Smart Card Hex Dump

Looks like this article gets a lot of attention, so I will add to it a little bit.

For CMS providers, most of the companies are resellers.  The main companies that I am aware of are Microsoft ILM / ILM2, Intercede MyID, and ActivIdentity ActivID.  You can usually request a demo version to make sure it does what you want it to. Looking through it you will likely find a lot of different options that will get your mind racing - plan to dedicate some time and test lab resources to really learn this stuff.

For recovering the 'image' - there are vendor proprietary methods for doing so.  I know that Datakey (now SafeNet) offers a few different solutions to the recovery challenge.  Make sure you understand how the vendor's product works so you don't mistakenly overwrite information prematurely.  For Datakey's method, the information that was backed up in the recovery file I believe consisted only of SSO data, not certificate data.

Method A = Updating the card.  You may be able to update specific areas of the card without affecting existing data.  For example, you can update a password for SSO application A without needing to do anything about application B.  This process may be used to renew or replace existing certificates as well, keeping in mind that the certs would be new ones, not copies of old ones (unless importing a P12 file as mentioned before).

Method B = SSO data is kept on the hard drive as an encrypted data file.  During the recovery process the data is decrypted and the card is effectively initialized (formatted/erased) and the new data written back to it.  If certificate data is not kept in this file then a new certificate will be requested as part of this process.


Make your card valuable to the user, that way they won't be as likely to lose it.  Having a user created SSO in addition to the corp SSO makes it so they can store their hotmail password, bank info, etc. on there.  If it is an ID card that they need to use to badge into the room or into/out of the building that makes it pretty tough to get anywhere without it.

Another not frequently discussed topic is that of card care.  
1) Handing out a quick flier or email or something would be of service here.  I have heard of people wanting to decorate their cards - this is fine if they put a sticker or something on it as long as they don't block their picture or a bar code,etc.  but I have heard interesting things such as taking a hole puncher to it so they can string through little bracelet charms to make it pretty - when one user did this they punched through the wire coil that goes around the border of the card (inset maybe 1/16th or 1/8 inch) rendering the card useless.   Whoever sells you the card should be able to give you physical areas to avoid damaging to include in your flier - this is a good idea anyways if you will be punching the hole in to allow for a lanyard (necklace), retractable badge reels (zippy thingies that go on your belt loop), or card clamps (attach to your pocket).
2) Card holders - the plastic things to put your card into to avoid it getting scraped and such or to make it easier to put the badge reels, etc. into.  Some of these stick well to your card and can start damaging the ink by having it adhere to the platic wrapper.  Also, there is a safety notice for the hard plastic kind for those that work in areas where things move around alot or having a foreign object get caught in a device may be a concern.  A specific example is JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in the US where the hard covers are not allowed in areas where they work on jet engines and such.
3) Cleaning chemicals - occasional cleaning with most normal cleaning chemicals should be safe, but check with your card seller if there are any specific chemicals to avoid with the type of ink that they use.  Abrasives should be avoided, obviously, but I wouldn't put it past the public at large to attempt a brillo pad or steel wool to try to clean off degradation stains (from leaving out in the sun, near heat, etc. for too long).  Along that note - don't keep it on a window ledge, car dashboard, or near the stove which will likely promote fading and/or cracking.  Also, keeping it in a men's wallet in the back pocket is not good either - it will bend and crack slowly over time there.  In a wallet that is designed to be kept in the breast pocket (i.e. not bi-fold or tri-fold but a checkbook sized flat one) or in a purse is normally fine.  (In addition to preventing damage it keeps people like my brother from sticking their hind ends up to the card reader to enter the room!)