First at all, take a look at below Send USSD APDU Proactive Command:

|---[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|---[:] Command Number: 01
|---[:] Command Type: Send USSD
|---[:] Command Qualifier: RFU ==> value: 00
|---[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|---[:] Source Device: SIM Card
|---[:] Destination Device: Network
|---[:] ALPHA IDENTIFIER
|---[:] Sending your request
|---[:] USSD STRING: 0F AA 58 6C 36 02
|---[:] Card Status: 90 00
\---[:] Raw data: D027810301120082028183851453656E64696E6720796F757220726571756573748A060FAA586C36029000


This is example of APDU for Send USSD Proactive Command on javacard with USSD string *113#.
The code for sending is very simple:

ProHdlr.init((byte)PRO_CMD_SEND_USSD,(byte)0x00,(byte)DEV_ID_NETWORK);
ProHdlr.appendTLV(TAG_ALPHA_IDENTIFIER, USSD_TITLE_EN,(short)0x00,(short)USSD_TITLE_EN.length);
ProHdlr.appendTLV((byte)(TAG_USSD_STRING), USSDBuffer, (short)0x01, (short)f);
ProHdlr.send();

Where ProHdlr is ProactiveHandler, USSD_TITLE_EN is static byte for alpha identifier to be used
during sending the USSD request, USSDBuffer is buffer for USSD string, f is length of data of USSD string.

The most important thing here is that USSD string consist of:
1. Data Encoding Scheme (which most probably use 0×0F)
2. USSD string itself, which must be 7-bit encoded just like normal 7bit SMS.

E.g we have assigned below *113#

byte lenUSSDBuffer = (byte)0x01;
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer++] = (byte)0x0F; // Data encoding scheme
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer++] = (byte)'*';
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer++] = (byte)'1';
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer++] = (byte)'1';
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer++] = (byte)'3';
USSDBuffer[(byte)lenUSSDBuffer] = (byte)'#';

*113# will become 0xAA 0×58 0×6C 0×36 0×02 once we code it in 7-bit encoding rule (see TS 23.038).
0×0F is encoding scheme which follow standard encoding scheme for Cell Broadcast (see TS 23.038).
0×0F means GSM 7 bit default alphabet – language unspecified.

Good luck with your USSD !

There was a peculiar piece in the American Spectator online last week, a “Special Report” by Mark Hyman. The author lists a number of unfortunate circumstances by which harmless passengers, many times military personnel, have been delayed or hassled by TSA and airport security protocols. He blames these anecdotal mishaps on “government bureaucrats armed with ‘rules, policies and procedures’ and employing no commonsense.”

He goes on to question a number of security and procedural policies in government and military institutions, which he thinks are unnecessary and demeaning to the personnel at these institutions. As a primary example, Hyman makes the case that the rules for issuing and renewing CACs (Common Access Cards) are unneeded and absurd.

He is miffed because he did not renew his CAC before it expired and he had to go though a bureaucratic process to straighten this out:

“My CAC had expired days earlier so I contacted an issuing office to get a replacement. A clerk in the ID card office informed me that all appointments had to be made online using the intranet. Yet, my expired CAC prevented me from using the intranet system. In spite of my predicament the clerk told me, “Our policy requires all appointments to be scheduled online. If you are unable to use the intranet, then there is nothing more I can do.” It sounded like the beginning of an Abbott and Costello routine.”

“Rather than fight this particular battle, I decided to renew my CAC at another issuing office. While there, I was asked to produce a picture ID. I showed my state driver’s license. I was then asked for a second form of ID and was told the CAC was not acceptable since it expired five days earlier. A week earlier it would have been valid, but on this day it was deemed worthless. So I showed the clerk my company-issued ID card that looked as though it was made on an office computer and laminated at the local Kinko’s. As a matter of fact, that was exactly how that ID was manufactured. But it was good enough. The clerk accepted the flimsy company ID over the just-expired military CAC.”

Hyman concludes,

“What makes this episode even sadder is that the military CAC is generally not accepted as a valid form of identification for use by visitors to the Pentagon. Visitors must also have a Pentagon-issued ID or another form of identification such as a state driver’s license. The reason, according to a security officer, is that at least one machine that manufactures CACs and several hundred blank CACs are missing and presumed to have been stolen. Security officials do not know which CAC is valid and which is a forgery.”

The latter claim is nonsensical and shows that the security officials Hyman chats with are miss informing him about how his CAC works. This too, expresses a common misconception— that possession of the card is the only thing that verifies identity.

To his point about the pains of standing in line to renew something only to find that you don’t have the right materials: I can empathize with this, but I cannot gather what rules Hyman thinks are silly, and which are reasonable. Is he arguing that he shouldn’t have to have a CAC, or that he should be able to use his expired CAC, by itself, for renewal? And what does this have to do with policy created by top-level military and government officials?

What is clear from reading the piece is that he doesn’t like the rules much because he doesn’t understand why they are in place. He wanted an exception so he could use his expired CAC. Similarly, in another of his examples, he complains that his wife couldn’t renew her own CAC using an expired passport.

There are two fundamental questions that would help Hyman better appreciate these rules: Why are identification badges, such as CAC cards, used? And, how is the true identity of a badge-holder verified? In other words, what is a CAC good for anyways?

The military provides several resources for answering these questions. In fact, had Hyman consulted these, or unofficial resources, anytime before his CAC expired he would have had less of a hassle renewing it.

Identity, and the privileges we associate with it, is an abstract thing that is difficult to verify. The best way for a large institutions to verify a person’s identity is to gather the various artifacts of identity, such as a state driver’s license, for this person and grade the validity of these items and the authority of the institution who gave the item.  The bureaucratic pronouncements on this process (i.e. presidential directives and policies) say that the best way to verify the identity and authorization of millions of people is to create a system of rules that make the procedures repeatable, reliable, and safe. (One such rule may reason that an expired identity artifact should not be considered valid, even if it was valid yesterday.)

Now, the process of using a CAC card is not as simple as it could be. Systems that use badges for the identification of people and the verification of people’s permissions and authority are complex and imperfect, but this is not a problem of bureaucracy. It’s more a matter of improving these systems for most users and reminding users, like Hyman, why they were given a badge to begin with.

Lichtgeschwindigkeit 81 Piraten-KANDIDATEN Daniel

Piraten-Presseschau am Donnerstag, 18. November 2009,

von Dr. Dietmar Moews beim Crewtreffen Negroponte in Berlin-Pankow;

Aufnahmezeit um 21 Uhr;

Piratenthema: ELENA: Pirat Daniel hat die „Smartcard ELENA“

(Elektronische Einkommensnachweis) beim Crewtreffen vorgestellt.

Daniel hat dazu weitere Erkundigungen angestellt, worüber heute

seine Einführung den Piraten zur weiteren Diskussion diente (Protokoll).

Das Thema ELENA wurde bereits bei den Piraten diskutiert, aber nachdem

ELENA im April 2009 zum 1. Januar 2009 Gesetz wurde, ist die Karte ELENA

in der Gesamtdiskussion der Massendatenspeicherung und der fortlaufenden

Missbräuche des Überwachungsstaats aus den Augen geraten.

Bei ELENA handelt es sich um eine Smartcard, die die persönliche

Generalidentifikationsnummer, Zertifikatsidentitätsnummer (Signatur),

enthalten soll, die staatlicherseits jeden Bürger lebenslang kennzeichnet.

Diese Nummer ist der Schlüssel zum zentral angelegten und gespeicherten

Gesamtdatensatz, den der Bürger herausgeben muss, wenn er mit dem Amt

in offiziale Verbindung treten will. Ähnliche Funktion der Massendatenspeicherung

und des gläsernen Bürgers sollen Automobil-Maud, Bank-Kreditkarten u. a. Erhalten.

Produktion, Performance, Autor, Direktion: Dr. Dietmar Moews;

Aufnahmetechnik und Admin: Piratencrew Berlin

Finally I found the solution!

In a follow up to my post on the “Dell embedded contactless reader“, here is how you enable PC/SC support for this reader.

Select Dell Latitude and Precision systems comes with an embedded contactless smart card reader. Out of the box, this reader is not PC/SC enabled. The contactless reader is only available through the CV chipset (Dell Credentials Vault), meaning that it will only work in PBA (Pre Boot Authentication), and when enrolling a contactless card through the Dell supported software (EmbassySuite/ControlPoint). 

PC/SC support means that you can use this reader in your own and third-party programs, by using the standard PC/SC smartcard API.
I have contacted Dell about PC/SC support for the contactless reader, but they could not provide me with any information (they barely knew what PC/SC was).
After some frustration, I started searching through the installed files (Broadcom/Wave Systems), and I finally found the solution.

There is a utility called “ushradiomode64.exe” in the folder “c:\Program Files\Broadcom Corporation\Broadcom USH Host Components\CV\bin”.

This utility takes 1 parameter, namely the operation mode of the Contactless Reader Radio:

Example to Enable CV Only Radio Mode:
  ushradiomode -c

Example to Enable Normal Radio Mode:
  ushradiomode -n

“CV Only Radio Mode” is the default mode, and in this mode the reader is only available to the CV/PBA. In “Normal Radio Mode”, the reader becomes visible in Device Manager, and can be found when enumeration the PC/SC terminals attached to the system.

Here is how you enable “normal” mode (meaning that the reader will now become listed under “Smart card readers” in Device Manager):

1. Make sure you have installed the latest version of the “Dell ControlPoint Security Device Driver Pack” from http://support.dell.com. (Latest version as of 2009-10-09 is v1.1.30 A07)
2. Open command prompt:
   Start -> Run -> cmd.exe
3. Type the following 2 commands:

   
   cd c:\Program Files\Broadcom Corporation\Broadcom USH Host Components\CV\bin
   ushradiomode64.exe -n
   

4. reboot (to make windows load the PC/SC driver)

When the system starts up again, check Device Manager and confirm that there are now 2 entries under “Smart card readers”, both called “USB Smart Card Reader”. (1 for the Contactless and 1 for the Contacted smartcard reader).

I haven’t tested many cards yet, only retrieved the ATR* from a 1k Mifare Classic Card.

(* Note that contactless cards don’t have ATRs. The ATR is this case is generated by the reader or PC/SC driver for the reader. Using the ATR here is just a simple way to check that the reader at least can detect the contactless card.)

If you find time to play around with this reader through PC/SC, please let me know by posting a comment below. What cards did you test? Did everything work as expected?

Zebra Technologies, specializzata in stampanti di card per soluzioni d’identificazione automatica, ha annunciato la disponibilità di un aggiornamento firmware RFID per le sue stampanti RZ400/RZ600. L’aggiornamento offre agli utenti numerose nuove applicazioni, tra cui la possibilità di stampare etichette RFID a livello di elemento per taggare oggetti, la convalida del pacchetto, il monitoraggio del documento e l’autenticazione dei prodotti.

Secondo Zebra, la stampante aggiornata è la più adatta per mantenere all’interno dell’azienda il ciclo di operazioni di una catena di approvvigionamento, dove c’è un grande bisogno di piccole etichette intelligenti da stampare ed attaccare velocemente sui prodotti.

Inoltre Zebra sostiene che, utilizzando le stampanti aggiornate, le aziende risparmieranno sui costi dei materiali e ridurranno gli sprechi di etichette, visto che possono essere stampate più etichette per rullo.

La tecnologia RFID presente nell’aggiornamento del firmware sarà inclusa  con tutte le nuove stampanti RZ400/RZ600.

http://www.zebra.com

Translink launches a new travel card which can be used on its bus and rail services…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: las vegas trips. The blog is also related to: travel tickets.

From UICC, it send below APDU (e.g calling +6611555678111 – it’s fake number dude)

============================================================

|—[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|—[:] Command Number: 01
|—[:] Command Type: Set Up Call
|—[:] Command Qualifier: Set up call, but only if not currently busy on another call, with redial
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: UICC
|—[:] Destination Device identity: Network
|—[:] ALPHA IDENTIFIER
|—[:] Alpha identifier details Calling…
|—[:] ADDRESS
|—[:] Type-OF-Number: International number
|—[:] Numbering-Plan-Identification: ISDN/telephony numbering plan (‘The internationalpublic telecommunication numbering plan’ and E.163 recommandation)
|—[:] Dialling number: 66 15 55 67 81 11
|—[:] Card Status: 90 00
\—[:] Raw data: D01E010301100102028183050A43616C6C696E672E2E2E0607916651557618119000
============================================================

If you already register for Call Control by SIM, then below envelope data will be available to
your SIM java applet first

============================================================
[+] APDU Command: ENVELOPE – Call control
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: Terminal
|—[:] Destination Device identity: UICC
|—[:] ADDRESS
|—[:] Type-OF-Number: International number
|—[:] Numbering-Plan-Identification: ISDN/telephony numbering plan (‘The internationalpublic telecommunication numbering plan’ and E.163 recommandation)
|—[:] Dialling number: 66 15 55 67 81 11
|—[:] CAPABILITY CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
|—[:] 06 60 04 02 00 05 81
|—[:] LOCATION INFORMATION
|—[:] Mobile Country & Network Codes(MCC & MNC): XX XX XX
|—[:] Location Area Code(LAC): 01 96
|—[:] Cell Identity Value(Cell ID): 13 A9
|—[:] Header: 80C2000021
\—[:] Data: D41F020282810607916651557618110707066004020005811307XXXXXX019613A9
============================================================

Sorry I remove MCC/MNC information

Once it’s allowed by SIM (by Call Control by SIM envelope command), then terminal/handset
will start calling

============================================================
[+] APDU Command: TERMINAL RESPONSE
|—[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|—[:] Command Number: 01
|—[:] Command Type: Set Up Call
|—[:] Command Qualifier: Set up call, but only if not currently busy on another call, with redial
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: Terminal
|—[:] Destination Device identity: UICC
|—[:] RESULT
|—[:] RESULT DETAILS : Command performed successfully
|—[:] Header: 801400000C
\—[:] Data: 010301100102028281030100
============================================================

Once connected and you register for Call Connected Event, below event will be available to your card applet
============================================================
[+] APDU Command: ENVELOPE – Event download
|—[:] EVENT LIST
|—[:] Event list detail: Call connected
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: Network
|—[:] Destination Device identity: UICC
|—[:] TRANSACTION IDENTIFIER
|—[:] List :
|—[:] Transaction Identifier 1
|—[:] TI Flag is true TI Value : 268435448
|—[:] Header: 80C200000C
\—[:] Data: D60A190101020283811C0180
============================================================

Once finished and call disconnected, below event will be available
============================================================
[+] APDU Command: ENVELOPE – Event download
|—[:] EVENT LIST
|—[:] Event list detail: Call disconnected
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: Terminal
|—[:] Destination Device identity: UICC
|—[:] TRANSACTION IDENTIFIER
|—[:] List :
|—[:] Transaction Identifier 1
|—[:] TI Flag is false TI Value : 0
|—[:] CAUSE E0 90
|—[:] Header: 80C2000010
\—[:] Data: D60E190102020282811C01001A02E090
============================================================

From UICC to Handset:
——————————————————————————–
[+] APDU
|—[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|—[:] Command Number: 01
|—[:] Command Type: Provide Local Information
|—[:] Command Qualifier: IMEI of the terminal
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: UICC
|—[:] Destination Device identity: Terminal
|—[:] Card Status: 90 00
\—[:] Raw data: D0098103012601820281829000

Handset Response to UICC:
——————————————————————————–
[+] APDU Command
|—[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|—[:] Command Number: 01
|—[:] Command Type: Provide Local Information
|—[:] Command Qualifier: IMEI of the terminal
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: Terminal
|—[:] Destination Device identity: UICC
|—[:] RESULT
|—[:] RESULT DETAILS : Command performed successfully
|—[:] IMEI: 3A 45 02 03 03 18 38 00
|—[:] Header: 8014000016
\—[:] Data: 81030126010202828103010014083A4502030318xxxx

We get IMEI 3A 45 02 03 03 18 xx xx, sorry I override 2 latest byte

Hi Javacard developer, this is for your reference on Terminal Profile APDU (in this case is Nokia N86 8MP)

[+] APDU Command: TERMINAL PROFILE
|—[:] First byte (Download)
|—[:] *Call Control send by NAA
|—[:] *Reserved by 3GPP (USSD string data object support in Call Control by USIM)
|—[:] *Timer expiration
|—[:] *Reserved by 3GPP (SMS-PP data download)
|—[:] *Menu Selection
|—[:] *Reserved by 3GPP (Cell Broadcast Data Download)
|—[:] *Reserved by 3GPP (SMS-PP data download)
|—[:] *Profile Download
|—[:] Second byte (Other)
|—[:] *Display Text
|—[:] *UCS2 Display supported
|—[:] *UCS2 Entry supported
|—[:] *Call Control by NAA
|—[:] *Reserved by 3GPP (MO Short message control)
|—[:] *Call Control by NAA
|—[:] *Call Control by NAA
|—[:] *Command Result
|—[:] Third byte (Proactive UICC)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : REFRESH
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : POLLING OFF
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : POLL INTERVAL
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PLAY TONE
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : MORE TIME
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : GET INPUT
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : GET INKEY
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : DISPLAY TEXT
|—[:] Fourth byte (Proactive UICC)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION (NMR)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION (MCC, MNC, LAC, Cell ID & IMEI)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : SET UP MENU
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : SET UP CALL
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : Reserved by 3GPP (SEND USSD)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : Reserved by 3GPP (SEND SS)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : Reserved by 3GPP (SEND SHORT MESSAGE with 3GPP-SMS-TPDU)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : SELECT ITEM
|—[:] Fifth byte (Event driven information)
|—[:] *Event : Idle screen available
|—[:] *Event : User activity
|—[:] *Event : Location status
|—[:] *Event : Call disconnected
|—[:] *Event : Call connected
|—[:] *Event : MT CALL
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : SET UP EVENT LIST
|—[:] Sixth byte (Event driven information extensions)
|—[:] *Event : Channel status
|—[:] *Event : Data available
|—[:] *Event : Browser termination
|—[:] *Event : Language selection
|—[:] Eighth byte (Proactive UICC)
|—[:] *Call Control by NAA
|—[:] *SETUP CALL
|—[:] *SET UP IDLE MODE TEXT
|—[:] *GET INKEY
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION(date, time and time zone)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : TIMER MANAGEMENT (get current value)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : TIMER MANAGEMENT(start, stop)
|—[:] Ninth byte
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : LAUNCH BROWSER
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : LANGUAGE NOTIFICATION
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : Reserved by 3 GPP (PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION, Timing Advance)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION (language)
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : PROVIDE LOCAL INFORMATION (NMR)
|—[:] *SEND DTMF command
|—[:] *DISPLAY TEXT
|—[:] Twelfth byte
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : GET CHANNEL STATUS
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : SEND DATA
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : RECEIVE DATA
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : CLOSE CHANNEL
|—[:] *Proactive UICC : OPEN CHANNEL
|—[:] Thirteenth byte
|—[:] *GPRS
|—[:] *Number of channels supported by terminal 7
|—[:] Fourteenth byte (Screen height)
|—[:] *Screen sizing Parameters supported
|—[:] *Number of characters supported down the terminal 5
|—[:] Fifteenth byte (Screen width)
|—[:] *Number of characters supported across the terminal display : 15
|—[:] Seventeenth byte
|—[:] *UDP
|—[:] *TCP
|—[:] Twenty-first byte (Extented Launch Browser Capability)
|—[:] *CHTML
|—[:] *HTML
|—[:] *XHTML
|—[:] *WML
|—[:] Additional Profile Data In: 00
|—[:] Header: 8010000017
\—[:] Data: FFFFFFFF7F0F00DF7F00001FE2850F00030000000F0000

Launch Browser APDU

Hi Javacard developer, this is for your reference on Launch browser APDU

|—[:] COMMAND DETAILS
|—[:] Command Number: 01
|—[:] Command Type: Launch browser
|—[:] Command Qualifier: Launch browser if not already launched
|—[:] DEVICE IDENTITIES
|—[:] Source Device identity: UICC
|—[:] Destination Device identity: Display
|—[:] URL: 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 2e 78 78 2e 78 78
|—[:] Card Status: 90 00
\—[:] Raw data: D018010301150002028102310D787878787878782e78782e78789000

URL is 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 2e 78 78 2e 78 78 (xxxxxxx.xx.xx)

cacke recipe News:

Fair provides excellent cake recipes – Carroll County Online
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/08/15/features/food/food579.txt

So it was a wonderful week at the fair, and the cakes from the baking competition were excellent as always. I even picked up a red ribbon angel food cake at the bake sale they have in a different building during the cake auction, and pretty much …
Cake recipe is a keeper – Post-Tribune
http://www.post-trib.com/lifestyles/food/1711059,poundcake0812.article

To make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add brown sugar gradually, creaming until light, then add granulated sugar in same manner. Add eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking …
Recipe: Square One brown-butter pecan coffeecake – KFSM.com
http://www.kfsm.com/la-fo-pecan-coffeecake-s,0,7052385.story

Note: From Chef Hayden Ramsey of Square One restaurant in L.A. Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste can be purchased at Surfas in Culver City, Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma stores. European-style butter is available at Trader Joe’s, Bristol Farms and …
Cake day arrives at 4-H Fair – Carroll County Online
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/08/15/features/food/food580.txt

Today is a special day — Cake Auction Day at the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair. The youth participants in the fair submit around 400 or 500 cakes, which get narrowed down to about 300 for sale in the auction. There’s also a whole room of …
Grandma May’s “B&B” recipes coffee cake – Quad Cities Onlines
http://qconline.com/recipes/cgi/recipe.php?id=644

Cakes: Grandma May’s “B&B” Coffee Cake Comment on this recipe “May sampled this cake at a B&B and now makes it for her family!” Ingredients 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 pinch of salt 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 1-1/2 cups …
Strawberry cake makes birthdays scrumptious – Brazoria Facts
http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2f2107db807706d4

Your column really gives me a lot of pleasure. Hopefully, this is the Strawberry Cake recipe you are looking for. I have baked this cake for my daughter Margo’s birthday for the last 30 years. Grace Vinson, Lake Charles, La. 2 cups strawberries …
Butterscotch Cake – Quad Cities Onlines
http://qconline.com/recipes/cgi/recipe.php?id=2440

reef-girls News:

Nelscott Reef Tow-In Classic announces format change – Surfers Village
http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/42403/news.htm

Virtual you? Xbox avatars can now… Girls to take on the guys at Kirr… Wild, vintage surf cinema returns… Country Energy Australian Surf Fe… Oakley incorporates a rolling tes… Oakley Pro Junior to kick-off tom… Blacks Leisure confirms …
Latest News – Surfers Village
http://www.surfersvillage.com/article.asp?id_article=138

REEF Turns 25 – Celebratory Micro-site Launches on Reef.com Committee and board: Fernando & reef shorts girls : photos courtesy Reef Industry News REEF Turns 25 – Celebratory Micro-site Launches on Reef.com Reef is turning 25, and we are honoring the …
Girls to take on the guys at Kirra Surfstock in November – Global Surf News
http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=42387

Surfersvillage Global Surf News , 12 August, 2009 : – - Currumbin, Gold Coast — The Gold Coast’s next Stephanie Gilmore Coolangatta Twin sisters Brodie and Amiya Doyle are set to take on the guys in the Kirra SurfStock junior Teams competition …
Students, Scientists Document Coral Reproduction – WKRG
http://www.wkrg.com/raw_news/article/students-scientists-document-coral-reproduction/251146/Aug-10-2009_1-35-pm/

Key Largo, Fla. Students working with marine scientists in the Florida Keys have documented what experts said is the first known case where Atlantic-Caribbean, farm-raised staghorn coral have reproduced to serve as a foundation for future reefs. The …
Farm-raised staghorn coral reproduces for first time in the Florida … – ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/news/story?id=4392386

KEY LARGO, Florida Keys — Students working with marine scientists in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary have documented what is believed to be the first known case where Atlantic-Caribbean, farm-raised coral has reproduced to serve as a …
Massive South African Surf Rocks the 2010 Billabong XXL Global Big … – Surfline
http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/surfwire.cfm?id=29607

A mad dash from their homes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa paid off for Maya Gabeira and tow surfing partner Carlos Burle as they rode the biggest waves of the season at the notorious Dungeons break this week. Photos of the …
SPORTS NOTEBOOK: – Glendale News-Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/08/12/sports/gnp-spnotebook081209.txt

SmartCard News:

Contacted smartcard Marketing Systems Inc. (PINKSHEETS:SMKG) Corporate Update to … – PR Inside
http://www.pr-inside.com/smartcard-marketing-systems-inc-pinksheets-smkg-r1433761.htm

SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (PINKSHEETS: SMKG) as Stated by CEO Massimo Barone,” The Company is benefiting from major growth from its Payment Processing services specifically in the Email Transfer, Bill Pay and Pin Debit solutions. Our capacity …
Digi-Key Announces Stock on STMicroelectronics Evaluation Boards and … – Businesswire.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090813005795/en

Featured in Digi-Key’s print and online catalogs, these products are available for purchase and immediate shipment on Digi-Key’s global websites. STMicroelectronics’ evaluation boards are classified as follows: Product evaluation boards …
LATENS BROADENS SCOPE FOR PAY TV OPERATORS AT IBC 2009 – PR Inside
http://www.pr-inside.com/latens-broadens-scope-for-pay-tv-r1436920.htm

Amsterdam, 10-15 September 2009, Stand # 4.B56 – Latens, the leading provider of software-based conditional access and middleware for Pay TV, has announced the launch at IBC of Latens ECO Cable Gateway, its next generation solution for cable …
Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc. to Host Conference Call to Review Fourth … – Consumer Electronics Net
http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=821111

catamaran News:

SeaStreak catamaran service from NYC to Martha’s Vineyard – Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/travel/seastreak-catamaran-service-from-nyc-to-martha-s-vineyard-1.1367959

Leaving from New York means spending five hours on a boat. SeaStreak president James Barker conceded that sometimes there are swells that can trigger seasickness. SeaStreak shows movies and sells food and drinks (with a full bar) onboard. Passengers …
Alinghi’s boat flown over Alps to reach the sea – Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_13015180

America’s Cup defender boat Alinghi 5 catamaran is airlifted by a Russian MI-26 heavy lift helicopter from the waters of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday Aug. 7, 2009, as the giant yacht begins its flight over the Alps bound for the Mediterranean …
The new Alii Nui reaches Maalaea – Maui News
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/522292.html

MAALAEA – After enduring 12-foot seas and skirting the “hindquarters” of Tropical Storm Felicia, the brand new Alii Nui sailing power catamaran plans enjoyed calm conditions as it was delivered to Maalaea Harbor on Thursday afternoon by a crew that included boat …
Hawaii-style fun on the mainland – CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/getaways/08/11/san.diego.travel/index.html?eref=ib_travel

Make your own lei If a luau is on your tropical to-do list, the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa offers a demo and the materials to design a floral garland for the event. A needle and thread, a pile of seasonal flowers such as plumerias, orchids, mini …
America’s Cup sets sail for calmer waters – Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6791e192-85c3-11de-98de-00144feabdc0.html

Dubai has the Desert Classic and the Dubai World Cup, and Abu Dhabi is to host Formula One motor racing on Yas Island. Now, with more than a hint of poetic justice, Ras al-Khaimah, the original pirates’ lair and historically a poor relation in the …
Black Sea artificial islands bring Dubai luxury to Russia (Gallery) – San Francisco Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-8310-Trendy-Living-Examiner~y2009m8d13-Black-Sea-artificial-islands-bring-Dubai-luxury-to-Russia-Gallery

Viewing these magnificent architectural plans, invariably one would jump to the conclusion that someone from Dubai or United Arab Emirates has been at work. How wrong that is. These designs are what will be built in the Black Sea in Russia over the …
Fast ferries quickly prove to be unreliable – KTVA
http://www.ktva.com/ci_13085221

The Marine Transportation Advisory Board will seek millions in additional dollars for its vessel replacement fund, while Alaska Marine Highway System officials are increasingly being confronted with problems of broken down boats disrupting schedules …
Alinghi team picks site for America’s Cup race – Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/article/20090812/BLOG33/90812012/-1/WEATHER03/Alinghi-team-picks-site-for-America-s-Cup-race

cacke recipe News:

This recipes coffee cake is delicious. While visiting my dear friend in Franklin, Ind., she served this cake with whipping cream. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13×9-inch cake pan. Combine the cake mix, eggs and …
Chillin’ with icebox cake – Providence Journal
http://www.projo.com/food/content/fd-icebox_blue_08-12-09_I1F7LQ6_v12.1fcb88e.html

Chocolate-Mint Icebox Cake. MCT / Regina H. Boone Icebox cakes really are as easy as pie. Also called refrigerator cakes, they require little or no baking and are easy to assemble. Icebox cakes, according to www.foodtimeline.com , likely date to the …
In the Andes, a birthday cake in search of an oven – Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/travel/20090809_Personal_Journey__In_the_Andes__a_birthday_cake_in_search_of_an_oven.html

It is my research partner’s birthday, and I want to bake her a cake. Here in this small town in the Peruvian Andes, I am unsure how to begin – I have no electric oven to bake in, and certainly no Internet with which to search for a cake recipe. A …
Monroeville cook claims top honors at Dam Fest – Norwalk Reflector
http://www.norwalkreflector.com/articles/2009/08/10/front/doc4a7c76679a8f8530505288.txt

MONROEVILLE – At 19, Monroeville resident Kayla Beck is already an award-winning cook. SCOTT SEITZ /REFLECTOR Kayla Beck, 19, of Monroeville made mint chocolate cake as her featured recipe. BUY PHOTO Beck, currently a sophomore at Heidelberg …
Cake recipe is a keeper (Post-Tribune)
http://www.post-trib.com/lifestyles/1711059,poundcake0812.article

This New Orleans praline-pound-cake recipe is a keeper. The house smelled like fresh pralines while it was baking. A few notes: I baked the cake for 75 minutes and thought it was done. It was not — and I didn’t know it until I took it out of the pan. If you use the toothpick test as I did, check more than one spot, or use the tests Joan suggests in the recipe. Use a stand mixer; this is a lot …
Readers’ recipe exchange: Black-and-white cake (Times Online)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article6794869.ece

Ingredients
Bowl 1
90g softened, unsalted butter
90g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp drinking chocolate
90g self-raising flour
1 tbsp water or milk
Bow
Strawberry cake makes birthdays scrumptious (The Facts)
http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=49165b55b28d548f

Movie lines mp3
12:29 (BST), 13/08/2009 Farm Frenzy Press Release PROVIDED BY GAMES PRESS August 12, 2009, Moscow – HeroCraft LLC and … (gamesindustry.biz)
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/farm-frenzy-herocraft-doing-a-mobile-version-of-alawar-s-agricultural-biz-sim

August 12, 2009, Moscow – HeroCraft LLC and Alawar Entertainment, Inc. today announced the development of a mobile version of Alawar’s arcade business sim, “Farm Frenzy.”

SmartCard News:

appointment to get a Smartcard for my daughter as her card was lost while I was visiting the Indian Embassy. I have been trying for almost two weeks now but all the days and timings are fully reserved!
SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (PINKSHEETS:SMKG) Corporate Update to Shareholders (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090812/20090812005543.html?.v=1

SAN ANTONIO—-SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. as Stated by CEO Massimo Barone,” The Company is benefiting from major growth from its Payment Processing services specifically in the Email Transfer, Bill Pay and Pin Debit solutions.
Regional Victorians overcharged for travel contacted smartcard (ABC via Yahoo!7 News)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5790339/regional-victorians-overcharged-for-travel-smartcard/

A fault in the new myki public transport smartcard has caused commuters in regional Victoria to be overcharged thousands of times.
Contactless Payment & Ticketing Applications Expected To Boost Growth In RFID Smartcard Market (RFIDSolutions-RFIDSolutionsOnline)
http://www.rfidsolutionsonline.com/article.mvc/Contactless-Payment-Ticketing-Applications-0001?atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a

Despite the current economic climate; the future remains bright for the RFID Smartcards market. According to recently published research by VDC Research Group, RFID smartcards revenues approached $700M in 2008 and are predicted to grow more than 26% (CAGR) through 2013.
Govt projects opportunity for NXP in India: Execs (ZDNet Asia)
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62056911,00.htm?scid=rss_z_nw

Semiconductor company expects host of e-government, social projects in country to provide demand boost for its identification products.
Building a friendship beyond just being neighbours (The New Straits Times)
http://www.nst.com.my/articles/26fren/Article/index_html

cake News:

A middle-aged woman came unglued when a birthday cake, apparently from her dead husband, arrived at her door in Tongzhou, Beijing.
Legendary Cake Maker, David Glass, Closing Shop (NBC Connecticut)
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/around-town/food-drink/Legendary-Cake-Maker-Closing-Shop—53219587.html

Just the mention of a David Glass cake makes mouths water, but the legendary maker of high-end desserts is going out of business.
Rossendale baker’s in a cup military retirement cake pictures wonderland (Lancashire Telegraph)
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/4546773.Rossendale_baker_s_in_a_cup_cake_wonderland/?ref=rss

A ROSSENDALE baker has bagged first prize in a national cake competition.
Cake ‘Ace’ hand-delivers to Chicago (UPI)
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/08/14/Cake-Ace-hand-delivers-to-Chicago/UPI-45861250276259/

CHICAGO, Aug. 14 (UPI) — The star of the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes” drove overnight to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to deliver a birthday dessert to American Airlines’ Admirals Club.
Let them eat cake, but not too much (Pensacola News Journal)
http://www.pnj.com/article/20090813/NEWS01/908130322/1006/rss01

Designer builds big cake for Pensacola’s 450th Birthday Bash on Saturday.
KING OF CAKE (The Monterey County Herald)
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_13112532?source=rss

R
Pleasure is icing for cake baker (Arizona Daily Star)
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/business/305002.php

An aroma of freshly baked cakes floats through the air inside E & L Southwest Cakes while Lydia Ortiz is working her magic in the kitchen.

vestnik News:

Belarus mounts pressure on anti-nuclear activists (Bellona Foundation)
http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2009/belrus_pressures_actvists

MINSK, Belarus – Even in the time of an economic slump, Belarusian authorities keep pushing for the construction of a new nuclear power plant and aren’t shy to use any means necessary to intimidate opponents. Bellona’s regular contributor visited the former Soviet republic and talked to several activists who are now suffering consequences for voicing their protest. These are his impressions.
Taiton and El Campo-Hillje SPJST youth members claim state titles (El Campo Leader-News)
http://www.leader-news.com/news/2009/0805/lifestyle/046.html

Youth club members of Taiton SPJST Lodge No. 30 and El Campo-Hillje Lodge No. 40 came home with winning awards from the State SPJST Youth Achievement Day held Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Frank Mayborn Convention Center in Temple. Master of ceremonies was Melanie Zavodny, chasa vestnik com editor/ director of communication.

igenico News:

Enterprise Workforce Optimization Solution Provider GMT to Offer Free Webinar on How to Select the Right Workforce … (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090812/20090812005079.html?.v=1

NORCROSS, Ga.—-GMT Corp., a global industry leader in enterprise workforce management and performance optimization solutions, will share information on leveraging advanced workforce optimization solutions for competitive advantage during a complimentary webinar entitled, “Top Ten Tips for Selecting a World-Class Workforce Optimization Solution,” on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, at 11 a.m.
(AFX UK Focus) 2009-07-29 07:35 Digest of recent French company results (Interactive Investor)
http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=7446694&subject=companies&action=article

French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen swung to a first half loss with sales down over a fifth, and said it saw a recovery in the European automobile market starting towards the end of 2010.
ingenico cola: 2nd quarter revenue 2009 (Marketwire)
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=1020552&sourceType=3

NEUILLY SUR SEINE, FRANCE–(Marketwire – July 22, 2009) – - Revenue 24% higher in Q2′09 than in Q1′09, in line with expectations – Adjusted outlook for 2009 revenue between -4% and -8%[1] compared to 2008 pro forma – Maintained target for 2009 operating margin[2] at 12.5% for a revenue decline of 5%1 Neuilly sur Seine – July 22, 2009. Ingenico (ISIN: FR0000125346 – Euronext Paris: ING) announced …
(AFX UK Focus) 2009-07-27 20:32 CORRECTED-Digest of recent French company results (Interactive Investor)
http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=7443542&subject=companies&action=article

(Corrects figures in APRR entry) Compagnie des Alpes said its nine-month sales rose 2.5 percent to 452.6 million euros.
(AFX UK Focus) 2009-07-24 09:39 Digest of recent French company results (Interactive Investor)

SmartCard News:

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — (Marketwire) — 08/13/09 — Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS)(JSE: NT1) (“Net1″ or the “Company”) today announced it will release fourth quarter and full year 2009 results after the market close on August 27 …
Govt projects opportunity for NXP in India: Execs – Zd Net Asia.com
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62056911,00.htm

INDIA–NXP Semiconductors said Thursday it expects huge demand in India for its identification products as a result of the country’s e-government, transport and financial inclusion projects. Claus Hansen, NXP’s Asia-Pacific senior director, sales and …
Has the ID Card been hacked? – Computer Weekly
http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/the-data-trust-blog/2009/08/has-the-id-card-been-hacked.html

Last week the Daily Mail published a feature piece in which it claimed that security expert Adam Laurie had managed to hack an ID Card in 12 minutes. The Home Office rubbished the article and claims that no hack has taken place. Which version of …
Midas Muffler, Not Canada is the Model for Health Care Reform – American Thinker
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/midas_muffler_not_canada_is_th.html

Today’s healthcare debate often focuses on helping the uninsured, the unemployed, the working poor or those who otherwise cannot afford expensive insurance or hefty out-of-pocket fees. This “under-served” population may be relatively small in number …
contacted smartcard blues! (Gulf Daily News)
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=257671

Meine neue Kreditkarte enthält zusätzlich zum bekannten Magnetstreifen auch ein Chip, das bei den meisten Händlern in Deutschland schlicht ignoriert wird. Benutzt man die Karte jedoch im Ausland z.B. im Chipkartenland Frankreich, so kann es schnell zu Komplikationen kommen. Dabei wissen selbst die Angestellten der Banken, die die Karte ausgeben, nicht wozu der Chip eigentlich gut ist und welche Daten darauf gespeichert werden. Die Kunden stellen bei Nutzen der Karte im Ausland ungeahnte Funktionen (meist funktioniert die Karte nicht) fest. Zahlt man in Frankreich z.B. an einer Supermarktkasse mit einer Kreditkarte kommt es häufig vor, dass die Karte in den Schlitz für die in Frankreich üblichen Chipkarten gesteckt wird – natürlich funktioniert die Karte dann nicht! Man muss dann darauf hinweisen, dass der Magnetstreifenleser benutzt werden sollte, der bei den meisten Geräten auch vorhanden ist. Es tauchen in Frankreich aber auch bereits Lesegeräre auf, die keinen Magnetstreifenleser haben (die sind dann erhblich kleiner und billiger). Hat man eine neue Kreditkarte mit Chip, so wird die Chipkarte ausgelesen und das Zahlungssystem stellt fest, dass die Karte im Ausland ausgestellt wurde (diese Information war früher nicht auf dem Magnetstreifen) und das Kartenterminal kommt zur Verblüffung des Kassierers/in mit einer Anfrage in welcher Sprache denn die Transaktion abgewickelt werden soll. Bei den französischen Kartenterminals hat man aber dabei nur die Auswahl Französisch oder Englisch. Wählt man Englisch, so versteht der Kassierer/in nichts mehr (Franzosen sprechen grundsätzlich nur Französisch). Man sollte deshalb immer Französisch wählen – damit wenigstens der Kassier/in weiss, welcher Knopf wann zu drücken ist.

Meist sind auf dem Chip auch gemäß EMV Spezifikation auch Einschränkungen für Zahlungsarten und Nutzung im Ausland, die restriktiver gesetzt werden als bei der Version mit Magnetstreifen, da man ja vor allem Keditkartenbetrug im Auslandeinsatz bekämpfen möchte. Falls es dabei zu Problemen bei Zahlungen im Ausland kommt, sollte man Zahlung mit dem Magnetstreifen versuchen. Diese Zahlungsart kann aber bereits nach einer misslungenen Zahlung mit Chip gesperrt sein.  Der neue Chip auf der Kreditkarte macht eventuell den Händlern und Banken das Leben leichter, bringt aber für die Kunden neue Überraschungen.

RFID cards/Smartcards

RFID Antenna

Handheld Reader

Smart card

Ascenders Technologies Private Limited has launched a new product application based on RFID technology on 15 July’09. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is used for Automatic Data Capture (ADC).
Ascenders Technologies has created a Library Management System which is RFID enabled. It provides a wholly transparent stock control on all books and media available in a library. Ascenders Technologies has incorporated the RFID enabled Library Management System into its very own Campus Management Solutions. Ascenders Campus Solutions comprises all modules related to an educational institution set up, right from the moment a potential student walks into the institution and years later, walks out having graduated to the next level in his/her life. It is an ERP by itself built on Open Source Technologies. The Library Management System of an educational institution is an integral part of Campus Management. This aspect has now been successfully transitioned from its original and mostly manual cum systems based management to a much more high tech secure and risk free package comprising simply a wireless handheld reader, powerful antenna strategically positioned and RFID Smartcards. These eCampus cards act also as an overall monitor of students’ activities ranging right from identification to class attendance, exam attendance, fees payment, arrears and dues, extra and co curricular activities etc. In a nutshell, it covers the entire student history across various aspects of his/her campus life.
Ascenders Technologies is also in the process of integrating RFID technology into Hospital Management Solutions thereby reducing paper work to the maximum and being able to track and monitor patients’ well being much more efficiently. Again the same simple technology consisting of a handheld reader, antenna and RFID cards breaks down voluminous documentation procedures and manual processes involving the patient, doctors and Hospital management. The patient’ entire medical history can be captured into his/her eMedical card and be produced to any hospital already equipped with the necessary corresponding technology anywhere and the required treatment may be continued, started or restarted depending on the situation the patient is found in. The necessary doctors with the prerequisite specialization can be brought into the picture; existing medical details will already be ready thus avoiding delays.
This RFID technology can also be incorporated in various sectors involving supply chain management wherein accountability for bulk stocking of materials and details about expiry of the materials stocked are of utmost importance. With a sweep of the wireless handheld reader, logistics can be incorporated and vital statistics of any quantity can be saved seamlessly, thus optimizing business to the maximum and reducing exhausting paper work simultaneously. Fraudulence can be minimized as items in bulk or individually can be tracked at any given point of time. Fleet management, inventory management and supply chain management are only a few of the applications that are in the pipeline. A lot more innovative and enterprising solutions all RFID enabled will be launched soon that should keep business owners relatively stress free while handling their assets.

Kürzlich schrieb mich meine Krankenkasse an und bat um ein Passbild für die demnächst ausgegebene elektronische Gesundheitskarte (eGK). An sich ein guter Anlass, sich etwas genauer mit diesem bereits seit Jahren laufenden Projekt zu beschäftigen, das federführend von einer speziell dafür gegründeten Projektgesellschaft, der Gematik GmbH vorangetrieben wird.

Die eGK ist ein weiteres staatliches IT-Großprojekt, das bereits seit Jahren mit explodierenden Kosten, übermäßiger Komplexität, politischen Querelen sowie sicherheits- und datenschutztechnischen Problemen kämpft.

Die Ärzte misstrauen der eGK, da sie einerseits administrative Mehraufwände in ihrem Tagesgeschäft befürchten und andererseits dem Streben der Krankenkassen nach mehr Transparenz bei den Leistungserbringern im Gesundheitswesen durch zentrale Datenspeicherung kritisch gegenüberstehen.

Der Chaos Computer Club kritisiert die Einführung der eGK, da notwendige Feldtests zur Evaluation aufgrund von Fehlplanungen nicht wie vorgesehen durchgeführt wurden und weist auf unkalkulierbaren Risiken und Nebenwirkungen des Experiments durch nicht hinreichend durchdachte und getestete Software hin.

Und die Gesellschaft für Informatik fordert eine erweiterte Risikoanalyse, insbesondere hinsichtlich bestehender Probleme beim Umgang mit Gesundheits- und Patientendaten sowie dem informationellen Selbstbestimmungsrecht des Einzelnen.

„Die Gesundheitskarte darf insbesondere im Hinblick auf das Vertrauen in die Informationstechnik in Deutschland nicht zu einem ähnlichen Desaster wie der erste Versuch von Toll Collect werden“, warnte der ehemalige GI-Präsident Matthias Jarke bereits 2005 in Hannover und lies darin berechtigte Skepsis gegenüber staatlichen IT-Megaprojekten anklingen.

Und bereits seit Längerem wird über Art und Umfang von Feldtests der eGK gestritten. Testen ist teuer. Daher wurde z.B. der sog. „100.0000er Test“ mit einer entsprechend großen Menge an teilnehmenden Karten in mehreren Testgebieten kurzerhand gestrichen, um Kosten zu sparen.

Passenderweise wurde kürzlich ein erneuter größerer Lapsus bekannt. Für die Datensicherheit bei der eGK werden u.a. Zertifikate und eine eigene Public-Key-Infrastruktur verwendet. Dazu gibt es zur Authentifizierung auf den Karten ein Card-Verifiable-Zertifikat (CV-Zertifikat), das in letzter Instanz von einer Root Certificate Authority (Root-CA) abhängt. Alle eGK-Kartenhersteller beziehen sich auf diese Root-CA, wenn sie CV-Zertifikate auf ihren Karten anbringen.

Öffentliche und private Schlüssel werden darin von einem Hochsicherheitsmodul (HSM, einer besonders leistungsfähigen Smartcard mit eigenem Prozessor und Zufallszahlengenerator) erzeugt und gespeichert. Mit einer Backup-Prozedur werden diese Daten gespeichert. Zudem , verfügt das HSM über einen Softwareschutz, der Angriffe erkennen und das System bei Anomalitäten (fehlerhafte PIN-Eingaben, Spannungsabfälle etc.) herunterfahren soll.

Klingt an sich wie eine „sichere Sache“. Um diesen Teil der Infrastruktur zu betreiben, vergab die Gematik dies als Auftrag an den Dienstleister D-Trust. Und dort rauchte das Hochsicherheitsmodul dann ab.

Genauer gesagt tat es das, was es bei Störfällen tun sollte: Sich geordnet herunterzufahren und seine Daten zu löschen. Matthias Merx, Geschäftsführer von D-Trust dazu „Das HSM hat eigenständig die Daten gelöscht, weil es einen Angriff vermutete“.

Nicht weiter schlimm möchte man meinen. Wieder hochfahren, letztes Backup einspielen und das Ding läuft wieder. Dumm nur dass es gar kein Backup gab.

Denn die Gematik hatte in der Beauftragung des Dienstleisters wohl das regelmäßige Anlegen von Sicherheitskopien aus Kostengründen gestrichen. Was deren Sprecher Daniel Poeschkens wiederum bestreitet: „Wir haben uns nicht gegen einen Backup-Dienst entschieden. Vielmehr ist es so, dass der Dienstleister den Betrieb des Testsystems übernommen und auch den fortlaufenden Betrieb zu gewährleisten hat. Wie er dieser Verpflichtung nachkommt, obliegt seiner Verantwortung“.

Sieht so aus wie einer jener Konflikte, die häufig nach Schadensfällen aus der unterschiedlichen Auslegung vertraglicher Vereinbarungen entstehen.

Daher musste die Gematik an ihre derzeitigen Testpartner in NRW ein peinliches Rundschreiben rausschicken: „In der Konsequenz heißt dies, dass zu den derzeit im Umlauf befindlichen korrekten eGK-Musterkarten der Generation 1 insbesondere keine Muster-HBA der Generation 1 mehr produziert werden können, die mit den bereits existierenden eGKs eine erfolgreiche Card-to-Card-Authentifizierung durchführen können. Bitte beachten Sie daher, dass die für den nordrheinischen Interoperabilitätstest verteilten korrekten Muster-eGKs ausschließlich für Tests im Basis-Rollout-Szenario verwendet werden können und nach den Basis-Rollout-Tests zu vernichten sind. Obwohl die Muster-eGKs korrekt sind, müssen sie für Tests in künftigen Stufen der Telematik-Infrastruktur noch einmal ersetzt werden.“

Was da technokratisch verschwurbelt steht, bedeutet im Klartext: “Wir haben unsere PKI geschrottet und jetzt ist eine neue fällig. Leider funktionieren damit eure Karten zum Teil nicht mehr. Daher dürft ihr sie jetzt wegwerfen und bekommt von uns neue”.

Dumm gelaufen!

Halte Dein Backup in Ehren – Du könntest es noch mal brauchen…

# # #

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Updated (2009-10-13): How to enable PC/SC support for this reader.

I recently bought a Dell Precision M6400 Covet. One of it’s cool standard features is the embedded contactless smartcard reader. This reader is located under the right palm rest, and is also available on select Latitude E-series. All this is cool, but, where is the documentation? What cards does it support? Can I access the reader from my own programs? Unfortunately Dell seems to have very little information available on their web pages, so I had to start digging myself. (I’m the type of guy who can’t have a gadget in my house without knowing what’s inside, who made it, and how can I use it in strange ways to do cool things.)

The chipset is Broadcom BCM5880, and is listed under Device Manager as “Broadcom Unified Security Hub CV w/fingerprint sensor”. There is no separate entry in “Device Manager” for “Contactless Smartcard reader”. This chipset also contains a secuity processor, contacted smartcard support, fingerprint reader support, TPM v1.2, and a so-called “credentials vault” (CV).

From BCM5880 Product Information:

“The Broadcom BCM5880 secure applications processor combines platform identification, personal identification and data protection in a single chip and includes an integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 device, as well as the credential “vault” capability. It also integrates many of the authentication applications available today, such as one-time-password (OTP), fingerprint readers, smart cards, and contactless readers, into silicon, where they all can be centrally managed and utilized as part of multi-factor authentication policies”.

On a side note: Many of the same features available in the TPM is also available in the Credentials Vault. The biggest differences seems to be that CV is enabled by default, but TPM must be manually activated in BIOS (according to the requirements by the Trusted Computing Group). The TPM interface is standardized, while CV is not? Also, when authenticating to the chip (updates/modifications etc), the TPM only supports passwords, while CV supports smartcards and fingerprints as well.

Anyway, through HID Global I found a document called “Dell E-Family PBA Enrollment Application Notes AN0124” which lists the compatible card technologies for this reader:

From this table we can see that the embedded contactless reader “natively” supports HID iClass cards (in software/hardware), it does NOT support 125kHz proximity cards, and the rest of the cards (MIFARE and generic ISO14443A/B or ISO15693) are supported by means of reading the CSN/UID only. Since the CSN should be unique, this means all ISO14443A/B or ISO15693 cards, eventhough not directly supported by the Dell software, will still work with the embedded reader through the use of the Card Serial Number. But be aware, the CSN can be read by anyone, and the communication between the card and reader is unencrypted, unlike the iClass cards, where the reader and card first goes through a mutual authentication process, before the identification number is read from secure memory, and then finally transmitted in encrypted form to the reader. The encryption and mutual authentication process uses HID iClass’ Standard Master Key. This key is then diversified using the CSN, to create a unique key that is stored in each iClass card. The Standard Master Key is stored in secure memory in all authorized iClass readers. (When it comes to the Dell laptops, my guess is that this Standard Master Key is stored securely in the reader itself or the Credentials Vault).

I have tested several different HID iClass cards, 2k2, 16k2, programmed and unprogrammed, and NXP Mifare 4K, Mifare Ultralight. They all seem to work fine with the embedded contactless reader. (Although the ultralight card is not read as easily as the other cards. I had to move the card over the reader for a few seconds before it was detected). On the unprogrammed iClass cards, I suspect that it reads the CSN only, as the length of the “Access Control ID” bytes are set to 0×00, which means there is no number stored on the card. Unfortunately, the enrollment software on the Dell Laptops does not inform you weither the card you enrolled was an iClass card, or just a generic card with CSN/UID, so there is no way to know what number was actually used. I also tried with a iso14443b java card, but it was not detected by the reader, even though the table above says the reader supports the 14443 ‘B’ protocol.

I bought most of the cards from http://www.smartcardfocus.com.  They sell individual cards, unlike most other stores who only sell batches of 100/200 etc.
Any of the iClass cards they have will work, but they are all supplied unprogrammed by default. Eventhough unprogrammed cards will work with your Dell contactless reader, you might want to ask them to program the cards for you using their free programming service, as I’m not sure if it actually reads some default ID from secure memory, or just uses the CSN because the card is not “activated”.

Using the card on your Dell laptop:
Enroll the card through “Dell Security Manger” or “Wave Embassy Security Center”. Be aware when logging in: Do NOT use the numpad when entering PIN on pre boot. The numpad keys do not work correctly, and will result in “Auth Failed”.

Here are scans of some of the cards I have tested:
(I have removed the external serial numbers where they appear)

HID Dell PBA testcard (front)

HID Dell PBA testcard (back)
From the markings on the card (“iCLASS Px G6L”) we can see that this is a dual technology card (HID iClass 13.56MHz + HID Prox 125kHz).

iClass 2K 2 app (ISO 15693 only) Markings: “iClass DL + [external serial #]“

iClass 2k2 + Prox
Markings: “iCLASS Px D6L”

iClass 16k2
Markings: “iCLASS EG”

iClass 16k16 + Prox
Markings: “iCLASS Px E6L”

This is the card I use to access the building where I work, a HID DuoProx 125kHz + magnetic strip combo:
The markings say (“HID 0004k”). The front is all white.
This card will not work with the Dell contactless reader, but you can get dual technology cards that have both iClass and Prox, so you can use the same card to access buildings and your computer.

All iClass cards supports both ISO14443/B2 and ISO15693, except the 2k2 versions which only support ISO15693. However, unfortunately, iClass cards only supports up to ISO layer 2, and this makes iClass reader support pretty slim, since they can only be read by readers that are specially prepared for iClass cards (usually only HIDs own readers, like HID or OmniKey, and some other licenced readers).

PC/SC support
I have previously experimented with reading EMV cards (see saush’s excellent example here) with the embedded contacted reader, so it would be nice if I could use the contactless reader in the same way. However the reader is not listed when I enumerate the available PC/SC terminals on my system.
In the last section of this document:
http://www.hidglobal.com/documents/dell_latitude_security_broch_en.pdf
it is stated that the contactless reader supports PC/SC… I have contacted Dell ProSupport, but they could not give me an answer. I will try to contact them again soon.
It seems for now, the reader can only be used by supported Dell software.

Update (2009-10-13): I finally found the solution to enable PC/SC support for this reader.

——

Many of the contactless cards use so called number “formats” (or “encoded numbers”). All HID iClass and Prox cards use this.
This number is different from the CSN/UID (which is unique to the chip), and is stored in the card EEPROM. On iClass cards, this number is stored in the HID Application Area, and is protected by the HID Standard Key (or a custom key in some cases).

A “Format” is simply the way you interpret a number.
For example given the number: 56128902

One “Format” can be:
Facility Code = 56
Card ID = 128902

Another one can be
Facility Code = 5
Card ID = 6128902

A format also specifies how long a number can be, for example 26, 34 or 36 bits etc.

H10301 – standard 26-bit format (original wiegand format) This format is supported by almost all contactless smartcard/proximity systems.
facility code 1-255
card id number 1-65535
= total 16,711,425 ( 24bit)  (facility code ‘0′ and card id ‘0′ not allowed)

When using the Dell reader with iClass cards, what formats does it support?
I would guess the reader is format agnostic. It doesn’t care about the format, it just reads the complete number, weither 26/34/36/37 or 84 bits, the reader just sees a large number.

Understanding card data formats (the id numbers stored on cards):
http://www.hidglobal.com/documents/understandCardDataFormats_wp_en.pdf

Format Guidelines:
http://www.hidglobal.com/page.php?page_id=10

Format and Facility (Site) Code explained:
http://www.identisource.net/format_and_facility_codes_expl.cfm

Custom Wiegand formats:
http://paxton.co.uk/docs/Application%20notes/AN1010.pdf

FIPS approval for the BCM5880:
http://www.fips201.com/product/view/418

The chip manufacturer for HID cards:
http://www.insidecontactless.com/products/picopass_suite.php

—–

Other links:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=354498
http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19277980.aspx
http://www.hidglobal.com/iclass

Glossary:

CSN = Card Serial Number. A unique number burnt into the chip at production. Same as UID.
UID = Unique ID. Same as CSN.
Access Control ID = The “encoded number” stored in the HID Application Area on iClass cards.
Encoded number = another name for the Access Control ID

La Commissione Europea ha dichiarato che i consumatori dovrebbero essere in grado di controllare la privacy sui dati della loro vita privata contenuti in smart-card magnetiche e RFID, chip tipicamente inseriti nei nuovi passaporti, carte d’identità e travel cards.

Il 12 maggio la Commissione Europea ha approvato una regolamentazione per assicurare che tutti gli operatori coinvolti nella progettazione o l’uso di tecnologia “smart chip” rispettino il diritto fondamentale dell’individuo alla privacy e alla protezione dei dati. Questo diritto è stato definito nella Carta dei Diritti Fondamentali dell’Unione Europea, il 14 dicembre 2007.

Le aziende e le autorità pubbliche dovrebbero valutare l’impatto sulla privacy e la protezione dei dati prima di utilizzare smart chip. Le autorità nazionali di protezione dei dati dovrebbero rivedere le valutazioni per garantire la fiducia dei cittadini.

la Commissione ha affermato che le imprese, le agenzie e le pubbliche amministrazioni che utilizzano smart chip (come il passaporto e la carta d’identità) dovrebbero comunicare esattamente ai consumatori tutti i dati che raccolgono (come il nome, l’indirizzo o la data di nascita), lo scopo, e se e come saranno utilizzati .

Viviane Reding, Commissario per le Comunicazioni, ha affermato che i consumatori avranno la certezza che la privacy dei loro dati sarà rispettata e “inespugnabile”. “La Commissione, pertanto, vuole che la tecnologia RFID consenta ai consumatori di controllare la sicurezza dei propri dati, che è il modo migliore per assicurarsi che l’RFID sia un successo economico” è stato dichiarato.

Reding ha anche detto che il mercato RFID crescerà di cinque volte nel corso del prossimo decennio, da 2,2 miliardi di euro (per un valore di € 4BN) l’anno scorso, con l’Europa che rappresenta il 35% di share.

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