TCOS Smartcards ⋅ Overview

Just as frozen food requires an uninterrupted cold chain from the manufacturer to the end consumer, secure information technology requires seamless end-to-end security to ensure confidentiality and authenticity. This can only be achieved by reliable cryptographic functionalities based on high-quality keys that are securely stored.

The creation of high-quality cryptographic keys and their secure storage are technological and organizational challenges.

As proposed solution, Telekom Security has created a chipcard operating system (TeleSec Chipcard Operating System, TCOS), which is capable of keeping keys safe and executing the cryptographic algorithm within the chip. Once imported into the chipcard, no key ever leaves the secure memory of the chip and no copies of the keys are kept. This enables customers to create unique digital identities by assigning identifying characteristics to these cryptographic keys.

Based on TCOS, there are different standard products available, all of them providing preinstalled key material by the Telekom Security Trust Center.

Typical fields of application for TCOS products

• Electronic signatures (advanced and qualified according SigG),
• De- and encryption,
• Enterprise or customer cards,
• Security systems (ID and key technology),
• Authentication (e.g. OneTimePass)
• Access solutions,
• Recording flexitime,
• Payment- and ticketing systems.

TCOS Smartcards are ideally suited for integration into existing or developing smartcard-based customer systems. Our support with the integration of such hardware security elements ranges from the development of the first ideas to the analysis for the selection of the suitable TCOS product, the integration via the card interfaces as well as the roll-out of the chipcard.

Your advantages

• Own chipcard operating system 
  
  You benefit from mature solutions based on the reliable operating system TeleSec Chipcard Operating System (TCOS) that is maintained and developed by Telekom Security since 1990.
• Market leadership in the field of identification systems
  
  Our team has many years of experience and extensive knowledge in implementing evaluated and certified products and solutions. More than 190 Mio. Smartcards with TCOS are embedded in electronic passports and national ID card (e.g. German ID card, passport, residence permit and many more).
• Secure storage and anchors for digital identities 
  
  TCOS Smartcards support a broad range of cryptographic functions for signing and de-/encryption, for unambiguous authentication and identification of persons or IT components as well as protection against copying and plagiarism
• Hardware security in various form factors 
  
  Certified hardware security elements provide cryptographic functions that protect personal data from attacks such as side channel attacks, manipulation or "reverse engineering", thus ensuring secrecy, integrity and authenticity. Various form factors provide flexibility for different use cases.