Intelligent Storage: Protects your data with managed code and Windows Vista smart card APIs

This article discusses:

Windows Smart Card Programming Basics

How to implement a sample smart card application

Write a managed package that implements smart card functionality

Smart card Transaction Management

This article is written based on a pre-release version of Windows Vista. The information contained therein may be changed.

This article uses the following techniques:

Windows Vista, C + +, C #

Directory

Windows Smart Card Programming

The development of smart cards

How the sample application is implemented

Winscard API Packaging Program

Getsmartcard Helper Routines

Card Module API Packaging program

Handling Cardacquirecontext

Transaction management

The basic principle of Card module interface design

Using CLR encryption

Dependencies and Testing

The concept of a smart card (simply, a credit card embedded in a microchip) has been proposed for nearly 30 years. But now the focus of security work is to get companies and governments and other institutions to re-examine some of the ideas that have already existed.

Smart cards are an attractive alternative to vulnerable connections (that is, passwords) for authentication systems. The industry is in great need of technology that can replace passwords. With embedded cryptographic processors, smart cards provide a very secure and easy-to-use authentication mechanism.

However, the deployment of smart cards also poses a unique challenge. The entire industry needs better products to deploy and manage complex authentication technologies. In his keynote address at the RSA 2006 Conference, Bill Gates demonstrated Microsoft certificate Lifecycle Manager, which took full advantage of the APIs discussed in this article.

The industry also has to deal with the requirements of customer privacy protection. Consumers need a way to protect privileged information, for example, the U.S. online banking industry will soon require strict authentication. In this process, consumers will use technology such as Windows®cardspace to disclose which personal information is disclosed in various online transactions. For example, during an online banking transaction, I might have been able to prove confidentially that my Social Security number (SSN) was tied to my identity, but I could not share my credit card number with it. Instead, I will authorize the disclosure of my credit card number (not the SSN) to the ecommerce website.

Microsoft has recognized the important role that smart cards play in the security strategy of its platform. Developers need to understand how smart card-aware applications work and what methods the Windows operating system uses to make life easier.