthorized use of user data
• Unauthorized use or theft of content
• Compromise of the integrity of content in the content delivery chain
• Unauthorized use of the return channel
• Unauthorized access to the communication on the return channel
• Malicious damage of the MHP device by an application

Access to the infrastructure will enable broadcasters and manufacturers to benefit from essential security components enshrined in the DVB MHP specifications adopted by ETSI.

Using WISeKey’s trusted managed services from its high security data centres in  Switzerland , WISeKey, as operator of the infrastructure under a contract with DVB Services, will issue digital certificates for broadcasters and digital television application developers. The infrastructure will also allow manufacturers of digital television devices – for example set top boxes or digital televisions compliant with the DVB MHP standard – to enable their devices to access the infrastructure.

The MHP standard requires all DVB MHP television set and set top box manufacturers to install a root certificate in each device and all DVB MHP broadcasters to have their own identity certificate. When a broadcaster transmits an MHP application, the device  authenticates it as coming from a recognised source, with permissions to execute on the original network to which it is attached.

MHP is the leading open standard for interactive digital television. The trusted services supplied by WISeKey will guarantee the integrity of digital television applications running MHP. The service will constitute a mechanism by which programming and applications flowing through the DVB Services  infrastructure are authenticated and authorized.

Commenting on the availability of the infrastructure, the CEO of WISeKey Mr. Malcolm Hutchinson said: “We have worked hard with DVB Services to implement this infrastructure fully customized to the specific needs of the DVB MHP community at technological, legal, operational and commercial levels. It is a clear sign of this community’s commitment to making a success out of DVB MHP. As was the case in its world-first Internet Voting project in Switzerland, this project has also demonstrated WISeKey’s unique and ongoing success in delivering solutions that solve the ID management needs in all sorts of environments.”

Peter MacAvock, Executive Director DVB, commented, ”The launch of this DVB MHP infrastructure provides greater security for the commercial roll-out of MHP devices and services.  Our infrastructure for DVB Services, as certification authority, is now complete.  And, working through WISeKey as operator, DVB Services looks forward to a strong demand for its services from broadcasters, application developers and manufacturers.”

WISeKey and DVB Services are ready to receive applications for DVB MHP digital certificates and root certificate embedding in devices. Please visit the DVB Services Web site for details on enrolment at http://www.dvbservices.org and contact WISeKey at:

Pierre Ruggiero
Email: Pruggiero@wisekey.ch 
Tel. +41 22 929 5757
Fax: +41 22 929 5702

For more information on WISeKey please contact Daniel Ybarra (Daniel@wisekey.ch)
www.wisekey.com