SecureCOS PKI

The Overview

SecureCOS PKI is an advanced smart card specially designed for PKI-based applications, as it is obvious that the combination of smart card technology with public key infrastructure does provide a greater and stronger level of protection against hackers than a standalone public key system. All sensitive credentials and private keys are encrypted and stored inside the smart card chip and cannot be accessed from outside without proper user authentication, thus reaching the ultimate security objective. SecureCOS PKI is bundle with middleware that is compliant to PKCS#11 and MS CAPI standards which make it with nature ready with “out of the box” support to most of the PKI Implementation. As in smart card form factor, it can further extend its usage to other smart card applications such as physical access, smart card logon, and many more.

Architecture

PKI technology enables secure access, communications and transactions over internal or open networks using digital certificates to identify users and provide “keys” for security algorithms to encrypt or decrypt information transmitted. Some of the information stored in the SecureCOS PKI is in the form of a number composed of "ones-and-zeros" referred to as the "private key", which is part of a two-key system used to encode and decode sensitive information. The security of such systems is relied on the safeguard of the “private key”. Typically, after the card-holder authenticates the SecureCOS PKI by supplying a valid PIN number, the “private key” will then be used to encrypt or decrypt any sort of sensitive information with the present of the card.

SecureCOS PKI is ready for customers requiring the highest level of 2-Factor Authentication security which will aim to secure the electronic transactions via Digital Signature, this is very common now for applications involving high monetary value or transmitting critical data such as e-Government, e-Banking, e-Health, Online Stock Broking, B2B and B2C. SecureCOS PKI is developed to meet the highest levels of certification relating to analysis of the card's ability to handle attacks and prevent covert channels.

Advantages

• Extremely Secure
  SecureCOS PKI provides native support for up to 2048-bit RSA key pairs with enhances security by generating and storing users' personal credentials such as private keys, passwords and digital certificates inside the protected environment of the smart card chip. Users' private keys never leave the smart card!
• Highly Flexible
  SecureCOS PKI supports all PKI and Single Sign-On applications, as well as software development tools for seamless integration with third party applications. The smart card functionality can be extended to be used with your custom applications through the loading of Java applets onto the smart chip. In addition, SecureCOS PKI can be customized to include RFID, magnetic stripes, logos, ID photos and more.
• Cost Effective
  SecureCOS PKI architecture is based on open standards and is more cost effective than other hardware security systems like Biometric readers.
• Easy to Implement
  By supporting industry standard security interfaces and systems, SecureCOS P KI ensures easy integration with your organization's current infrastructure and security strategy. It provides support for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Firefox or any software product based on the MS-CAPI or PKCS#11 standards.
• Easy to use
  In order to authenticate, users need only insert their SecureCOS PKI into any PC/SC compliant smart card reader and enter the SecureCOS PKI’s User PIN.