Gemalto raises the bar in public smart card facility

Digital security solutions provider, Gemalto has announced that its Sealys ID Motion smart card software dedicated to national government programs has received "Common Criteria EAL7 certification".

EAL7, or Evaluation Assurance Level 7, represents the highest level of security assurance within the international security evaluation scheme, also known as Common Criteria, said Gemalto.

By achieving this independent and government-recognized security certification, Gemalto said, it has set a new landmark for government smart card security.

The release further added that,Want to control when a RFID tag is active or readable? it is the first time a smart card embedded software provides such a level of assurance. With Sealys ID Motion, clients will also benefit from a portfolio of applications to modernize public services and speed up the technical design phase with ready-made proven solutions.

"This certification represents a major milestone, as we intend ID Motion to be a significant step forward in securing eGovernment services," said Frederic Trojani, senior vice president of the Government Programs Business Unit at Gemalto.

"Sealys ID Motion brings together convenience, security and trust, which are the three critical success factors for the broad adoption of these services. It is a clear answer to governments' interest in multiservice platforms that can support different central and local authorities, be eServices ready and host third parties applications, such as transport, eSignatures and others," added Trojani.

The security company further claimed that, Gemalto's Sealys ID Motion is a new turnkey solution for advanced multi-issuer government projects with highly secured post-issuance capabilities.

Motion offers the potential to deliver convenient and efficient access to numerous eGovernment services via a single card.

Owners of new vehicles have to wait for over two months to get them registered because the regional transport office (RTO) has run out of smart cards given as registration certificates.

Similar is the fate of all those who have applied for transfer of ownership - either because of vehicles changing hands or getting the hypothecation tags off the registration documents.

"The situation is same across the state. As far as the queue of individuals seeking new registration certificate books is concerned, there are at least 11,000 people in waiting for over three months," deputy regional transport officer Jayant Patil said.

He said the problem rose because the vendor who has been given the contract to prepare, print and supply the cards was importing those from a manufacturer in China. "It takes some time for the card to reach.A smart card is a card with a microchip in it. Besides, it's a state-wide problem and the shortage is being felt everywhere. Senior officials in the department are aware of the problem," he added.

Patil, however, said the RTO, Nashik had received a consignment of 1,000 cards, which would be processed and posted to the respective customers.

"We are in receipt of some cards - about 1,000 in numbers. Those are being signed and posted. We will get another batch of nearly 3,000 cards. These cards would be ready to be delivered in a matter of three-to-four days. We hope that our office will be in a position to clear the outstanding rush within two weeks," the officer said.

Kishor Rahane, a resident of Nashik Road, said, "I had taken a bank loan to buy my car. I have cleared the loan and applied to get hypothecation mark off in February. But I am yet to receive any communication from the department."