International Business Machines Corporation

Albert Schaal

Michael Deindl

Helmut Scherzer

Walter Hanel

Harmut Droege

Martin Witzel

Markus Weinlaender

Michael Schilling

Volker Gottschalk

Walter H{umlaut Over (a)}nel

Juergen Haardoerfer

Rainer Woerz

A method of initializing and personalizing a chip card () and to a chip card () for this purpose. In accordance with the present invention, there are created in the data memory () of the chip card () data structures () which enable the personalizing data which is to be transmitted to the chip card () at the time of personalization to be unambiguously assigned to the various chip card applications and thus to the providers of these applications. As a result, the chip card applications are securely isolated from one another at the time of personalization.

Secure personalization of chip cards

The invention presented describes a system and procedure for protecting against the espionage of secret information. A counter is allocated to each secret piece of information, in particular codes. The counter counts the number of uses of the secret information. In this, the counter is set to a starting value. Each use of the secret data element increases the counter state by a defined value. If the counter state reaches a maximum value, the use of the secret data element will be blocked. The blocking of the secret information can, however, be avoided if a defined event occurs before the maximum value of the counter is reached which automatically resets the counter state to its starting value. Any technical, economic or organisational condition can be defined as an event. Particular advantages of the invention presented are that each code can have its own counter allocated to it. In this way, different numbers of uses can be established for each code with regard to its function. As a chip card can contain any number of codes for the most widely differing applications, the block is limited solely to the application affected. The use of the chip card is not therefore blocked as a whole. The events can be easily adapted to the widest range of security and user requirements of the respective application area.

System and procedure for protection against the analytical espionage of secret information

The invention relates to a method of importing information, in particular application information, onto a chip card which has a memory with a directory. The information being transferred onto the chip card comprises data and code, and it is often necessary to distribute these data and the code to different files in the directory. The method of the invention establishes whether the data and the code have been placed properly in the various files. The invention makes it possible to verify whether the information has been placed in the proper location allocated to it in the memory of the chip card. When an application is to be placed onto a chip card, the information is loaded into the chip card memory but is no allowed to be used until its location on the card is verified. Verification is accomplished by calculating an electronic fingerprint of the information and it's location. The fingerprint is compared with at least one other electronic fingerprint, and the stored information is activated only if on comparison a match is established between the electronic fingerprint and at least one other electronic fingerprint.

Importing information onto a chip card

The invention relates to a procedure for the certification of cryptographic keys for use in chipcards. In this procedure, a certification key and a certificate are transferred to the chipcard. The first part of the certificate includes the cryptographic key and the second part of the certificate includes a digital signature of the first part of the certificate. The digital certificate is subsequently checked by means of the certification key on the chipcard.

Certification of cryptographic keys for chipcards

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Tuebingen, Germany

Albert Schaal