Incredible to think that with all the available technology, the political frameworks and the motivation of an entire industry, harmonization in regards to driving licenses even within the EU still has a very long way to go. As a matter of fact, with 27 member states and 300 million driving license owners, there are 110 different documents which qualify as valid proof.
In this issue of the Vault we approach the vast topic of information security in automotive applications. We do this from the perspective of microcontroller technology and in terms of security – leaving aside the many technology applications that coexist in this market. Infineon’s Detlef Houdeau sums up the key facts regarding some of the most interesting applications: From more niche markets such as electronic vehicle registrations to full blown mass market products such as the electronic driving license. More detailed information on the Electronic Vehicle Registration Card is given in a feature article by Giesecke & Devrient, highlighting the requirements for both the card body as well the electronics.
Biometrics is a key topic in our Technology section, this time focussing on the use of the technology within ID applications. Interesting case studies, such as Gabon, Portugal and Morocco support the claim that the use of Biometrics is very effective when linked to national ID programs.
At the core of all smart card products is the hardware – the security controller. With more and more cards, passports or tokens in the field, attacks are more frequent and more dangerous. Even though the security of any given smart card system is only as good as it’s weakest link, the semiconductor industry spends enormous amounts of R&D to protect hardware security from such attacks. At Infineon, Marcus Janke and Peter Laackmann are at the very centre of these developments. For this issue of the Vault, they agreed to give our readers a short summary of the challenges and findings concerning the technical progress of hardware security.
As the end of summer is approaching and the show season is approaching, we have added a list of security events throughout Europe where Security-News.tv will be present as official broadcast partner. We hope to see you there!
Until next time
Veronica Atkins
