Platform

Tamper-detection circuitry zeroizes crucial cryptographic keys whenever a tampering attempt on any element within the physical security boundary of the BluStor card is detected. These circuits include monitoring sensors to defend against probing attacks that attempt to vary operating temperatures or voltages. In addition, a tamper-resistant coating/shield mitigates physical attacks on the security perimeter of the BluStor card.

Memory Protection Unit (MPU), to ensure each program/application that executes from the card’s main processor (SC300 or SC00) has its own memory space that cannot be violated by other programs.

Hardware-based random number generator (RNG), for producing highly random numbers – a feature that is often required in many security applications.

Symmetric Encryption Algorithms: DES (up to 192 bits) – to support many legacy payment applications, or AES (up to 256 bits) – to support many existing as well as new security applications. For applications that require high throughput AES encryption, an AES hardware accelerator will be incorporated.

This coprocessor provides fast calculations for many public key-based algorithms, including RSA, El-Gamal/DSA, Diffie-Hellman, and Elliptic curve. Note that the cryptographic operations performed by the BluStor card, including symmetric and asymmetric encryption / decryption, digital signature generation / verification, and random number generation, are carried out to support a security application at the application level, independent of the cryptographic operations performed by the Bluetooth component as it wirelessly transmits the data. That is, the BluStor card provides comprehensive end-to-end protection for applications, in addition to the link-to-link protections provided by the Bluetooth communication protocol. In the event security of Bluetooth is compromised, the security of transmitted data or stored data of an application is still preserved by the BluStor card.

The cryptographic algorithms that are implemented on the BluStor card’s main processor and cryptographic coprocessor, especially those algorithms that involve secret/private keys, will be resistant against the following side-channel attacks: Simple Power Analysis (SPA), Differential Power Analysis (DPA), Simple Electromagnetic Analysis (SEMA), and Differential Electromagnetic Analysis (DEMA).

Unlike some classes of Bluetooth devices such as headsets, mice, and keyboards, the BluStor card does not readily/blindly connect to another Bluetooth device. The former either operates in the “Just Connect” mode or requires a common PIN code, such as “0000”, to make it easy for, say, a smart phone, to connect to. Depending on the security requirements of an application, the BluStor card can be configured so that it will connect and exchange data with another counterpart Bluetooth device only if both of the following conditions are met:

• The BluStor card has successfully verified the certificate of the counterpart Bluetooth device that the latter has been authorized to participate with the BluStor card in designated applications.
• The cardholder has successfully authenticated himself to the BluStor card via multi-factor biometric authentication.

The BluStor card will contain mechanisms for securely updating code. As an example, assume in the future, a security weakness is discovered in one of the cryptographic algorithms implemented on the BluStor card. If there is a fix to defend against the weakness, and if the fix can be implemented in firmware, the update code can be distributed (via the Internet) to the BluStor card in the field, without the need for recalling the cards. The update code will be accompanied by an associated digital signature produced by a designated authority. The BluStor card that receives the update code will accept it only after a) it has validated information associated with the code such as (non-decreasing) version number, and b) it has successfully verified the digital signature on the code and associated information. Besides code updating, this feature can also be used to install new applications on the BluStor card. For example, a card issuer of the BluStor secure ID cards can create new code and distribute it to the BluStor cards in the field, to install and support new identity applications.