Smart Card Technologies within the Access-Control Environment

Introduction 

Smart cards are part of biometrics used I the industry of payment cards. Biometrics are technology devices used for the identification of persons depending on their, behavioral or biological features (Jain, Bolle & Pankanti, 2006). They have various advantages associated with safety, ease of access and reliability. But they also have some limitations that affect he pace at which they are being adopted as electronic payment methods. This paper aims to support or prove the idea that various smart card technologies within access-control environments provide an increase in security, accessibility, and reliability. The section that follows begins by explaining the need for smart card technologies, how smart card technologies function and the shortcomings of smart card technologies. The paper ends with conclusion that summarizes arguments and main points. 

The Need for Smart Card Technologies 

Advantages of Smart Card Technologies 

Smart card technologies are needed because they offer several advantages. The first advantage is the ease of use. Just like debit cards or credit cards, smart cards are simple to use though they have high level of security as compared with debit and credit cards. They are also light hence easy to carry. This factor makes smart cards easy to possess and settle electronic payment with it such as parking fee (Clark, 2012). 

The second advantage is the increased security. Smart cards make use of authentication and encryption technologies which are extra secure as compared with the former approaches related to payment cards. This kind of encryption and authentication makes it difficult for any unauthorized individual to decipher information stored within the smart card (Clark, 2012). The third advantage is the enhanced accuracy. Smart cards can help achieve high degree of accuracy with systems of biometrics. When the system is set in the right way then it is possible to use biological feature like finger prints to provide special and accurate methods of identification. Only the authorized individual can gain access to information since these features cannot be duplicated (Randal, 2009) 

The cards are also good in saving time since the identification process is fast in accepting or rejecting the scanned biological characteristics of an individual (Randal 2009). Another advantage is the multi-factor authentication. The two factor authentication can for, instance be used with smart card to improve on security plus reliability. The use of multi-factor authentication is also minimizes or eliminates the chance of illegal access to personal information by cyber attackers or unauthorized persons (Kumari & Khan, 2014). Reliability is yet another merit od adopting this type of biometric identification. Smart cards are also reliable when used for personal identification since they are dependable, consistent and can be trusted by smart card holders who have sensitive information that needs optimum security ( Akram, Markantonakis & Mayes, 2014). 

Places Smart Cards Are Being Used 

Smart cards can be used in a variety of areas. They include businesses and corporations, government agencies, schools and universities and other private sectors. The businesses and corporations can use smart cards to enhance the security and privacy of sensitive business information. The individual who wants to access business information will be requested by the biometric system to provide at least two biometric readings which undergo the process of verification prior to getting the right of entry in to information. This kind of verification can take place during the process of buying and paying for services and/or goods (Carter & Green, 2013). 

Government agencies also use smart card biometrics in order to tighten security at various market borders as a way of dealing with threats terrorist attack and pressures of immigration. In this case, biometric smart cards can be used to detect biological features like fingerprints as a way of telling whether an individual is citizen in the country (Caldwell, 2015). 

The schools and universities use smart card biometrics for the identification of sensitive information/data such as those associated with the health of students, facial appearance which helps to recognize the student’s race. Smart cards in schools and universities are also used for transparency which is significant where the system of biometric does not need the knowledge of student. Only the system of facial recognition, for example, can capture and make comparison between or among images without active participation of the person/student. They are also used for security where schools and universities ensure that there is no illegal access or disclosure of sensitive students’ information or administrative information. They can also be used for purposes of accuracy and privacy impact assessment. The private sectors such as private schools, private universities and businesses also use smartcard mainly for accuracy and security of sensitive information stored within the biometric system (Staff, 2012, Data protection commissioner, n.d). 

How Smart Card Technologies Function 

Different Smart Card Technologies 

The main categories of smart card technologies include contact cards, contactless cards and multi component cards. Contact cards are the most common and include memory cards like EEPROM that have protected and segmented memory. Another contact card type is the CPU/MPU that have symmetric public keys which are dynamic and with dual interfaces. The contactless cards also consists of CPU/MPU cards which is the same as that of contact ones and memory cards which are read only. The multi component cards include vault cards, fingerprint cards, one time password display card and the bio-Assaying Fluids Sensor cards (Smart card basics, 2010). 

Describe How Smart Card Technologies Function 

The contact smart cards have a contact pad which offers electrical connection when it is inserted within the card reader. While inside the reader, it acts as a communication medium amid the smart card and the computer system which can be the terminal for Point of Sale. The contactless smart card communicates and gets powered by the help of reader via the technology of radio frequency induction. The card uses an inductor to get the incident signal of radio frequency interrogation. It then rectifies the incident frequency and uses it in powering the card. The smart cards use PKI at times when authenticating the identity Akram, Markantonakis & Mayes, 2014). 

Describe Required Software and Systems 

The smart card use advanced card system with Win 7, Win 8.1, Win 10, Win XP, and Win Vista operating system software. Others include windows 2000, Win 98 and smart card proprietary operating system all used with different utility tools Akram, Markantonakis & Mayes, 2014). . 

Describe Enrollment Process 

The cards become enrolled after receiving suitable certificate signed by legal certificate authority. First, the card is inserted into the reader by the user on their workstation or computer system. The Enterprise Security Client then receives the event. The users’ desktop computer then displays the page for enrollment. The required details are then completed by the card users. The system of the user then links to the token of system processing (TPS) and the Certificate Authority. The smart card is then enrolled by the TPS by use of certificate that is signed by Certificate Authority ( Akram, Markantonakis & Mayes, 2014). 

Describe Various Cards and Readers Available 

The section III (A) above identifies different cards available in terms of technology. The card readers available include ISO7816 compliant card reader which is the most common, in-built smart card readers which come already integrated within the computer, ISO 14443 card readers, and ISO 15693 card readers. Others include desktop smart card readers, contactless smart card readers, PCMCIA port smart card reader which is used for mobile applications, smart card reader for ExpressedCard 54 port, smart card USB dongle used for SIM cards, and PC link smart card reader used for secure PIN entry. There is also smart card reader with integrated fingerprint scanner which is used for biometrics and for authentication purposes ( Akram, Markantonakis & Mayes, 2014). 

Disadvantages of Smart Card Technologies 

Cost 

The disadvantage in this case is that the costs of card readers are more expensive as compared to the memory cards themselves (Allen, 1996). 

Possibility for Lost Cards 

There is possibility that the cardholder can lose the smart card thus adding another concern of security. There is also the possibility that the contents/information within the card memory can be wiped out by failure of memory. This can lead to loss of sensitive information especially those of finances. The cards are also light just like the credit cards. This makes it easy to get lost (Allen, 1996, Clarke, 2012). 

Slow Adoption by Users 

The slow adoption of smart cards is because of the insufficient or lack of necessary hardware for use with the cards particularly in restaurants and stores. The technology is also expensive to generate and use, making it slow to adopt it (Clarke, 2012). 

D.     Public Perception of Smart Cards 

The degree to which people believe or perceive that smart cards are secure determines trustworthiness and the number of users who will enroll to use it (Allen, 1996). 

Implementing Policies & Procedures for Proper Use 

The policies and procedures for proper use of smart card needs to cover items such as card usage which defines the right way in which the holders are supposed to use it. The second item is the card issuing and revocation which should address who is responsible for card issuance and the conditions under which the card already issued can be revoked. The temporary cards is another necessary item of policy that should address how to handle circumstances in which workers happen to forget their smart badges in any given day. Other policy items that need to be considered include lost cards, card replacement, badges for visitors and so on (Brett, 2002). 

F. False Sense of Security 

Security is the major problem that faces smart cards. In this case, you realize that not every smart card is secure. The next issue to do with security is the perception of the public concerning the technology (Allen, 1996). 

V.      Conclusion 

This paper attempts to prove how various smart card technologies within access-control environments offer enhanced security, accessibility, and reliability. Smart card biometrics though has some limitations that slows down the [ace of their adoption, the advantages outweighs the disadvantages. In fact, some of the disadvantages according to the discussion above are just associated with human perception and not the actual truth about the safety of smart cards. The smart cards which are of various types such as contact, contactless and multi component cards are more secure, more accessible and more reliable that the credit or debit cards. However, the level of security continues to improve as technology also advances. The users have to enroll the cards which are signed by the legal certificate authority before the card is considered valid for use. Because of high level of information security, accessibility and reliability required, smart cards are needed for use in areas that deal with sensitive information such as business, corporations and government agencies among other places. 

References 

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Carter, S. R., & Green, T. A. (2013). U.S. Patent No. 8,392,965 . Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 

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Jain, A., Bolle, R., & Pankanti, S. (Eds.). (2006). Biometrics: personal identification in networked society (Vol. 479). Springer Science & Business Media. 

Data protection commissioner .(nd). Biometrics in Schools, Colleges and other Educational Institutions. Retrieved from https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Biometrics-in-Schools,-Colleges-and-other-Educational-Institutions/409.htm 

Staff, C. J. (2012). ID Cards Aren’t Just for Access Control Any More - Campus Safety. Retrieved from http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/college-campus-id-cards-aren-t-just-for-access-control-any-more/ 

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