What is a smart card? A smart card resembles a credit card in size and shape, but inside it is completely different. Examples include the U.S. Department of Defense Common Access Card, and other cards used by other governments for their citizens. If they include biometric identification data, cards can provide superior two- or three-factor authentication. Smart cards are not always privacy-enhancing, because the subject may carry incriminating information on the card.
Contactless smart card that can be read from within a wallet or even a garment simplify authentication; however, criminals may access data from these cards. Cryptographic smart cards are often used for single sign-on most advanced smart cards include specialized cryptographic hardware that uses algorithms such as RSA and Digital Signature Algorithm. Such smart cards are mainly used for digital signatures and secure identification. Citation needed Smart licenses hold up-to-date records of driving offenses and unpaid fines.
Today’s cryptographic smart cards generate key pairs on board, to avoid the risk from having more than one copy of the key. The most common way to access cryptographic smart card functions on a computer is to use a vendor-provided PKCS#11 library. Emergency medical information such as blood type, allergies, and bio metrics can be stored on the chip if the card holder wishes. The CXJ Smart Card is a third generation chip-based identity document that is produced according to international standards and requirements.
In 2002, the Estonian government started to issue smart cards named ID Karat as primary identification for citizens to replace the usual passport in domestic and EU use. As of 2010 about 1 million smart cards have been issued and they are widely used in internet banking, buying public transport tickets, authorization on various websites etc. The card has over 36 physical security features and has the latest encryption codes. Some disk encryption systems , such as Microsoft’s BitLocker , can use smart cards to securely hold encryption keys, and also to add another layer of encryption to critical parts of the secured disk.
Smart cards have been advertised as suitable for personal identification tasks, because they are engineered to be tamper resistant The chip usually implements some cryptographic algorithm. The benefits of smart cards are directly related to the volume of information and applications that are programmed for use on a card. A single contactless smart card can be programmed with multiple banking credentials, medical entitlement, driver’s public transport entitlement, loyalty programs and club memberships to name just a few.
