SmartCards分析.docVIP

Smart Cards Technology and Application By Tina Chhabra Piya (Ray) Chindaphorn COEN 150 Professor JoAnne Holliday Santa Clara University Department of Computer Engineering May 17, 2004 Abstract A smart card looks like a credit card, but works very differently. Instead of just having a magnetic stripe, it contains an embedded microprocessor, which makes them more secure. Although they are more popular in Europe and Asia, their popularity is growing rapidly in other areas of the world. In our paper, we will discuss the history, physical structures, security features, vulnerabilities, and current and future uses. In addition, a brief description on the workings along with the overview of the need for developing the smart cards will be included. Introduction In the early 1950’s, Diner’s Club issued the first all-plastic card to be used for purchases. This synthetic PVC-based card produced a more durable card than the previous conventional paper-based cards that it replaced. By the end of the fifties, two other corporations joined the movement: American Express and Carte Blanche. Bank of America issued the first credit card, which later on became VISA. MasterCard was launched by Interbank not long afterwards. Unfortunately, these cards were only capable of showing identification items, such as names, numbers, and some codes, which were embossed onto the cards. There were no security features built into these cards at all. Credit card fraud was very unsophisticated. Eventually, the cost of fraud and tampering pressured the development of a more secure card. The magnetic stripe was developed by International Air Transportation Association (IATA) in the 1970’s. The stripes had a capacity of 210 bits per inch, which translates to about 80 alphanumeric 7-bit characters. Even though the magnetic stripe technology made fraud more challenging, it could still be done. With an appropriate device, anyone can read, re-write, or delete the data on the stripes. There