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Smart card Starcos plug-in

Smart cards have significant application as secure signature creation devices (QESCD) for creating electronic signature (QESCD). For the creation of qualified electronic signatures is required by EU legislation.

I.CA offers a certified solution that consists of the Starcos chip card from Giesecke & Devrient and the I.CA SecureStore application, which provides the user with all the features needed to manage it.

The card is secured with PIN and PUK. Sensitive operations on the card can always be performed only after entering a PIN whose length is 6 - 8 digits. The PUK can be used in case the card is blocked to obtain further attempts to enter the PIN. It is then possible to choose between two possible PIN and PUK settings for delivery:

PIN and PUK are generated during personalization and are placed in the so-called PIN envelope
the card is not equipped with a PIN and PUK after personalization and the client is asked to enter the PIN and PUK upon the first use of the card.

A smart card can be bound to a specific solution or application and client. There is a space on the card for entering card owner information, etc.The card allows to select supported (trustworthy) Certification Authorities, whose client certificates can be used by the client (by default I.CA certificates). It is not possible to place other client certificates on the card, which significantly reduces the possibility of using the card for unauthorized operations.

There is also a free space on the card, which is designed to accommodate any data that the client wants to store and use on the card.

The ID-O Chip Card is designed for use in specialized USB tokens. Its advantages are small dimensions and also that it plugs directly into the USB port of your PC.

Ten Commandments for smart card users

Never leave the smart card inserted in the reader / computer for a long time.
Never entrust the card to anyone.
Do not write down the PIN code or PUK code on your card, or leave it written anywhere near it. Treat the smart card in the same way as other cards that are important to you, such as an identity card, payment card….
Make sure that the chip on your card is not damaged. For example, you can prevent damage by storing the card in a secure case.
Never insert a plug-in smart card into a standard card reader, only into the USB token provided.
Deleting private keys from the smart card is irreversible. Private keys deleted from the smart card can no longer be recovered.
In the event of the card being stolen, it is always necessary to revoke the certificates stored on the card to prevent their misuse by another person.
Use only the SecureStore application, which is freely downloadable from our website, to manage your card.
How many cards do you have, so many times you are human.