Time Delay Measurements of Key Generation Process on Smart Cards

Smart card transaction times will increase as the number of bits used in the algorithms protecting the cards to ensure security increases. This is a potential problem for the Department of Defense, which requires smart card usage for its employees. This book defines, compares, and contrasts two algorithms: Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), and then provides test data for encryption algorithms tested on particular certification key processes in an attempt to show that the ECC encryption algorithm provides the security necessary for smart card operations at a fast enough speed to benefit smart card users. It describes the Open Protocol for Access Control Identification and Ticketing with privacy (OPACITY) pilot project that took place over 2014 in relation to the card testing, and hypothesizes the risks and mitigation factors for the Department of Defense to permanently switch to the ECC algorithm for smart card use.