Developing ECC applications in Java Card

Abstract

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a branch of public-key cryptography based on the arithmetic of elliptic curves. Given its mathematical characteristics, ECC is currently one of the best options for protecting sensitive information. The lastest version of the Java Card platform includes several classes related to elliptic curves. However, potential developers are discouraged by the peculiarities of its programming model and the scarce information available. In this work, we present an up to date and extensive review of the ECC support in Java Card. In addition to that, we offer to the reader the complete code of an application that will allow programmers to understand and test the entire application development process in Java Card.