Delhi Metro Managing Director Mangu Singh presses a smartcard that was recharged online onto the newly installed ‘Card Recharger’– a machine that will perhaps make these men’s jobs redundant in a matter of time.
A new initiative launched by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation aims to make services “more and more automated” by allowing passengers to recharge their Metro smart cards through the Air purifier.
"Criminals have always robbed banks because 'that's where the money is,' but today's cybercriminals prefer the centralized databases that store individuals' passwords because with passwords they can loot literally millions of bank accounts and credit card numbers, steal sensitive government and corporate data, and hack critical infrastructure such as power grids," said Dr. Siva Narendra, CEO of Tyfone. "Recognizing this threat, Tyfone worked closely with our financial and government customers to implement our CSC technology, a next-generation cyber security solution that enables the locally secured, hardware-enabled storage of passwords, card preset payment information, biometrics and other ID credentials to keep criminals and hackers at bay."
Tyfone's CSC solution operates much like the traditional plastic smart card systems already in widespread use, but has a much smaller physical footprint and uniquely has the ability to connect to any mobile device, tablet or PC. Tyfone's CSC hardware works with all existing software, smart card applets, password schemes and digital certificates, making it the first truly interoperable solution that secures the device, the identity and the transaction, controlling access to ID information in a unique combination of distributed and local (on device) layers. This unprecedented approach allows for seamless integration with organizations' existing smart card-driven security solutions, maximizing investments in security infrastructure. The end result is that Tyfone's CSC solution ensures that employees, consumers and other end-users can securely access their bank accounts or email, pay online as a card preset transaction or enter a building without the vulnerability that comes with today's centralized storing of passwords or biometric IDs.
Cyber security is a critical and growing concern for governments and financial institutions as access to sensitive information and financial transactions are increasingly done via mobile devices and websites, which utilize password protection. Of particular concern is the security of these passwords, which are stored centrally - and increasingly in the cloud - making these databases vulnerable and tempting targets for hackers. According to Deloitte, one of the top auditing and consulting firms worldwide, 90 percent of centrally stored passwords are currently vulnerable. Additionally, according to Wired Magazine, more than 280 million stored passwords have been compromised over the past 18 months.
Though further bolstering authentication through the use of thumbprints and other biometric IDs has been touted as a solution, the reality is that biometric credentials are unique and sensitive personal information and therefore actually more vulnerable than passwords if centrally stored in the cloud. This greater vulnerability is because a person's thumbprints and other biometric data cannot be changed if stolen, whereas passwords can be changed after a breach has occurred.
"While cloud services increase productivity by allowing for ubiquitous anywhere access, centralized data create centralized points of failure," said Dr. Steve Crocker, Tyfone advisory board member and an Internet Hall of Fame inductee for his work that led to the development of the ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet.
State-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may soon issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the establishment of a so-called clearing house that will allow the use of a such a card.
Such a system, along with dedicated lanes, will allow such tag-equipped vehicles to avoid toll-booth queues and speed up goods and people transport by road.
NHAI is also looking to pick a company that will provide the equipment for such a project. It is looking to issue both RFPs this month, said an official associated with the project, who didn’t want to be named because he’s not authorized to the speak to the media and the plan hasn’t been finalized as yet.
The process will involve the agency seeking bids for the expansion of a pilot project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai that allows users to use the same card or tag at six toll booths run by two different developers.
India has 79,116km of national highways. Roads account for nearly 60% of all goods traffic and nearly 85% of all passenger traffic in the country. There are currently 200 toll plazas, half of which are operated by the government and the rest by developers, who have the concession to operate the roads.
The government’s unique identity project chief Nandan Nilekani submitted a report in 2010 on the technology needed to make interoperability possible. The NHAI official cited above said that the technology recommended by Nilekani would be used.
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