The Basic Structure of Smart Cards

Introduction to the basic structure of smart cards: Smart cards are widely used in various living fields. It provides customers with convenient mobility while carrying their personal information in a very secure way. Smart cards are originally implemented as prepaid calling cards, which is the trend of today's e-commerce. Today, I will explain the basic structure of smart card, its use, security function, and benefits that customers can use.

The message structure used to transfer data between the smart card and the smart card reader is an application protocol data unit or what is commonly referred to as APDU. The structure of the APDU is defined by the ISO / IEC 7816 standard, and the concept of the command APDU is similar to the TCP / IP protocol in the network. The command APDU consists of a header and a command body. The header consists of 4 bytes of class (CLA), instruction (INS), parameter 1 (P1), and parameter 2 (P2). The class byte represents the standard for executing the command, the instruction byte defines the command to be executed, and the two parameters (P1 and P2) are used to send additional information to the command.

There are two technologies to use a smart card: a contact smart card and a contactless smart card. Contact-type smart cards transmit data through the metal conductors or pins of the card. Contactless smart cards transmit data at radio frequencies. For example, it is used in electronic passport. Because smart cards are small devices that can be placed in simple wallets, they help to simplify common operations such as user identification, user authentication, and data storage. An example of using smart cards is for large companies and organizations to have user authentication to log in or access a restricted area.

A smart card is a card similar to an ATM card or credit card. When a user inserts a smart card into a dedicated card reader, the information on the smart card is read and updated as necessary. The smart card stores the data in a thin microprocessor embedded in the card. The use of smart cards includes the saving of immunization data, medical records, identity information, and other medical information. In addition, smart cards can also store prepaid amounts, such as students shopping on campus, tracking customer purchase or employee attendance, accessing for user authentication or purchasing on the Internet.

On a global scale, issuing smart cards is a "new" technology. A smart card or "chip" card is the latest technology of payment cards, making electronic payment faster, safer, and more flexible. The smart card comes with a microchip that can store up to 80 times the information and functions of a standard magnetic stripe card. In addition, the data stored on the smart card is encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to personal account information. The chip card ensures a faster transaction process. Because there are multiple security restrictions on the chip, you can safely take offline many transactions offline without having to call the issuing bank. This means faster transactions and better customer service. It also reduces telecommunications costs for banks and merchants