White Box Cardlet Obfuscation for Smart Card Biometric Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart transaction cards are vulnerable to hacking and tampering, especially when using biometric sensors, due to the open nature of their memory devices, which can lead to unauthorized access and data theft, and adding secure memory increases manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a white box 'cardlet' with obfuscation and cryptography processes to protect sensitive cardholder data and applications on regular memory, using a Java Card platform to secure biometric data and prevent attacks, and periodically re-obfuscating data to maintain security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secure memory is added to smart transaction cards to protect sensitive data, then security against hacking and tampering is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer of obfuscation and white-box cryptography mechanisms that sit between the sensitive data and the memory storage. This allows regular memory to be used while providing security protection through software-based obfuscation techniques, avoiding the need for expensive secure memory hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the security approach from hardware-based (secure memory) to software-based (obfuscation and cryptography). By transforming the security mechanism from physical to logical, the system achieves protection without incurring additional manufacturing costs for secure memory components.
2Reliability
If biometric sensors are added to smart transaction cards to enhance security, then protection against identity theft is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses obfuscation and white-box cryptography as intermediary layers that protect biometric data without requiring additional complex hardware. The software-based protection mechanism shields the biometric information stored in regular memory, achieving security without increasing device complexity.
3Reliability
If obfuscation and white box processes are implemented on regular memory, then security against hacking is improved, but manufacturing costs are reduced compared to secure memory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs software-based obfuscation and white-box cryptography that can be easily updated or replaced without changing the hardware. This approach uses inexpensive regular memory with software protection layers, avoiding the need for expensive secure memory while maintaining security through periodically updated obfuscation techniques.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems for permitting sensitive cardholder data to be securely stored in a regular storage element of a smart transaction card. In an embodiment, a transaction card processor of the smart transaction card installs a security application compatible with the operating system of the smart transaction card and that includes a white box cardlet. The transaction card processor uses a code protection process of the white box cardlet to obfuscate biometric reference template data stored in the regular memory of a biometric sensor, next stores the obfuscated biometric reference template data in the regular memory, and then re-obfuscates the biometric reference template data at a predetermined time interval.