Samsung Launches Comprehensive Fingerprint Security for Payment Cards

Samsung is launching the industry’s first fingerprint security IC (integrated circuit) — S3B512C — that offers enhanced biometrics for payment cards in an all-in-one chip solution.

“S3B512C combines a fingerprint sensor, Secure Element (SE) and Secure Processor, adding an extra layer of authentication and security in payment cards,” Kenny Han, vice president of system LSI marketing at Samsung, said in a press release on Tuesday (Jan. 25).

“The S3B512C is primarily designed for payment cards but can also be used in cards that require highly secured authentications such as student or employee identification, membership or building access,” Han added.

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The new solution meets Mastercard’s Biometric Evaluation Plan Summary (BEPS) criteria for biometric payment cards. The security chip uses a fingerprint sensor to read biometric information and then “stores and authenticates encrypted data with a tamper-proof SE, and analyzes and processes data with a Secure Processor,” according to the press release.

Three central functions are integrated into the chip, which can lower the number of chips card manufacturers need to develop biometric payment cards. The new security IC is embedded, which makes biometric payment cards faster and more secure. With biometric authentication, there’s no need for users to enter a PIN. Fraud is also reduced if a card is lost or stolen because access can only be gained with the user’s uniquely stored fingerprint.

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Encrypted fingerprint data is stored in a SE that is globally certified by EMVCo, CC EAL 6+ and others. The new IC was developed using a proprietary fingerprint authentication algorithm as well as a secure processor that extracts and analyzes a fingerprint’s identifying information. The chip also features anti-spoofing technology to fend off fraudsters attempting to get around the security system with fake fingerprints and other illicit methods.

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung is a multinational electronics company specializing in consumer electronics, information technology, mobile communications, and device solutions. The company sells over 400 million mobile devices worldwide every year and also features an extensive line of visual displays, health and medical equipment, and digital appliances, according to its website.