Elsevier

Computer Communications

Volume 23, Issue 17, 1 November 2000, Pages 1655-1666
Computer Communications

Internet card, a smart card as a true Internet node

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-3664(00)00252-8Get rights and content

Abstract

We have defined a new concept named the Internet smart card. An Internet card is a device that is able to work as a true Internet node, and runs Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) client and TCP server applications (defined by Internet standards like the RFC 2068, HTTP 1.1…). A smart card is a single embedded chip including CPU and memory; the only means of communicating with the outside world is through a serial link. New communication architecture has been studied for both the terminal and the card. Through this stack a smart card shares the network resources located in the terminal. This concept has been implemented in a Java card and a Personal Computer, and the first results are presented here. Our first Internet card includes a web server and a trusted proxy, which add security features to the web connections.

Introduction

Since 1998, Bull CP8 has worked on a smart card specifically dedicated to the Internet network [20]. The basic idea is to consider this smart card as a network computer, which is able to share the resources of the terminal to which it is connected (keyboard-screen-mouse-navigator-Internet access). Our goal is to transform a smart card into a true node of the Internet network; a smart card implements applications of the Internet world (http, electronic mail). In short, a smart card is a web server, it can be accessed from a web browser, and is able to manage several TCP connections (as a client or a server), for example the smart card will work like a trusted proxy.

A first generation (Java) Internet smart card has been developed. Our objective is to integrate these cards into the Internet community and to improve the security (authentication, integrity, privacy, and non-repudiation) required by the new services that appear in Internet networks, especially for nomad users.

We enter in the era of the ubiquitous computing. This means that more and more objects integrate a microprocessor, and have the capacity to be connected to the Internet (according to Frost and Sullivan 40% of the devices connected to Internet in 2001 will not be personal computers). A user (sometimes a mobile one) will use several types of terminals connected to the Internet: a mobile phone — the GPRS network will enable access to the Internet from GSM mobile equipment in Europe in early 2000; a game console; a TV set associated to a set top box; an organizer; a laptop.

In this context, the Internet card is used to authenticate a (mobile) user at an anonymous terminal. If necessary it manages the configuration of this terminal, which is required for the setting of a particular service. This technology constitutes a revolution of the ergonomics of the smart card and of its use through the Internet network.

Section snippets

Classical smart card

A smart card (SPOM-Self-Programmable One-chip Microcomputer) is a tamper-resistant device and was invented, at the end of the seventies by Michel Ugon [8]. The French group of bankcards CB (Carte Bancaire) was created in 1985 and has allowed the diffusion of 24 million devices (banking card [12]). Nowadays, smart cards are used as an electronic purse, in transport applications (contactless card [2]); in mobile phones (SIM card [3], [4]); in the field of Health (French Vital Card); and for

Using the classical smart card in a network

The traditional vision of the card can be seen in network applications, maybe because these devices are not specifically designed for such an environment [17], [18]. As an example, a card is introduced in the security architecture working with SSL [16], thanks to software modifications (DLLs.) in the host system (including a web browser), and also in the server. The card knows nothing about network protocols, on the host side a specific piece of software plays with the card in order to

Smart card for networks

The fat client model does not meet the requirements needed by network applications, in which a mobile customer uses several terminals (laptop, mobile phone, Internet kiosk.) to access the Internet. For example, it seems obvious that an electronic subscription to a newspaper can be used at the home, office, hotel or from a mobile phone.

Our new approach to the network card consists of adapting it to each terminal by means of a unique protocol, which we wish to standardize. This protocol is,

Network card architecture

Our network card architecture is illustrated by Fig. 2. We have defined a new layer (Smart Layer), which uses the services of the AMUX entity. One layer is located in the host (HSL-Host Smart Layer) and the other in the card (CSL-Card Smart Layer).

The HSL layer has access to the network libraries and to the card reader APIs. It allows the transfer of the network packets from/to the card. It establishes a logical path between existing host applications, such as the web browser or electronic

Pascal Urien is currently in charge of research on smartcard integration in networks, at the Bull Smart Cards and Terminals R&D Division. He is also teaching networks and IP technologies at the French University of Paris Dauphine. Pascal graduated from French Ecole Centrale Lyon; he wrote a thesis in solid state physics, and received a PhD in Computer Science.

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    Pascal Urien is currently in charge of research on smartcard integration in networks, at the Bull Smart Cards and Terminals R&D Division. He is also teaching networks and IP technologies at the French University of Paris Dauphine. Pascal graduated from French Ecole Centrale Lyon; he wrote a thesis in solid state physics, and received a PhD in Computer Science.

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