ICTK is showing strong performance. It appears that President Lee Jaemyung's request to "establish fundamental and comprehensive measures to minimize hacking damage" is also influencing the company's stock price. ICTK is reportedly in discussions to supply VIA-PUF chips for relay security to prepare for hacking crimes targeting telecommunications companies.
In addition to VIA PUF technology, ICTK possesses a wide range of patents and technical expertise necessary for designing security chips. In response to the increasing hacking threats posed by the advancement of quantum computers, the company launched a security chip equipped with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithm for the first time in 2022. ICTK is one of the leading security semiconductor design companies supplying the world's safest and most competitive security chips.
As of 2:57 p.m. on September 18, ICTK was trading at 14,920 won, up 11.76% from the previous day.
On the same day, during a senior aides meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan, President Lee stated, "Hacking incidents targeting major telecommunications companies and financial institutions are continuously increasing, causing more damage to the public."
He went on to say, "We must urgently implement systematic, government-wide countermeasures against hacking crimes," emphasizing, "Without security, both digital transformation and becoming a powerhouse in artificial intelligence (AI) are nothing but castles built on sand."
Kim Hongsik, a researcher at Hana Securities, explained, "ICTK's VIA-PUF chip can fundamentally block unauthorized relays, thereby strengthening network security. The existing VIA-PUF chip, developed for mobile use, is now being adapted for use in relays."
He added, "Only relays with official authentication numbers can connect to the network, and by using the physically uncloneable VIA-PUF chip, it is possible to fundamentally prevent the duplication of authentication numbers or the creation of unauthorized authentication numbers."
He emphasized, "Telecommunications companies are also aware that the VIA-PUF chip can be used for relay security and are reportedly in discussions with ICTK."
Researcher Kim predicted, "KT owns more than 100,000 femtocells, and with over 300,000 5G relays nationwide, this will present a revenue opportunity for ICTK."
He also expressed concern, stating, "Globally, the activation of quantum computers is accelerating, and invisible security risks are intensifying."
He further analyzed, "In the long term, an industrial ecosystem favorable to quantum cryptography companies like ICTK is already being established. If supply to global big tech companies is confirmed or the effectiveness of PUF chips for telecommunications equipment is widely proven, ICTK's performance will improve."
He maintained a target price of 28,000 won, noting, "There is also a possibility that the stock price could surge before any response is made."
VIA PUF technology is a method that generates different values by utilizing variations created by adjusting the size of VIA holes during the semiconductor manufacturing process. PUF creates an 'inherently uncloneable ID.' Another term for PUF is 'semiconductor fingerprint' or 'semiconductor DNA,' meaning each semiconductor possesses a unique value similar to a human fingerprint. This can be used as a cryptographic key.
Since March of this year, ICTK has launched and begun mass production of the i511DN security chip, the world's first to be fully equipped with the official PQC algorithm standard from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
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