GlobalPlatform, the standard for secure digital services and devices, publishes a new specification that simplifies the communication between embedded Secure Elements (eSEs) and connected devices.
The specification now supports the serial communication interfaces – Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) – that are widely deployed in smartphones, wearables and other internet of things (IoT) devices.
Biometrics matching on SE
The standardisation of the communication between eSEs and devices brings interoperability and flexibility to device manufacturers, comments Gil Bernabeu, Technical Director of GlobalPlatform: “The growing use of embedded SEs is driving usage of physical interfaces such as SPI or I2C. The APDU Transport spec helps device manufacturers to configure the device’s internal communication bus in advance, embed SEs into connected devices and optimise usage of their chosen protocols. This work will help to use eSE powered secure services to create more secure devices across all sectors globally.”
The specification allows the transfer of commands between the device and eSE. This enables eSEs to offer additional value and uses cases to devices, such as device attestation, secure storage, biometrics matching on SE, and many more. It also supports the update of the secure services at any point in a device’s life cycle.