20 JSR 177: Smart Card Security (SATSA)

The Security and Trust Services APIs (SATSA) provide smart card access and cryptographic capabilities to applications running on small devices. JSR 177 (the SATSA specification) defines four distinct APIs as optional packages:

SATSA-APDU - Enables applications to communicate with smart card applications using a low-level protocol.
SATSA-JCRMI - Provides an alternate method for communicating with smart card applications using a remote object protocol.
SATSA-PKI -Enables applications to use a smart card to digitally sign data and manage user certificates.
SATSA-CRYPTO - A general-purpose cryptographic API that supports message digests, digital signatures, and ciphers.

The Oracle Java ME SDK emulator fully supports SATSA. This topic describes how you can use the Oracle Java ME SDK to work with SATSA in your own applications.

For a more general introduction to SATSA and using smart cards with small devices, see the SATSA Developer's Guide, which is available at:

http://download.oracle.com/javame/config/cldc/opt-pkgs/api/security/satsa-dg.

If you must develop your own Java Card applications, download the Java Card Development Kit, available at:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javacard/overview/index.html.

This kit is for Windows.

20.1 Card Slots in the Emulator

Real SATSA devices are likely to have one or more slots that house smart cards. Applications that use SATSA to communicate with smart cards must specify a slot and a card application.

The Oracle Java ME SDK emulator is not an external device and, therefore, does not have physical slots for smart cards. Instead, it communicates with a smart card application using a socket protocol. The other end of the socket might be a smart card simulator or it might be a proxy that talks with real smart card hardware.

The Oracle Java ME SDK emulator includes two simulated smart card slots. Each slot has an associated socket that represents one end of the protocol that is used to communicate with smart card applications.

The default card emulator host name is localhost, and the default ports are 9025 for slot 0 and 9026 for slot 1. These port defaults are a property of the device. To change the defaults in the user interface, right click on the device in the Device Selector, and select Properties. By default the Properties window is docked on the upper right of the Java ME SDK interface.

You can also change the port values in the device's property file found at:

username\javame-sdk\3.3\work\devicename

Edit the device.properties file and modify this line:

runtime.internal.com.sun.io.j2me.apdu.hostsandports = localhost:9025,localhost:9026

start cref -p 9025 -i memory_image.eeprom

For detailed instructions on running Mohair, see

20.2 Adjusting Access Control

Access control permissions and PIN properties can be specified in text files. When the first APDU or Java Card RMI connection is established, the implementation reads the ACL and PIN data from the acl_slot-number in the workdir\devicename\appdb directory. For example, an access control file for slot 0 might be:

username\javame-sdk\3.3\work\devicename\appdb\acl_0

If the file is absent or contains errors, the access control verification for this slot is disabled.

The file can contain information about PIN properties and application permissions.

20.2.1 Specifying PIN Properties

PIN properties are represented by a pin_data record in the access control file.

Example 20-1 PIN Properties Example

pin_data {
    id number
    label string
    type       bcd | ascii | utf | half-nibble | iso
    min        minLength
    max        maxLength
    stored     storedLength
    reference  byte
    pad        byte - optional
    flag       case-sensitive | change-disabled | unblock-disabled
               needs-padding | disable-allowed | unblockingPIN
   }

20.2.2 Specifying Application Permissions

Application permissions are defined in access control file (acf) records. The record format is as follows:

Example 20-2 Access Control File Record Format

acf AID fnumbers separated by blanks {
    ace {
         root CA name
         ...
         apdu {
                eight numbers separated by blanks
                ...
         }
         ...
         jcrmi {
                 classes {
                   classname
                   ...
                   }
                    hashModifier string
                    methods {
                   method name and signature
                   ...
                 }
         }
         ...
         pin_apdu {
                 id number
            verify | change | disable | enable | unblock
            four hexadecimal numbers
                 ...
         }
         ...
         pin_jcrmi {
                id number
            verify | change | disable | enable | unblock
            method name and signature
                ...
           }
        ...
        }
    ...
}

The acf record is an Access Control File. The AID after acf identifies the application. A missing AID indicates that the entry applies to all applications. The acf record can contain ace records. If there are no ace records, access to an application is restricted by this acf.

The ace record is an Access Control Entry. It can contain root, apdu, jcrmi, pin_apdu, and pin_jcrmi records.

The root record contains one CA name. If the MIDlet suite was authorized using a certificate issued by this CA, this ace grants access to this MIDlet. A missing root field indicates that the ace applies to all identified parties. One principal is described by one line. This line must contain only the word root and the principal name, for example:

root CN=thehost;OU=JCT;O=dummy CA;L=Santa Clara;ST=CA;C=US

The apdu or jcrmi record describes an APDU or Java Card RMI permission. A missing permission record indicates that all operations are allowed.

An APDU permission contains one or more sequences of eight hexadecimal values, separated by blanks. The first four bytes describe the APDU command and the other four bytes are the mask, for example:

apdu {
     0 20  0 82  0 20  0 82
    80 20  0  0 ff ff  0  0
}

The Java Card RMI permission contains information about the hash modifier (optional), class list, and method list (optional). If the list of methods is empty, an application is allowed to invoke all the remote methods of interfaces in the list of classes, for example:

jcrmi {
    classes {
             com.sun.javacard.samples.RMIDemo.Purse
    }
    hashModifier zzz
    methods {
        debit(S)V
        setAccountNumber([B)V
        getAccountNumber()[B
    }
}

All the numbers are hexadecimal. Tabulation, blank, CR, and LF symbols are used as separators. Separators can be omitted before and after symbols { and }.

The pin_apdu and pin_jcrmi records contain information necessary for PIN entry methods, which is the PIN identifier and APDU command headers, or remote method names.

20.2.3 Access Control File Example

Example 20-3 Access Control File Example

pin_data {
  label   Unblock pin
  id        44
  type      utf
  min       4
  stored    8
  max       8
  reference 33
  pad       ff
  flag      needs-padding
  yflag     unblockingPIN
}
pin_data {
  label     Main pin
  id        55
  type      half-nibble
  min       4
  stored    8
  max       8
  reference 12
  pad       ff
  flag      disable-allowed
  flag      needs-padding
}
 
acf a0 0 0 0 62 ff 1 {
  ace {
        root CN=thehost;OU=JCT;O=dummy CA;L=Santa Clara;ST=CA;C=US
 
        pin_jcrmi {
            id 55
            verify enterPIN([B)S
            change changePIN([B[B)S
            disable disablePIN([B)S
            enable enablePIN([B)S
            unblock unblockPIN([B[B)S
           }
  }
}
 
acf a0 0 0 0 62 ee 1 {
  ace {
    root CN=thehost;OU=JCT;O=dummy CA;L=Santa Clara;ST=CA;C=US
 
    pin_apdu {
            id 55
            verify 1 2 3 1
            change 4 3 2 2
            disable 1 1 1 3 
            enable 5 5 5 4
            unblock 7 7 7 5
        }
  }
}
 
acf a0 0 0 0 62 3 1 c 8 1 {
  ace {
        root CN=thehost;OU=JCT;O=dummy CA;L=Santa Clara;ST=CA;C=US
 
        jcrmi {
                 classes {
                     com.sun.javacard.samples.RMIDemo.Purse
              }
                 hashModifier xxx
                 methods {
                   setAccountNumber([B)V
                   getBalance()S
                   credit(S)V
                 }
  }
}
  ace {
        jcrmi {
                classes {
                     com.sun.javacard.samples.RMIDemo.Purse
                  }
 
                  debit(S)V
                  getAccountNumber()[B
              }
            }
       }
  }
 
acf a0 00 00 00 62 03 01 0c 02 01 {
  ace {
        root CN=thehost;OU=JCT;O=dummy CA;L=Santa Clara;ST=CA;C=US
        apdu {
               0 20  0 82  0 20  0 82
               80 20  0  0 ff ff  0  0
             }
        apdu {
               80 22  0  0 ff ff  0  0 
             }
        }
  }
acf a0 00 00 00 62 03 01 0c 02 01 {
 
  ace {
    apdu {
        0 20 0 82 ff ff ff ff
    }
  }
}
 
acf a0 00 00 00 62 03 01 0c 06 01 {
 
  ace {
    apdu {
        0 20 0 82 ff ff ff ff
    }
  }
}

20.2.4 Running the SATSA Demo

For the demo to work this project must reside in the Java ME SDK installation's \apps subdirectory. You must create the apps directory yourself

Click the File menu and select New Project and in the Categories window select Samples > Java ME SDK 3.3 and single-click SATSADemos. Click Next. Save the sample project in:

installdir\apps\SATSADemos

Click Finish.
Right-click on the project, click Properties and then click the Running category. Enable Regular execution and check Specify the Security Domain. Select maximum from the list.
Start the instance(s) of cref from the command line.
Run the project.
click Properties and then click the Running category
start installdir\bin\cref -i installdir\apps\SATSADemos\sat.eeprom

start installdir\bin\cref -p 9025 -i installdir\apps\SATSADemos\pki.eeprom
lick Properties and then click the Running category. Enable Regular execution and check Specify the Security Domain
start installdir\bin\cref -p 9025 -i installdir\apps\SATSADemos\demo2.eeprom