MANHASSET, N.Y. — Sun Microsystems Inc. has announced that the Sun Java System Web Server 7.0 will support Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), a next generation security technology selected by the National Security Agency to protect classified U. S. Government information.

According to Sun (Mountain View, Calif.), encrypting ECC in the Java System Web Server will reduce the time spent completing secure online transactions. In addition, ECC encryption increases the security of the Java System Web Server by enabling secure transactions with ECC enabled devices.

Invented by Scott Vanstone, ECC uses shorter keys to provide the same level of security as traditional alternatives, suiting it for portable and handheld net-connected devices. Shorter keys translate into better resource efficiency, longer battery life and faster computations.

Presently, most handheld portable devices lack the computing power to effectively use RSA-based encryption/decryption, forcing service providers to transfer sensitive data in using cryptographically weak key sizes entirely unencrypted.

"For our customers, ECC means efficient security," said David Bryant, senior director of marketing, Application Platform Products, Sun Microsystems, in a statement. "You no longer have to choose between performance and security. Now you can expand the security features of your network based services without worrying about excluding whole classes of devices from participation. And you can scale up to accommodate enormous volumes of secure transactions on demand."

Sun Java System Web Server 7.0 is slated to release the third quarter of 2006.