WISeKey International Holding, a cybersecurity IoT platform company, announced Friday that its CapSeal NFC smart tag, with or without opening detection technology, permits objects such as luxury goods, wearables, wine & spirits bottles, or cosmetics and perfume boxes, to communicate with both – the new Apple iOS11 and Android based smartphones. WISeKey’s WISeAuthentic solution for brand protection is now able to create a link between the brands and their end-customers mobile phones, significantly boosting customer engagement.
Through the WISeKey’s WISeAuthentic platform, now available for both Apple iOS11 and Android phones, the brands have the capability to directly reach the vast majority of their end-customers and enhance the efficiency of their marketing communication, while the intuitive functioning of the application enables users to secure their data with ease.
The support of NFC contactless protocol by Android phones has long been a reality making inert objects smart and able to communicate thanks to compatible Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) tags attached to these objects.
WISeKey has been a pioneer in this field by taking advantage of this technology which provides objects with a strong identity. WISeKey’s expertise in the design of NFC secure chips allied with its WISeAuthentic original platform for the identification, authentication, tracking and direct marketing of goods, provides customer-fit solutions for brand protection.
Nevertheless, the historic lack of support of NFC tags by iPhones has limited the use of the application by WISeKey’s clients and their end-customers. Following the newly announced iOS11 Operating System, Apple is now supporting NFC Forum NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format) tags, making WISeKey’s solutions instantly available to millions of users, who can now benefit from advanced security and protection against counterfeiting. Of note, Apple’s global market share in the smartphone landscape is 20 percent and reaches up to 40 percent in the US.
Once the information is uploaded to the application, it is instantly encrypted thanks to a highly-advanced technology developed by WISeKey, unquestionably an industry leader in this area. The technology provides users with the option to archive and synchronize data on the cloud, which is then physically stored in a bunker buried in the Swiss Alps.
During the process of transferring the data through the internet, when the risk of hacking is at its highest, WISeKey’s encryption technology achieves an unprecedented “asymmetrical” level of protection, customarily used by government and military agencies.
“WISeKey has long been recognized as a leader in providing luxury and other good makers with reliable means to protect their brands against counterfeiting,” said Carlos Moreira, founder and CEO of WISeKey. “With the additional support of Apple iPhones by our chips and WISeAuthentic platform, we have the opportunity to provide our clients with a powerful way to directly reach each of their consumers. This opens up tremendous new business opportunities for WISeKey.”
This is all made possible by WISeKey’s patent-pending CapSeal smart tags which are fully compatible with NDEF standard. These tags are based on the company’s VaultIC154 NFC secure element. When placed on a bottle of spirit or a bottle of lubricant oil, for instance, and tapped by an NFC phone, the chip is able to securely authenticate and track the bottle like an ePassport does. It offers the same certified security level. It also allows the brand to broadcast personalized messages to the phone-holder detecting whether the bottle has been open or not.
In addition to luxury goods, this technology can be installed in and used by any gadget, accessory or wearable allowing them to process contactless payments, with the WISeKey’s partnership with MasterCard. WISeKey’s patented security software is used by an extensive list of premium watch manufacturers, including Bulgari.
