Contact Smart Cards
A contact smart card has a gold contact plate and must be inserted into a reader. It follows ISO/IEC 7816 and is used where secure storage and cryptography matter — digital signatures, secure login, PKI, e-purse and ID cards.
Memory Cards vs Microprocessor Cards
Memory cards
Store data with simple security logic. Used for stored value and basic identification.
Microprocessor cards
Have a processor and operating system, and can run cryptography. Used for PKI, digital signatures and multi-application systems — see smart card operating systems.
Reading Contact Cards
Contact cards are read with contact smart card readers, most commonly USB readers connected to a PC. See USB smart card readers such as the ACR39U, and smart card SDKs for building applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
A smart card (chip card or integrated circuit card) is a pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits, typically a microprocessor card of credit-card dimensions with tamper-resistant properties such as a secure crypto-processor and secure file system.
Memory cards contain only non-volatile memory storage and perhaps some security logic, while microprocessor cards contain both memory and microprocessor components, giving them added processing and security capability.
Not necessarily. Not all chip cards contain a microprocessor (as with memory cards), so not all chip cards are technically smart cards, even though the terminology is often used inconsistently in public usage.
A contact card must be inserted into a reader and uses its gold contacts (ISO 7816). A contactless card is read wirelessly when held near a reader (ISO 14443). Dual-interface cards support both.
A contact smart card reader, such as a USB PC/SC reader. BSD Infotech supplies contact readers and SDKs for application development.