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This month, Silicon Trust members cryptovision, Trüb and hjp consulting have been announcing their involvement in the latest African ID card scheme – the Nigerian eID card. Uniquely, the scheme, which, according to the releases has a wider scope than the German eID card, combines a payment and an ID function on one contact-based smart card.
Cryptovision – PKI
cryptovision announced that it will be providing the public key infrastructure (PKI) for more than 100 million cards and even more digital certificates in Nigeria’s eID scheme, which is being rolled out later this year. The Nigerian Identity Management Commission has selected the German firm to provide its CAmelot PKI software for the scheme. According to cryptovision, the multipurpose identity document will eventually support more than a dozen different applications, ranging from two-factor online authentication to health insurance and many more. The eID card will bring electronic payments to the significant amount of unbanked citizens who currently have only limited access to the financial system. By combining advanced security mechanisms such as PKI, biometrics, and EMV payment, the Nigerian eID card represents an innovative next generation of identity documents. This eID project outweighs the German electronic identity card (nPA) in both the size of the project and the variety of applications.
The company adds: “In order to secure both the eID card and the backend infrastructure, the Nigerian eID leverages one of the largest and most complex PKIs in the world. It includes at least eight certification authorities, and about a dozen different certificate types, and will eventually host more than 100 million Nigerian citizens and legal residents over the age of 16. This PKI represents the backbone and the security base of the Nigerian eID system. Not only does it provide digital certificates for the cardholders to use for digital signature and authentication, but also it ensures that only authorised devices have access to the eID chip for reading personal data. By employing advanced authentication mechanisms, fine grained permissions allow for authorised systems to read and even update personal eID chip data at specified agencies.”
“We are proud that our PKI software CAmelot is used in one of the most exciting e-ID projects of our days,” says Markus Hoffmeister, CEO of cryptovision.
TRÜB – Card
Trüb has been selected as a supplier for Nigeria’s new multi-purpose eID card. In this project, Trüb is a supplier to the local partner Auspoint Limited.
According to Trüb, the NIMC of the Federal Republic of Nigeria developed one of the most ambitious and comprehensive eSolution projects worldwide. The core element of the project is the new eID, fulfilling various purposes and allowing for the use of a wide range of applications and services. The eID will act as a national identity and travel document based on ICAO standards. Additionally, it is equipped with more than a dozen applets offering a large variety of applications. It is also a MasterCard payment card according to EMV standards. Further applications include ePKI (Public Key Infrastructure), offering strong authentication and digital signature or MoC (Match-on-Card) for secure identification. In a second phase further applications such as a drivers’ license or e-services including eVoting, eHealth or eTransport are planned to be implemented.
Trüb says the new documents meet the highest requirements for security and quality, and are made of fused polycarbonate films and laminated without adhesives.
“Trüb’s polycarbonate identity documents are designed for a long service life and are recognised to be leading in terms of quality and sophisticated security features. As one of the worldwide pioneers in this technology, Trüb has gained substantial experience and expert knowledge since the launch of the world’s first polycarbonate identity card in 1995 for Switzerland.”
Nigeria’s new eID cards are equipped with a chip module for the storage of personal and biometric data (fingerprints) of the card holder as well as keys, certificates and other data for the use of the various eServices and applications. They are also equipped with a variety of built-in visible and invisible security elements.
For use as an ICAO compliant travel document, the front of the eID card features the portrait and personal data of the card holder and the back features the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ). For use as a payment card, the front also features a unique EMV PAN number and the back has a magnetic stripe for ATM transactions and a signature field. The personalisation of the cards is performed with high security laser engraving.
According to Trüb, the national eID card, which was launched on 28 August 2014 by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, is not only the largest formal rollout of an electronic payment solution in the country but also the broadest platform for financial inclusion on the African continent.
HJP Consulting – Testing
HJP Consulting has confirmed it has delivered test services and consulting for Nigeria’s eID card project. The country’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will ultimately roll-out 100 million cards to Nigerian citizens and residents over the age of 16.
HJP Consulting provided test services for the multi-application eID card, covering smart card and application tests. The services included the development of customized test specifications, the evaluation and implementation of test specifications as well as performing conformance tests and acceptance tests and generating test reports.
HJP’s own open-source test tool platform GlobalTester was used to perform the application testing. According to HJP, GlobalTester is a sophisticated platform to test the chip application layer of smart cards and has been used by government and industry customers worldwide.