Smart card aims to fight fraud

[Peter Tomlinson]

The manufacturer's (unchanging) card number is very often used as part of
the security methodology. But, like so much about this proposed new product,
I can't clearly see what the promoters mean by a number that keeps on
changing - they might just mean the random number, generated by the card,
which is used in some security challenges and also for generating session
keys.

Peter
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roland Perry" <roland@linx.net>
To: <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: Smart card aims to fight fraud


>
> And I'm reminded of another feature of some of these machines - they
> remember you from the card number (and therefore assume the card number
> stays the same). Examples are the long term car park at Stansted, where
> inserting the same card on entry and exit obviates the requirement for a
> paper "ticket" [1], and the WAGN new ticket machines that allegedly [2]
> offer to sell you the 'same ticket a last time' if you first of all put
> your card in.
>
> Neither of these remembering feats are *essential*, but I can just see
> someone inventing a business model were it suddenly is.
>
> [1] I don't know what they do about credit cards that are mislaid in the
> interim.
>
> [2] It's never worked for me - and they don't publish the "retention
> time".
> --
> Roland Perry
>
>