SUNRISE, Fla. -- Payment security provider Thales e-Security has introduced the RG7710, an
addition to its range of Host Security Modules (HSMs) that, together with the Security Resource Manager (SRM), offers integration with IBM System 390 environments using the Enterprise System Connection (ESCON) interface.
The introduction of the RG7710 coincides with the company's release of a new standard version of HSM firmware available for all existing HSMs. According to a news release, the firmware provides the functionality to support remote key loading for ATMs and upgrades the EMV chip card support.
Since its introduction on the mid-1990s, ESCON has gradually replaced the copper channel interface, also known as the bus and tag or parallel interface, as the standard interconnection architecture in IBM System 390 environments, according to the news release. Thales' new RG7710 supports the migration from copper channel to fiber optic technology, which Thales says offers speeds approaching 1,000 transactions per second.
Also according to the release, the Thales RG7710 HSM firmware is fully compatible with the
previous generation of high-speed channel modules (RG7210), requiring no modification. In addition, a conversion package for existing RG7210 users with maintenance contracts is available.
The firmware enables the initialization and replacement of ATM master keys to be
automated, using extended RSA commands to support remote key loading for NCR and Diebold ATMs. The HSM's single DES capability may be disabled as financial institutions migrate from single to triple DES.
The new firmware also supports the banks issuing, or planning to issue, EMV cards with offline PIN capability.
