Smartcard Systems Redesigned

We have successfully delivered the first centralized smartcard signing solution about a year ago. From this week, Windows legacy applications can use smart cards in the cloud

At the beginning, there was a hardware platform that made smartcards available via TCP/IP. We used it extensively as a local hardware crypto provider — it is amazing to have a few hundred encryption engines with FIPS140–2 security certification in a 1U server enclosure.

We used this with UCL (University College London) at DEFCON to show how super-secure (resistant to supply chain compromise) systems can be built and delivered. Pretty much linear scalability, with the host PC trying to keep up with smartcards.

Later, we were asked to deliver a centralized digital signing solution for enterprise environment — we talk about legally binding signatures under the EU law. The European Union has been pushing for “digital government” and tightened up some requirements for public bodies, which include local governments and public universities. That’s how CloudFoxy came to light.