Oracle Updates Java Card Platform for IoT Applications

Oracle announced the availability of Java Card 3.1. The company’s latest version of its open application platform, it secures sensitive devices.

The new update increases flexibility to meet the needs of both existing secure chips and new IoT technologies. The features relate to use cases spanning from telecom to cars and more.

As a leading security platform for devices within the multibillion-dollar smart card and secure element industry, the new release:

• Enables rollout of security and SIM applications on the new chip
• Allows a range of networks from NB-IoT to 5G and wide device range to use the services

See also: Oracle opens next-gen data center in Canada

Java Card Technology

Nearly six billion Java Card devices deploy each year. This updated technology creates a secure environment for apps to run on trusted devices and smart cards with limited memory and processing power.

The update includes features that give applications more portability across critical IoT security hardware and creates new uses like multi-cloud IoT security models.

Java Card 3.1 introduces four security services:

• A certificate API to manage trusted keys for resource-constrained devices
• A key derivation API, to protect sensitive data
• A monotonic counter API to avoid replay attacks
• A system time API for time stamping

Deployment of Edge Security Services at IoT Speed

Java Card 3.1 allows the development of security services portable across a wide range of IoT security hardware. It helps reduce the risk and complexity of evolving IoT hardware and standards. 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 address IoT security needs and facilitate the design of security applications like device attestation. Unlike similar products, Java Card in IoT devices enables deployment of security and connectivity services on the same chip. Developers can deploy multiple applications on a single card and add new ones even after deployment.

Developer Enhancements

Java Card’s unique set of tools helps to develop 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.

“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,” says 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.”