Wave Systems have been developing trusted terminal products for some time, with the aim of enabling end to end secure transaction methodology for financial and more general e-commerce implementations. Separately, a French group affiliated to Cartes Bancaires developed the same concept, specifically to implement on-line secure debit transactions where the terminal connects through your PC, etc, to the card issuer's server (thus cutting out merchant acquirers - but France doesn't use that architecture for debit). The two groups came together when the French launched a european funded project called FINREAD, but the French refused to work with Wave Systems and their industry group at that time (believe me, I was there), although I believe that there has recently been some collaboration.
There is now a FINREAD reader spec (should be available from CEN/ISSS, via the web site www.cenorm.be), but it has been downgraded (or perhaps broadened), so that several levels of security are possible, and it seems to me that it becomes very difficult to know how secure a FINREAD terminal really is - you have to trust the manufacturer, but also applets can be downloaded into the reader. There is also a new 'embedded FINREAD' project (a CEN/ISSS 'Workshop'), which should also be accessible via the CEN web site. Looking at the Wave site referenced, I cannot find any reference to the cards that the reader can support, or to approval from card schemes such as the likes of EMV, so it looks as if here we have some tools looking for a market. Perhaps someone from Wave Systems would like to enlighten us. Peter ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jason E. Barkeloo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2002 12:03 AM Subject: MUSCLE readers > Have any of you seen this new reader that runs applets for any card? As I > understand it, this device will allow the user to use AmEx, Visa, MC, EMV > issued cards in this same device. > > http://www.wave.com/technology/csp.html > > Anybody have an experience with it? > *************************************************************** Unix Smart Card Developers - M.U.S.C.L.E. (Movement for the Use of Smart Cards in a Linux Environment) http://www.linuxnet.com/ To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe sclinux ***************************************************************
