In this seminar, is
giving some basic concepts about smart cards. The physical and logical
structure of the smart card and the corresponding security access control has
been discussed in this seminar. It is believed that smart cards offer more
security and confidentiality than the other kinds of information or transaction
storage. Moreover, applications applied with smart card technologies are
illustrated which demonstrate smart card is one of the best solutions to
provide and enhance their system with security and integrity. The seminar also
covers the contactless type smart card briefly. Different kinds of scheme to organise and access of multiple
application smart card are discussed. The first and second schemes are
practical and workable on these days, and there is real applications developed
using those models. For the third one, multiple independent applications in a
single card, there is still a long way to go to make it becomes feasible
because of several reasons.
At the end of the
paper, an overview of the attack techniques on the smart card is discussed as
well. Having those attacks does not mean that smart card is unsecure. It is
important to realise that attacks against any secure systems are nothing new or
unique. Any systems or technologies claiming 100% secure are irresponsible. The
main consideration of determining whether a system is secure or not depends on
whether the level of security can meet the requirement of the system.
The smart card is one
of the latest additions to the world of information technology. Similar in size
to today's plastic payment card, the smart card has a microprocessor or memory
chip embedded in it that, when coupled with a reader, has the processing power
to serve many different applications. As an access-control device, smart cards
make personal and business data available only to the appropriate users.
Another application provides users with the ability to make a purchase or
exchange value. Smart cards provide data portability, security and convenience.
Smart cards come in two varieties: memory and microprocessor. Memory cards
simply store data and can be viewed as a small floppy disk with optional
security. A microprocessor card, on the other hand, can add, delete and
manipulate information in its memory on the card. Similar to a miniature
computer, a microprocessor card has an input/output port operating system and
hard disk with built-in security features. On a fundamental level,
microprocessor cards are similar to desktop computers. They have operating
systems, they store data and applications, they compute and process information
and they can be protected with sophisticated security tools. The
self-containment of smart card makes it resistant to attack as it does not need
to depend upon potentially vulnerable external resources. Because of this
characteristic, smart cards are often used in different applications, which
require strong security protection and authentication.
For examples, smart
card can act as an identification card, which is used to prove the identity of
the card holder. It also can be a medical card, which stores the medical
history of a person. Furthermore, the smart card can be used as a credit/debit
bank card which allows off-line transactions. All of these applications require
sensitive data to be stored in the card, such as biometrics information of the
card owner, personal medical history, and cryptographic keys for
authentication, etc.
In the near future,
the traditional magnetic strip card will be replaced and integrated together
into a single card by using the multi-application smart card, which is known as
an electronic purse or wallet in the smart card industry. The smart card is
becoming more and more significant and will play an important role in our daily
life. It will be used to carry a lot of sensitive and critical data about the
consumers ever more than before.
0 comments: