Smart Cards

There are several types of Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies being used in smart cards. Non-volatile means that the memory is able to retain the information after power is removed form the device. The use of different memory types is driven by several reasons, including security, power consumption, processor speed, chip cost, die size, cycling endurance, development flexibility, and historical reasons. Each type of memory technology has distinct characteristics that can be favourable or disadvantageous for the smart card environment. tech news

Flash memory has many advantages over masked ROM for storing program code in security chips, such as smart cards. Flash memory offers greater protection against hardware and software attacks due to fundamental differences in the memory technologies. Flash also allows for faster and more economical upgrades to guard against new attacks. This paper addresses the differences between Flash memory and masked ROM memory as it relates to a security chip. tech news

This document explains how the current concerns of managing identities are becoming more of an integral part of an organisations business strategy, and how NECs open, modular, standards-based approach can facilitate that strategy. It goes on to describe in outline form some of the standard modules that are available as building blocks for the system. tech news

Combining smart card and biometric technologies is one of the best ways to assure information and physical security, according to a new Smart Card Alliance white paper released today. "Smart Cards and Biometrics in Privacy-Sensitive Secure Personal Identification Systems" outlines how smart cards and biometrics enhance security, privacy, performance and return on investment in secure identification (ID) systems. This white paper describes how the two technologies add up to one very secure solution for ID systems. tech news

This white paper is designed to help users configure the Sun Ray environment so that the smart card channel is available from the Citrix Server to the Sun Ray desktop. It covers the software required to establish this channel as well as how to install, configure, and test the feature. tech news