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Thales News Release

Thales Receives Cartes Bancaires (CB) MEPS Approval For Latest Hardware Cryptographic Module

January 20, 2009

Thales P3CM-250 validated to CB security approval scheme

Thales, a leader in information systems and communications security, today announces the launch of its latest hardware cryptographic module - P3CM-250 - to the Cartes Bancaires community following MEPS (Méthode d’Evaluation des Produits Securitaire “bancaires”) certification. MEPS is the security approval scheme developed by the Cartes Bancaires (CB) banking industry which includes 200 members from French and foreign banking and financial institutions, mostly operating in France . The MEPS standard regulates all cryptographic security equipment intended for use by the member banks on their payment networks in the CB system, as well as on their data preparation and card personalization systems infrastructures.

The P3CM-250 is a high performance hardware cryptographic module optimised for use with Thales’ P3 data preparation software, providing the cryptographic functions required for key management, key generation, message authentication and smart card EMV data preparation in real-time. P3CM-250 is also widely used with card personalisation systems. The P3CM-250 utilises the Thales Secure Generic Sub-System (SGSS) for all its cryptographic and security processing and this sub-system is validated to FIPS 140-2 level 3. Thales’ P3CM-250 is now compliant with both MEPS and RoHS, a European Union directive requiring manufacturers to remove hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment.

Franck Greverie, VP and MD, Information Systems Security activities of Thales, commented: “We are committed to achieving compliance with national and global security requirements across our entire product range. Having recently achieved MEPS certification for our HSM 8000, we are now making P3CM-250 available to the Cartes Bancaires community. Despite the current industry turmoil, security remains high on the banking agenda and MEPS approval for the P3CM-250 will further strengthen the security of our customers’ payment infrastructures.”

RoHS- Restriction of Hazardous Substances – an EU directive requiring that manufacturers remove hazardous substances from various electrical and electronic equipment.