Identiv releases first open source software release

Identiv announced its first open source software release. The company is releasing the code used to program and personalize its uTrust TS Card line and is publishing the Open Access Card Format (OACF) that describes the data written to the cards. Identiv’s uTrust TS Cards are secure credentials for physical access control, based on NXP’s MIFARE DESFire EV1/EV2 high frequency (HF) 13.56 MHz technology, and are compatible with 125 kHz low frequency (LF) proximity card systems.

The use of proprietary encryption schemes and measures — or “security through obscurity” — has proven to be inadequate against modern attack methods. By publishing and sharing its Open Access Card Format, Identiv raises the standard of physical access security by encouraging others to use, review, or extend its implementation. This tool will allow users to program and encode their own physical access cards with secure DESFire EV1/EV2 encryption keys and credential identification data. Customers get the benefit of Common Criteria-certified security without being locked into a single card source. Initially, Identiv will be releasing the OACF specification publicly while the source code will available on request. The code will include a simple tool for reading and writing uTrust TS-compatible cards. All code will be shared via GitHub.

“Identiv believes an open ecosystem benefits everyone from customers to vendors. We’re releasing the OACF specification and uTrust TS Card source code under the Apache License,” said Matthew Herscovitch, Identiv General Manager, Access Readers and Credentials. “We’re really excited about this release and we welcome contributions ― if you develop applications with our code, we’d love to see what you do.”