Oracle has announced the latest version of its Java Card, used for securing internet of things (IoT) devices such as smartwatches and other hardware that process large amounts of sensitive information.
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This extensive update provides more flexibility to help meet the unique hardware and security requirements of both existing secure chips and emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. New features introduced with this release address use cases across markets ranging from telecoms devices and contactless payments terminals to cars, smart meters and wearables, says a press release.
“Connected devices’ volumes are expected to increase in the upcoming years, posing an increasingly complex challenge as growth adds system complexity to the infrastructure handling device data,” said Volker Gerstenberger, President and Chair of the Java Card Forum.
“Java Card 3.1 is very significant to the Internet of Things, bringing interoperability, security and flexibility to a fast-growing market currently lacking high-security and flexible edge security solutions.”
Close to six billion Java Card-based devices are deployed each year, making it a leading software platform to run security services on smart cards and secure elements, which are chips used to protect smartphones, banking cards and government services.
“Java Card is already used and trusted as a leading security platform for countless devices in the multi-billion-dollar smart card and secure element industry,” said Florian Tournier, Senior Director for Java Card at Oracle. “The 3.1 release enables the rollout of security and SIM applications on the same chip, allowing those services to be used on a large spectrum of networks from NB-IoT to 5G, and on a wide range of devices.”
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New Functionalities Include:
Deployment of edge security services at IoT speed. Java Card 3.1 allows the development of security services that are portable across a wide range of IoT security hardware. A new extensible I/O model enables applications to exchange sensitive data directly with connected peripherals, over a variety of physical layers and application protocols.
Dedicated IoT features. Java Card 3.1 introduces new APIs and updated cryptography functions to help address the security needs of IoT and facilitate the design of security applications such as device attestation. Uniquely, Java Card in IoT devices enables deployment of security and connectivity services on the same chip. Multiple applications can be deployed on a single card and new ones can be added to it even after it has been deployed.
Developer enhancements. Java Card includes a set of unique tools for developing new services and applications. An extended file format simplifies application deployment, code upgrade and maintenance. API enhancements boost developer productivity and the memory efficiency of applications in secure devices.
