A Secure Access Module (SAM), also known as a Secure Application Module, is a piece of

cryptographic Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. More gen ...

hardware typically used by

smart card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

card reader A card reader is a data input device that reads data from a card-shaped storage medium and provides the data to a computer. Card readers can acquire data from a card via a number of methods, including: optical scanning of printed text or barcod ...

s to perform mutual

key authentication /Config-authentication is used to solve the problem of authenticating the keys of a person (say "person A") that some other person ("person B") is talking to or trying to talk to. In other words, it is the process of assuring that the key of "perso ...

. SAMs can be used to manage access in a variety of contexts, such as public transport

fare A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various p ...

collection and

point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

devices.

Formats

* Removable SAM: This form factor resembles a standard Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card. It plugs into a dedicated SAM slot within the smart card reader. * Embedded SAM: This form factor integrates the SAM functionality directly onto the

printed circuit board A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a Lamination, laminated sandwich structure of electrical conduction, conductive and Insulator (electricity), insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes ...

(PCB) of the reader system. The SAM component is typically housed within a secure enclosure soldered onto the PCB.

Components

A typical smart card reader system generally consists of the following key components: *

Microcontroller A microcontroller (MC, uC, or μC) or microcontroller unit (MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable input/output peripherals. Pro ...

(MCU): This acts as the central processing unit (CPU) of the reader system. It manages various tasks such as protocol handling, data flow control, and data interpretation. * Reader Integrated Circuit (Reader IC): This specialized chip facilitates communication between the SAM and the

contactless smart card A contactless smart card is a contactless credential whose dimensions are credit card size. Its embedded integrated circuits can store (and sometimes process) data and communicate with a terminal via NFC. Commonplace uses include transit ticket ...

using

radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the u ...

(RF) interface protocols.

Integration and functionality

By integrating a SAM into the reader system, the security functionalities are centralized and offloaded from the MCU. The SAM assumes responsibility for: *

Key Management Key management refers to management of Key (cryptography), cryptographic keys in a cryptosystem. This includes dealing with the generation, exchange, storage, use, crypto-shredding (destruction) and replacement of keys. It includes cryptographic ...

: Secure storage and management of cryptographic keys, including master keys and application keys derived from them. * Cryptography: Performing various cryptographic operations such as encryption, decryption, and digital signing to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. * Mutual

Authentication Authentication (from ''authentikos'', "real, genuine", from αὐθέντης ''authentes'', "author") is the act of proving an Logical assertion, assertion, such as the Digital identity, identity of a computer system user. In contrast with iden ...

: Facilitating a two-way authentication process between the smart card and the reader system to verify the legitimacy of both parties before allowing any communication to proceed. * Secure Messaging: Enabling secure communication between the SAM and the

host system Host system is any networked computer that provides services to other systems or users. These services may include printer, web or database access. Host system is a computer on a network, which provides services to users or other computers on tha ...

encrypting In cryptography, encryption (more specifically, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plain ...

and authenticating data packets. SAMs can be deployed in any of the following applications: :* Generate application keys based on master keys :* Store and secure master keys :* Perform cryptographic functions with smart cards :* Use as a secure encryption device :* Perform mutual authentication :* Generate session keys :* Perform secure messaging

References

Encryption devices {{crypto-stub