A new USB Type-C Authentication specification defines cryptographic-based authentication for USB Type-C chargers and devices. This will enable systems to confirm the authenticity of a USB device or USB charger at the moment a wired connection is made – before inappropriate power or data can be transferred.
“USB is well-established as the favored choice for connecting and charging devices,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. “In support of the growing USB Type-C ecosystem, we anticipated the need for a solution extending the integrity of the USB interface. The new USB Type-C Authentication protocol equips product OEMs with the proper tools to defend against ‘bad’ USB cables, devices and non-compliant USB Chargers.”
Key characteristics of the USB Type-C Authentication solution include:
- A standard protocol for authenticating certified USB Type-C Chargers, devices, cables and power sources
- Support for authenticating over either USB data bus or USB Power Delivery communications channels
- Products that use the authentication protocol retain control over the security policies to be implemented and enforced
- Relies on 128-bit security for all cryptographic methods
- Specification references existing internationally-accepted cryptographic methods for certificate format, digital signing, hash and random number generation
The newly completed USB 3.1 specification adds enhancements to enable operation at at up to 10 Gbps.
SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps uses a more efficient data encoding and will deliver more than twice the effective data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. Compatibili
