Page 24 - Security Today, January/February 2022

Popular Access Control Why smartcards and their derivatives provide increased security
By Scott Lindley
Today, 13.56 MHz contact- less smartcards are used to provide increased secu- rity compared to 125 KHz proximity cards. Systems making use of smart cards can be more easily used for applications beyond elec- tronic access control, such as tool check- outs, the company cafeteria and so on.
All the leading smartcard providers conform to ISO standards. ISO 14443 cards operate from zero to four inches, while ISO 15693 cards may provide longer ranges, though their read speed is often slower. Be aware. There are proprietary, non-standard-based contactless smart card technologies that could bind you to a single-supplier dependency and poten- tially restrictive pricing and delivery struc- tures. Only in certain circumstances do you want to consider them.
One of the first terms you will discov- er in learning about smart cards is “MI- FARE,” a technology from NXP Semi- conductors. Mifare enables 2-way secured communications between the card and the reader. Mifare Classic was an original version of the Mifare technology used in contactless cards. It stores the access data in one of its sectors, and then encrypts the communication between the card and reader to make it impossible or, at least, very difficult to clone a card.
Unfortunately, a security flaw in the Mifare Classic standard meant that with the right knowledge and hardware, a card could still be cloned or another card in the series created.
The newest of the Mifare standards, Mifare DESFire, includes a cryptographic module on the card itself to add an ad- ditional layer of encryption to the card/ reader transaction. This is amongst the highest standard of card security currently available. MIFARE DESFire protection is therefore ideal for sales to providers wanting to use secure multi-application smartcards in access management, public transportation schemes or closed-loop e-
payment applications. They are fully com- pliable with the requirements for fast and highly secure data transmission, flexible memory organization and provide interop- erability with existing infrastructures.
Suffice it to say, MIFARE DESFire has become the contactless digital RFID tech- nology benchmark for smartcards. As with proximity cards, you will also want to as- sure that the readers comply with a com- munication standard, such as OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol) or Wiegand.
There are two main types of contact- less smartcards. The clamshell contactless smartcard is an ISO14443-compliant card with a multi-byte memory. The end user can add more memory. The ISO contact- less smartcard is an ISO14443-compliant card also with a multi-byte memory. An end user can also order with more mem- ory. Manufactured from glossy PVC, it is appropriate for dye sublimation printing.
Key fobs are also available in smart- card technologies. Used in place of cards, key fobs are typically part of a key ring. The most durable typically include a
brass-reinforcing eyelet.
Another valuable option is Valid ID, a
unique anti-tamper feature for contactless smartcard readers, cards and tags. Embedded, it adds yet an additional layer of authentication and integrity assurance to traditional Mifare smartcards. Valid ID helps verify that sensitive access data programmed to a card or tag is indeed genuine and not counterfeit.
GOING TO THE NEXT STEP
Mobile credentials are smartphone-based versions of traditional RFID smartcards and tags. Mobile credentials make it pos- sible for smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone® and the range of Google An- droid® devices, to be used as an electronic access control credential.
No longer do users, such as govern- ment employees, need various physical credentials to move throughout a facility. Instead, a person’s iPhone or Android smartphone, which they carry with them wherever they go, will have the credentials they need to enter into any authorized ac-
24
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | SECURITY TODAY
SMARTCARDS
Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock.com