Download Smart Cards

By
Brian Sutherland
and
Chou Peter Hoang
A smart card also known
as an integrated circuit
Card as any credit card
or id size card with
embedded circuits that
can process data.
Smart cards are very useful to any type of
organization that has data that needs to be stored
about an individual. They can be used for security
to identify and authenticate a user or employee.
Every FSU student and faculty member is issued
one of these smart cards when they come to FSU.
One main use of smart cards here at FSU is to
store electronic money which can be used to pay
For printing at public labs or buy snacks and
drinks at the vending machines across campus.
KEY
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VCC : Power supply input
RST : Either used itself (reset signal
supplied from the interface device) or in
combination with an internal reset
control circuit (optional use by the card).
If internal reset is implemented, the
voltage supply on Vcc is mandatory.
CLK : Clocking or timing signal (not all
cards use this functionality).
GND : Ground (reference voltage).
VPP : Programming voltage input
(deprecated / optional use by the card).
I/O : Input or Output for serial data to
the integrated circuit inside the card.
Remaining contact pins are usually used
for card specific operations.
SMART CARD CIRCUIT
Note: This is not the layout of all
smart cards, this is an example.
HELMUT GROTTRUP
Helmut Grottrup invented
the predecessor of the
smart card. He invented
the automated chip card in
1968 and patented it in
1982. This was first used in
France for pay phones
Modern smart cards are
now being used
wirelessly for many
things such as
Subway entry or as credit
cards. Smart cards are also
being used more and more
in the security industry for
identification and
authentication.
Cryptographic smart cards
are often used for single
sign-on. Most advanced
smart cards are equipped
with specialized
cryptographic hardware
that let you use algorithms
such as RSA and DSA on
board. Today's
cryptographic smart cards
are also able to generate key
pairs on board, to avoid the
risk of having more than
one copy of the key.
With new smart cards
identification of people has
become easier than ever.
Updating a persons security
clearance can be done with
the swipe of a card, and
authentication of a persons
identity can also be done
with a swipe of a card.
Hackers can use new
smart cards to re-write
data on these cards if they
are not encrypted. Like
any other information if
you can break into the
storage you can re-write
the information.
An example from the FSU
card, if you could re-write
the data on your smart
card you could get free
drinks, snacks or printing
anywhere that the smart
card is used for payment
on campus.