SMART CARD

Akriti Aggarwal , Nitika Mithal , Olisha gaur, Shweta Kapil

IT Department, 4th Semester, Gautam Buddh Technical University
Vidya College of engineering, Meerut
Akritiaggarwal01@gmail.com, nitika.mithal1512@gmail.com,olishagaur.15@gmail.com, shwetakpl@gmail.com

Abstract-Smart Cards are plastic credit cards devices with an contents when external power is removed. Newer Smart Card
integrated circuit chip with microprocessor. chips, sometimes, also have math co-processors integrated into
These smarts cards have the mechanism for storing and/or the microprocessor chip, which is able to perform quite complex
processing information. Intelligent Tokens (iButton) encryption routines relatively quickly. The chip connection is
are high capacity general-purpose electronic data carriers, each
with a unique registration number. They have the same
either through direct physical contact or remotely via a contact
components as smart cards but are shielded by a steel case. less electromagnetic interface.
This paper will show the differences between contact smart cards,
contact less smart cards and intelligent tokens (iButton) with
respect to RAM, ROM and EEPROM and other related
aspects

I. INTRODUCTION
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. A smart card is a piece of
plastic, the same size
as a credit or debit card, with a silicon chip embedded in it.
The chip contains a microprocessor, which is
aminiature computer which can perform calculation
and store data in its memory. Smart cards today achieve A. Types of smart card-Key fingerprint = AF19 FA27
much more than their original application of replacing 2F94 998D FDB5EDF8B5 06E4 A169 4E46
cash and coins. Smart cards grant access to secure areas, Smart cards are tamper resistant, credit card size devices that
confirm a person’s identity via biometrics, and retain include an integrated circuit
large quantities of personal data (such as medical records.) chip to provide data storage and processing. Most smart cards
More important than these specific applications are the require an external
recent trends in how the smart cards are used – to facilitate interface to provide communications, power, and clock cycles.
the exchange of information between customer and proprietor, There are many different types of cards and card characteristics
which is much broader than the concluding financial transaction. by which they can be
distinguished. In this paper, the cards will be broken up into two
II. SMART CARD major categories:
contact smart cards and contactless smart cards.
Smart cards are plastic cards that contain a computer chip.
Smart cards store larger amounts of information than
Magnetic stripe cards. They can also update this information
and secure it at a higher level than a magnetic stripe.

The main storage area in this cards is normally EEPROM

(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory),
which can have its content updated, and which retains current
A contactless Smart Card looks just like a plastic “credit card” than just the protection of the data from unauthorized access.
with a computer chip and an antenna coil embedded within the Some of these cards
card. This antenna allows it to communicate with an external specialize in the math calculations required for cryptography
antenna at the transaction point to transfer information. The functions, others are made
antenna is typically 3 - 5 turns of very thin wire (or conductive to support specific programming languages such as Java cards,
ink), connected to the contactless chip. This aerial coil of the and others are made to do
antenna is laminated into the card and allows communication both.
even whilst the card is retained within a wallet or handbag. The
same activation method applies to watches, pendants, baggage B. Features of smart card:
tags and buttons. Thus no electrical contacts are needed and it is
therefore called as "contactless" Features of contact smart card-
ISO/IEC 14443 is the standard for contactless smart card
communications. It defines two types of contactless cards
(A and B).

Features of contacless smart card-

Two new categories, derived from the contact and contactless

cards are combi cards and hybrid cards.

A hybrid Smart Card has two chips, each with its respective
contact and contactless interface. The two chips are not
connected, but for many applications, this Hybrid serves the
needs of consumers and card issuers. C. Advantages-

The combi card (also known as the dual-interface card) is a • Flexibility

card with both contact and contactless interfaces. With this card, • More Reliable
it becomes possible to access the same chip via a contact or • Disposable or reusable
contactless interface, with a very high level of security. It may • Perform multiple functions
incorporate two non-communicating chips - one for each • Portability
interface - but preferably has a single, dual-interface chip • Increase data storage capacity
providing the many advantages of a single e-purse, single
• Cannot be copied
operating architecture, etc. The mass transportation and banking
• Has wide range of application
industries are expected to be the first to take advantage of this
technology. • Evolves rapidly applying semi-conductor
Memory cards are ICCs designed to store and protect technology
information on the card. The cards • It is a encryption device
can hold considerably more data than the magnetic stripes • Secure token to authenticate
currently on credit cards and
provide enough logic to protect that data from unauthorized read • Low running cost
and/or write access. • Faster

Microprocessor Cards contain a true CPU and RAM to allow D. Uses-

for data processing other
 Smart Cards have many different uses, a few examples being:
• For banking (credit card)
• For public telephone operation (phone card)
• For cell phone operation and purchasing of pre-paid air
time (SIM card and Vodacom or MTN air time card)
• For paying TV licenses (Super Card)
• For shopping at chain stores (Clicks, Edgar’s,
Woolworths, etc.)
• For use at filling stations (Petrol Cards)
• For health care card
• Government card
• Automatic public transport fare collection
• Customer loyalty card
E. Security-
When software and PC hardware are hacked, the keys remain
safe in the digitally and physically secure iButton chip. If the
iButton is physically attacked, it triggers a tamper response that
quickly "zeroes" to erase the contents of the memory rather than
reveal private keys and other sensitive information to the
intruder. The iButton's cryptographic services include secure
private key storage and secure message digest ("hashing") for
digital signatures and certificates. Users can sign electronic
documents and generate certificates to access restricted Web
sites without ever revealing their private keys.”
III. FUTURE
The important thing about Smart Cards is that they are everyday
objects that people can carry in their pockets, yet they have the
capacity to retain and protect critical information stored in
electronic form. The “smartness” of Smart Cards comes from
the integrated circuit embedded in the plastic card. Embedding
similar circuits in other everyday objects, such as key rings,
watches, glasses, rings or earrings, could perform the same
electronic function. The development of contactless card
technology was the catalyst for what is known as tags. Tags
function like contactless Smart Cards but are in the form of a
coin, a ring or even a baggage label. They are generally attached
to objects such as gas bottles, cars or animals and can hold and
protect information concerning that object. This allows the
object to be managed by an information system without any
manual data handling. The use of Biometrics will soon mean
that his/her hand, fingerprint and the retina of the eye or the
sound of the voice can reliably identify a person. Soon it will be
possible to authorize the use of electronic information in Smart
Cards by using a spoken word or the touch of a hand.
When you put your clothes on in the morning there will be no
coins rolling on the floor, you don’t hav to search for the car
keys, your wallet will not make your pockets or purse heavy.
You just have your Personal Universal Smart Card(PUSC) in
your pocket. A gizmo on the door will radio-check that you have
it while going out, and unlock the door when you'll come back.
Also, Smart Card readers will be appearing on the PC
and will enable the user to pay for goods purchased over the
Internet. This will be especially useful for small value
purchases, which are not really appropriate for credit card
transactions. If you have products that have relatively low value
- for example a few pages of information about your product
that customers may pay 50c for - they may well pay you in the
future using a Smart Card.
As a smart infrastructure for mobile computing, Smart
Card technologies will prove to be the killer application for the
networked economy. The Smart Card will be "charged up" with
money and you will use it as you do cash or a phone card. 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. It will be used to
carry a lot of sensitive and critical data about the consumers
ever more than before when compared with the magnetic strip
card.
Smart Cards are a relatively new technology that already affects the
everyday lives of millions of people.This is just the beginning; soon it
will influence the way we shop, see the doctor, use the telephone and
even enjoy leisure!!!
IV. CONCLUSION
Smart cards were designed from the inside out to be a secure
component of systems with
split functionality. As with any security component, the better
they are integrated with
the overall system, the more effective they will be. This is why
closed systems, with a
real time feedback loop, will always be more resistant to attacks
than open systems, but smart cards have shown that they can
reduce the risk in either case. I think the use of smart cards will
increase in the future especially the contact-less type and also
the use of intelligent token.
The use of smart cards will increase in the future especially the
contact-less type and also the use of intelligent tokens.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We are thankful to Mr. Rajendra Kumar H.O.D of C.S and I.T
department and Mr. Vikesh Kumar, the director to give us an
opportunity to exprees our views about the current topic
SMART CARD. We are thankful to Mr.Ashish Gupta our
mentor who guide us to successful completetion of our paper
presentation in IEEE format.
REFERENCES
• URL-
http://ewh.ieee.org/r10/bombay/news5/SmartCards.htm
• URL-
http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/authent
ication/smart-cards-secure-they_131
• URL-
http://web.mit.edu/ecom/Spring1997/gr12/index.htm
• Smart card wikipedia-the free encyclopedia.
URL-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card
• URL-
http://www.fullinterview.com/new/pps/ece/19.html
• URL-
http://www.slideworld.com/pptslides.aspx/sm
art-card