JAVA RING
Java Ring is a tiny wearable computer
with 6 kilobytes of RAM.
Can hold your
secret codes
your credit cards numbers
your driver license, other wallet
contents
a few important URLs
some electronic cash.
The key issue about a wearable
computer is not whether it is a ring
or another form factor:
The deciding point is that you
will always have it with you.
The jewel of the Java Ring is the Java
iButton a one-million transistor
single-chip trusted microcomputer
a powerful JVM housed in a rugged secure
stainless-steel case.
Fully compatible with the Java Card 2.0
standard.
The processor features a high-speed 1024-bit
modular exponentiator for RSA encryption.
RAM and ROM memory capacity
An unalterable realtime clock.
The packaged module has only a single
electrical contact and a ground return.
Lithium-backed non-volatile SRAM.
Rapid
zeroization
Near-instantaneous clearing of all memory
when tempering is detected.
Data integrity and clock function are
maintained for more than 10 years.
The 16-millimeter diameter stainless steel
enclosure accommodates the larger chip sizes
needed for up to 128 kilobytes of high-speed
nonvolatile static RAM.
The small and extremely rugged packaging of
the module allows it to attach to the accessory
of your choice to match individual lifestyles.
Historical background
In the summer of 1989, Dallas Semiconductor
Corp. produced the first stainless-steel-
encapsulated memory devices utilizing the
Dallas Semiconductor 1-Wire communication
protocol.
By 1990, this protocol had been refined and
employed in a variety of self-contained memory
devices. Originally called "touch memory"
devices, they were later renamed “iButtons”.
Packaged like batteries, iButtons have only a single active
electrical contact on the top surface, with the stainless
steel shell serving as ground.
Data can be read from or written to the memory serially
through a simple and inexpensive RS232C serial port
adapter, which also supplies the power required to perform
the I/O.
The iButton memory can be read or written with a
momentary contact to the "Blue Dot" receptor provided by
the adapter.
When not connected to the serial port adapter, memory data
is maintained in NVRAM by a lifetime lithium energy supply
that will maintain the memory content for at least 10 years.
Unlike electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory (EEPROM), the NVRAM iButton memory can be
erased and rewritten as often as necessary without wearing
out.
It can also be erased or rewritten at the high speeds typical
of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
memory, without requiring the time-consuming programming
of EEPROM.
The postal security
device
The USPS Information Based Indicia Program Postal Security
Device Specification, intended to permit printing of valid
U.S. postage on any PC.
First opportunity to combine two areas of expertise when a
secure microprocessor was designed into an iButton.
The resulting product, named the Crypto iButton , combines
high processor performance, high-speed cryptographic
primitives, and exceptional protection against physical and
cryptographic attack.
As a result of its high security, the Crypto iButton is
expected to win the FIPS 140-1 security certification by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Java-Powered Cryptographic
iButton
Cryptographic iButton provides secure end-to-end
Internet transactions
granting conditional access to Web pages
signing documents
encrypting sensitive files
securing email
conducting financial transactions safely
even if the client computer, software and
communication links are not trustworthy
When PC software and hardware are hacked,
information remains safe in the physically secure
iButton chip
Making Life More Convenient and
Secure
the crypto iButton opens up a whole new world of convenience.
By simply pressing your Blue Dot with your iButton, you can:
Be granted access privileges to sensitive information
on a conditionally accessed Web page using PKI
challenge/response authentication
Sign documents so the recipient can be certain of their
origin.
Encrypt and decrypt messages, securing email for the
intended eyes only.
Conduct hassle-free monetary transactions–print your
own electronic postage stamps or print, write, and
sign your own electronic checks.
The Crypto iButton's Extraordinary
Security
The National Institute of Standards (NIST) and the Communications
Security Establishment (CSE) has validated a version of the crypto
iButton for protection of sensitive, unclassified information.
FIPS 140-1 validation assures government agencies that the products
provide a trusted, physically secure module to properly protect secure
information.
As a starting point for the iButton's extraordinary security, the stainless
steel case of the device provides clear visual evidence of tampering.
The monolithic chip includes up to 134K of SRAM that is specially
designed so that it will rapidly erase its contents as a tamper response to
an intrusion.
Any attempts to uncover the private keys within the SRAM are thwarted
because attackers have to both penetrate the iButton's barriers and read
its contents in less than the time it takes to erase its private keys.
Specific intrusions that result
in zeroization include :
Opening the case
Removing the chip's metallurgically
bonded substrate barricade
Micro-probing the chip
Subjecting the chip to temperature
extremes
In addition, if excessive voltage is encountered, the sole
I/O pin is designed to fuse and render the chip
inoperable.
The cryptographic iButton contains a True Time Clock
that is a tamper-evident real-time clock.
"True Time" differs from real time in that it is set by a
reputable agent and its time cannot be reset and is
forever increasing.
This clock can be used to time stamp transactions.
It can also be used to impose expiration dates for
inspection intervals, whereby the iButton is required to
periodically check in with a host.
In response to tampering, the crypto iButton would
rather erase the key than reveal its secrets.
The Java Card applet
model
The Java Ring is in fact a Java smart card, and the
ring's virtual machine is based on the Java virtual
machine (JVM) that was proposed as the Java Card 2.0
standard
The Java Card architecture has taken client/server
architectures to a new place -- one where the "server" is
a small piece of software on an extremely small system,
and the client is a potentially huge piece of software on
a potentially much larger system.
The network protocol is encapsulated in packets that
are called application program data units, or APDUs for
short.
APDU packets don't carry any sort of addressing
information
they are implicitly addressed to the computer on the
other
end of the serial link.
APDUs do carry a few bytes that are common to all
packets
These can be used by the smart card infrastructure to
decide when to send the APDUs to the server on the
smart card, and when to interpret them directly
The smart card runtime code gets the first crack at
decoding the APDUs as they arrive on the serial
interface.
Further, there are predefined APDUs that tell the
runtime
to select an applet, delete applets, load applets, and
so on.
Thus, errant applets are simply deleted by the
developer once
it's ascertained that they aren't responding
The Java connection
The Crypto iButton also provides an excellent
hardware platform for executing Java because it
utilizes NVRAM for program and data storage.
Memory acts as conventional high-speed RAM when
the processor is executing, and the lithium energy
preserves the complete state of the machine while
the Java Ring is disconnected from the reader.
As in standard Java, the Java iButton contains a
garbage collector that collects any objects that are
out of scope and recycles the memory for future use.
Applets can be loaded and unloaded from the Java
iButton as often as needed. All the applets currently
loaded in a Java iButton are effectively executing at
zero speed any time the iButton is not in contact
with a Blue Dot receptor.
How to keep your money
safe?
Conclusion
The Java iButton is simply the latest and most
complex descendant
attachment to a wide variety of personal accessories
that includes rings, watchbands, keyfobs, wallets,
bracelets, and necklaces, so the user can select a
variation that suits his or her lifestyle.
The use of Java promotes compatibility with these
applications by providing a common language for all
application programming.
Along with Java Cards, the Java Ring stands poised to
open the doors of opportunity for truly personal
computing in the information age