CHARLOTTE –May 7, 2008– As large banks and other companies look for tighter controls over data security, UNC Charlotte professor Yuliang Zheng has invented a revolutionary new technology called signcryption that is being recognized as a global standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Zheng, a professor in the College of Computing and Informatics’ Software and Information Systems Department, is currently conducting ongoing research in this area. Zheng is a leading authority in data security.

Signcryption is a revolutionary new data security technology by which confidentiality is protected and authenticity achieved seamlessly at the same time. When logging in to an on-line bank account, signcryption prevents a username and password from being seen by unauthorized individuals and also confirms the user’s identity for the bank. More traditional means of cyber security make this a more time-consuming, two-step process.

“The adoption of syncryption as an international standard is significant in several ways,” Zheng said. “It will now be the standard worldwide for protecting confidentiality and authenticity during transmissions of digital information.”

In just a short period of time, signcryption has grown into an active research field as researches around the world are working on better techniques for signcryption. Industries are now gravitating to the technology so as to create more secure data systems to address the ongoing battle against cybercrime.

“This will also allow smaller devices, such as Smartphones and PDA’s, as well as emerging technology, such as radio frequency identifiers (RFID) and wireless sensor networks, to perform high-level security functions,” he added. “And, by performing these two functions simultaneously, we can save resources, be it an individual’s time or be it energy as it will take less time to perform the task.”

Zheng recently traveled to Japan to meet with the ISO committee that will oversee the standardization process. He also will serve as an expert advisor to the committee. The entire process for signcryption to become an international standard could take up to three years.

“We are honored that research being conducted at the College of Computing and Informatics will one day become an international standard,” said Mirsad Hadzikadic, dean of the College of Computing and Informatics. “This will have a tremendous impact on the college as it will draw more attention worldwide to the caliber of research being conducted here. This also will be a great marketing and recruiting tool as we continue to promote our efforts.”

About the College of Computing and Informatics

The College of Computing and Informatics provides academic programs in computer science, software and information systems, information technology, and bioinformatics. It is also the home to leading research centers and institutes, including the Center for Digital Identity and Cyber Defense Research, the Bioinformatics Research Center, the Charlotte Visualization Center, the Diversity in Information Technology Institute, the eBusiness Technology Institute, and the Software Solutions Lab.

About UNC Charlotte

A public research university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest campus among the 17 institutions of the University of North Carolina system. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university offers 18 doctoral programs, 61 master’s degree programs, and 89 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Fall 2007 enrollment exceeded 22,300 students, including almost 4,800 graduate students.

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Media Contact: Clark G. Curtis, 704-687-7983, clarkcurtis@uncc.edu