Dutch Launch Open-source Smart Card Software Project
30 Jun 2008 - 09:02:32

Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service Fri Jun 20, 8:40 AM ET A Dutch charity is funding an open-source project to design smart card software that offers stronger protection of personal data in light of security vulnerabilities found with cards used today in the U.S., U.K. and Netherlands. NLnet Foundation will give 150,000 (US$234,000) to Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, for the project, which will run through 2010, said Valer Mischenko, the foundation's general director. The research and the code will be published for peer review, an open-source development model that can offer a stronger security model than undocumented, proprietary systems that dominate the smart-card market, Mischenko said. Companies will be able to use the software in future products, as it will be licensed under the GNU General Public License. The need for more secure systems is clear. Researchers revealed last year security vulnerabilities in the Mifare Classic RFID (radio frequency identification) chip, which is used in up to 2 billion smart cards used for building access and public transportation systems worldwide. The researchers figured out how the Mifare Classic's encryption algorithm worked, allowing them to obtain the 48-bit encryption keys the cards used. With that information, it's possible to create a clone of the card or, in some cases, add money to the card for public transport systems, said Bart Jacobs, information security professor at Radboud University. The Mifar...

Full article

Related news

VLC Media Player Vulnerable to Attack

Malicious subtitle file could trip up VLC media player

FSF finalizes GPL-based license for Web services

OpenMoko Offers 3-D Printing For Cell Phones

Report: Number of GPL v3 projects tops 2,000

Delta Dental Signs Up For Open Source Business Intelligence Software