Desfire

Using NXP RFIDDiscover with SpringCard PC/SC Couplers

by

RFIDDiscover (formerly MifareDiscover) is a GUI software provided by NXP to help the developers explore the features of their contactless cards (Mifare, Desfire, NTAG and ICode) and learn how-to use them from a real application.

This software is available to customers under NDA with NXP, through the DocStore document delivery platform (ref. SW1866).

This article shows how-to get started with this RFIDDiscover, in the aim of using it together with SpringCard devices. This is the preferred method to learn how those cards work, before starting the development of any software that would use them for data storage and/or secure transactions.

Read more

Using NXP Card Test Framework with SpringCard PC/SC Couplers

by

Card Test Framework is a GUI software provided by NXP to help the developers explore the features of their contactless cards (Mifare, Desfire, NTAG and ICode) and learn how-to use them from a real application.

This software is available to customers under NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with NXP, through the DocStore document delivery platform (ref. SW5434).

This article shows how-to get started with this Card Test Framework, in the aim of using it together with SpringCard devices.

Read more

Using NXP TapLinx SDK with SpringCard PC/SC couplers

by

NXP TapLinx SDK (formerly Mifare SDK) is an high-level sofware library provided by NXP to work with their Mifare, Desfire, NTAG and ICode products.

Written in Java, the TapLinx library has been initially developed for Android, running over Android’s NfcAdapter object to communicate with the contactless cards or NFC tags through the tablet’s or smartphone’s integrated NFC interface.

Recently, the library has been ported to the standard JDK, making it usable in any Java desktop applications thanks to the JRE available on Windows, macOs, Linux, and more. In desktop applications, the TapLinx library relies on the system’s PC/SC stack (javax.smartcardio API in Java) to access the contactless cards or NFC tags through a standard-compliant PC/SC coupler.

This makes TapLinx an interesting solution for developers of desktop applications that have to process NXP cards or tags. This article shows how-to get started with this SDK, in the aim of using it together with SpringCard devices.

Read more

Using master cards to configure the SpringCore devices

by

SpringCore is the umbrella name to the new generation of SpringCard devices (Puck, SpringPark, etc.) that share the same MCU platform and the same overall architecture. All the devices in this family could be configured easily and securely thanks to SpringCard 2nd generation of master cards.

A master card v2 is a Desfire EV1 (or later) contactless card, that contains the configuration parameters you want to apply to many devices. The data are protected by AES128 for authentication and secure communication, and their authenticity is validated by an ECC256 digital signature.

Thanks to this robust security scheme, only your devices can read and accept your master cards, while refusing (and being actually unable to read) master cards created by 3rd parties. Symmetrically, only the devices that you have commissioned with your own key-set are able to read your master cards, thus protecting your assets (secret keys and specific configuration parameters) against any unwanted disclosure, even if the master card is lost or stolen.

This article shows how-to create master cards v2 using springcoremastercard.exe tool and/or SpringCard Companion, and what are the best practices to use them efficiently and securely.

Read more