IDEMIA Secure Transactions becomes the first company to achieve EMVCo certification for a payment card platform providing access to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and crypto-agility services. “This milestone enables banks to prepare their payment cards today for tomorrow’s quantum threats.” – according to the press release.
As quantum computing advances, industries are preparing for a future in which today’s cryptographic methods may no longer provide the same level of protection. For banks and issuers, the challenge is clear: ensuring that the payment cards issued today can continue to meet tomorrow’s security requirements while remaining fully compatible with the existing payment ecosystem. “With this certification, IDEMIA Secure Transactions (IST), a global leader in payment, connectivity and cybersecurity solutions, is providing a practical foundation for that transition.” – the company said.
“Built specifically for the unique constraints of payment cards, IST’s platform combines post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and crypto-agility capabilities in a certified, payment-ready solution. Unlike centrally managed IT systems, cards operate for several years in a highly constrained hardware environment and must remain compatible with a vast, heterogeneous acceptance infrastructure. IST’s platform has been designed to provide the processing capabilities and cryptographic flexibility required to prepare for this transition without disrupting existing payment applications.” – the company explained.
Certified by EMVCo, the global body setting standards for secure and interoperable card payments, IST’s Java Card platform runs on a secure chip designed by IST and features a hardware post-quantum accelerator. In addition to current cryptographic algorithms, it gives applications access to the IDEMIA Sphere PQC library, a post-quantum algorithm library optimized for the constrained environment of a payment card, as well as crypto-agility services.
The platform runs today’s payment applications while providing access to these new algorithms, which can be leveraged as payment standards evolve. This allows banks to protect their existing card programs while paving the way for quantum-resistant offline payments. Its crypto-agility capabilities also enable the card’s security mechanisms to adapt to changing standards, threats and regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of technology lock-in.
The solution also extends post-quantum security to use cases beyond payments. The same certified platform can host complementary secure services, such as FIDO authentication, digital identity credentials or loyalty programs. These can be loaded at issuance or added later in the card’s lifecycle. Banks can therefore consolidate multiple services on a single certified platform, get more value from their investment and offer consumers new services, including ones yet to be imagined.
Post-quantum security is not a challenge banks can afford to address only when quantum computers become capable of breaking today’s cryptography. The decisions they make today will determine how prepared their payment infrastructure will be in the years ahead. Our role at IDEMIA Secure Transactions is to make this transition both secure and seamless for consumers, while providing financial institutions the flexibility to prepare for it without disrupting the payment experiences their customers rely on today.Marc BERTIN, CTO of IDEMIA Secure Transactions.
This certification marks another important step in IST’s work on post-quantum cryptography for payments. By combining advanced post-quantum capabilities with deep expertise in payment technologies IST is helping the payment industry prepare for the post-quantum transition and strengthen its long-term resilience against emerging cyber threats.
Credit photo: IDEMIA
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