Can anyone point me to sources about encryption of data in smart cards. What I am looking for is protocols for encrypting sensitive data (e.g., medical information about the card-holder), so that even if the card falls into malicious hands, it won't be easy to read that data.
a lot of cards use derived (symmetric) keys ... similar to the derived key per transaction X9 standards. they are used to protect data from outside examination and in multi-function cards to provide protection domains between the different applications on a card.
typically there is a system wide key that you would find in a secure terminal (like transit systems) that read data, decrypt it, update it, re-encrypt it and write it back to the card. this handles situations involving attacks with fraudulent readers that load fraudulent value on the card. given the possibility of a brute force attack on the infrastructure (aka getting the data out of one card, and finding the master system key) ... many systems go to some form of derived keys. They typically amount to one-way function that combines the system-wide key with something like an account number from the card that results in the derived key. A brute force attack on the card data .... will only result in obtaining the card-specific, derived key .... and not the system-wide master key. All secured readers, knowing the system wide key and some card identification can always calculate the derived key for a card.
misc. derived key stuff ...
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aadsm3.htm#cstech8 cardtech/securetech & CA PKI
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aepay10.htm#33 pk-init draft (not yet a RFC)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002e.html#18 Opinion on smartcard security requested
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002f.html#22 Biometric Encryption: the solution for network intruders?
--
Anne & Lynn Wheeler http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/
Internet trivia 20th anv http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/rfcietff.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
