A User Centric Security Model for Tamper-Resistant Devices

3.3 Frameworks for the ICOM
3.3.4.1 Windows for Smart Cards
At the time Java Card was proposed, Microsoft also ventured into the smart card business
[105]. They took the same sort of approach as they took in the PC domain and developed
the whole architecture of the smart card operating system without any consultation with
the smart card industry.
The Windows for Smart Cards (WfSC) was an ISO7816 [24] compliant smart card with a
FAT le-system [106, 107] and rule-based Access Control [108]. The design of the virtual
machines was rooted in Intel 8048 and the associated APIs were compact versions of the
Windows (Win32) APIs [105]. As noted by Jurgensen and Guthery [105], the WfSC has
one of the best-designed Virtual Machine architectures, similar to the Multos. Applications
for the WfSC can be written in Visual Basic and Visual C++.
Due to Microsoft's design-in-isolation approach, the WfSC was not adopted as quickly as
other frameworks from the beginning and Microsoft soon had to shelve the project [6]. In
contrast the Java Card took the approach of consultation and open specication, which
give it enough of an advantage to outdo powerful initiatives such as Multos and WfSC.
3.3.4.2 Smartcard .Net
Although Microsoft's own attempt to enter the smart card market did not pay o, Hive-
Minded Inc. (since 2006 owned by StepNexus Inc.) later developed a smart card framework
based on Microsoft's .NET. Its main aim was to allow its developers the freedom to choose
any programming language (i.e. C#, VB.NET, J#, and Jscript.NET, etc.). Like Java
Card, it supported all data types except oating point and 64-bit integers.
The later acquisition of Hive-Minded by the Multos manufacturer Step-Nexus put an end
to the smart card .Net initiative. However another smart card manufacturer, Gemalto,
has since oered .Net products [109] with the caveat that these smart cards are natively
supported by Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, it is yet to be seen how
far the smart card .Net framework will spread.
3.3.4.3 Multi-application BasicCard
BasicCards were available even before the Java Card was proposed [110]. Initially they
supported only single applications but since 2004, the BasicCard manufacturer ZeitControl
has started to issue multi-application BasicCards (e.g. MultiApplication BasicCard
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