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WISeKey’s Trusted Hardware to the Cloud Ecosystem with IoT MicroChips and Root of Trust has been installed on over 4 billion devices

WISeKey’s Trusted Hardware to the Cloud Ecosystem with IoT MicroChips and Root of Trust has been installed on over 4 billion devices


ZUG, GENEVA – July 1, 2019 – WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN), a leading global cybersecurity and IoT company today announced that its WISeKey Trusted Hardware to the Cloud Ecosystem has reached significant milestones:  over 1 billion objects have been already secured by WISeKey VaultIC Chips and over 3 billion Root of Trust (RoT) are recognized by all operating systems (OS) and applications like internet browsers or email applications. This unique solution ensures the authenticity, confidentiality and integrity of on-line transactions. The ever-increasing volume of trusted data being gathered and stored, enables the rise of big data and AI/machine learning, automating the process of gaining meaningful insights for customers deploying this solution.

In order to protect the Internet of Things (IoT), security needs to be embedded at the very beginning of the device microchip design, so the RoT is also embedded in connected devices, to secure the interactions among objects and between objects and business applications. The WISeKey Ecosystem install base has expanded in virtually all IoT sectors (smartcards, smart cities, drones, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, servers, mobile phones, etc.).  WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as VaultIC Secure Elements protect a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications detect cybersecurity attacks or predict the failure of their equipment before it happens. The IoT revenue mode is recurrent, as what gets consumed and measured on a repeating basis are not the microchips or the RoT, but the authenticated data they produce and the services that this data enables.

WISeKey’s client base has substantially increased and its geographic footprint includes  high growth markets such as China and USA. In China this ecosystem is further enriched by the accreditation of the RoT, issued by 360 Secure Browser, the leading internet browser solution in China, with an estimated user base of over 400 million active users, and a market penetration close to 70%, according to CNZZ. 360 Secure Browser, developed  Qihoo 360 Technology Ltd.,  has a strong focus on security, and combines antivirus and other features to secure internet connections.

The recent partnerships and collaboration on IoT between WISeKey with SAP, IBM, and Microsoft has allowed WISeKey to rapidly expand its reach and ecosystem and provide end-to-end solutions from  chipsets, applications, trust models, security and system integration.

Gartner estimates that over 26 billion devices will be connected by 2020. All of these connected devices  need security, and many of them will use sensors with  secure IoT chips like VaultIC. As the world becomes more connected, there will be an exponential growth of the number of sensors used to track everything including changes in the environment and the atmosphere,  traffic on our roads,  temperature of our homes and  location of our mobile phones. Experts predict that, by 2022, 1 trillion networked sensors will be embedded in the world around us – each one requiring strong digital identity, authentication and data protection.

WISeKey is a worldwide leader in Digital Identification, with over 20 years of expertise in PKI, IoT and Identity Management. Its Root of Trust (RoT) is ubiquitous and already embedded in over 4 billion devices both at the hardware and software level. WISeKey already deploys solutions for personal and mobile digital identity, known as CertifyID and WISeID respectively that enable strong authentication, digital signature and encryption. This ecosystem is now enriched by SensorsID, which provides a low-cost advanced solution for device identities.

SensorsID acts as a strong Digital Identity solution, issued under the WISeKey RoT, that combines dual-factor authentication capabilities with an innovative BlockChain platform to protect device identities and their data transactions. The SensorsID BlockChain is constantly growing as new identity blocks and data transactions are added to it to ensure authenticity and traceability. The system is totally decentralized and can be operated at national or local levels using a distributed identity ledger run by trusted parties spread across the BlockChain ecosystem.

Imagine an intelligent car with a system processing authenticated data for each of the vehicle components, being able to detect if/when different parts will require service and to digitally sign all the logs required to prove that service was provided. This platform can be used in multiple industrial applications, allowing for optimized productivity across industries through predictive maintenance on equipment and machinery, creating truly smart homes with connected appliances, and providing critical communication between devices including self-driving cars and smart homes. The possibilities that IoT brings to the table are endless. WISeKey’s technology creates a platform that helps connected devices to become intelligent devices that can learn from attacks, defend themselves, and transfer this intelligence to other devices in the network.

Combined with the Application Microcontroller in the IoT Edge Device, the VaultIC Secure Element brings premium security level. WISeKey Secure Elements are dedicated to providing secure storage and usage of sensitive assets. WISeKey chips are built with unique features able to secure storage, cryptographic calculations and digital signatures, and are specifically designed to execute sensitive calculations, without leaking information such as power consumption patterns or electromagnetic emissions to the outside world. The data is stored deep down within the protected memory of the chips, which are designed with unique capabilities not to allow other software to run on them and are equipped with various hardware sensors and protection mechanisms making them resistant to hardware attacks. If the WISeKey Secure Elements had been used for sensitive data storage for the Application Microcontrollers affected by the recent ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ attacks, the attack would not have been successful.

For more than twenty years, WISeKey has been providing a range of Common Criteria certified tamper resistant microprocessors that can be implemented on IoT devices to provide secure storage and usage of sensitive assets, and to uniquely identify, authenticate and protect devices in the field. The digital identities of these assets can be efficiently managed through a Webtrust certified Public Key Infrastructure on premises or as a cloud service.

About WISeKey
WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT respecting the Human as the Fulcrum of the Internet. WISeKey Microprocessors Secures the pervasive computing shaping today’s Internet of Everything. WISeKey IoT has an install base of over 1.5 billion microchips in virtually all IoT sectors (connected cars, smart cities, drones, agricultural sensors, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, servers, computers, mobile phones, crypto tokens etc.).  WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as our semiconductors produce a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications to predict the failure of their equipment before it happens.

Our technology is Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.

Press and investor contacts:

WISeKey International Holding Ltd 
Company Contact:  Carlos Moreira
Chairman & CEO
Tel: +41 22 594 3000
info@wisekey.com
WISeKey Investor Relations (US) 
Contact:  Lena Cati
The Equity Group Inc.
Tel: +1 212 836-9611
lcati@equityny.com

Disclaimer:
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.