Samsung S3B512C: Company shows first fingerprint chip for credit cards

With the Samsung S3B512C, the Korean company has introduced a fingerprint chip for credit cards which is supposed to provide additional security for payment transactions. The new chip combines a fingerprint sensor, secure element and security processor.

Samsung S3B512C unveiled

In 2017, Mastercard had shown a very similar solution and demonstrated a biometric credit card that was used for testing in South Africa. Now Samsung is also venturing into this area and has now presented the Samsung S3B512C chip. This is intended to make biometric identification and the payment process easier and more secure.

Until now, three separately installed elements were necessary for a biometric card: a fingerprint sensor, a secure element and a security processor. All of these can be combined with the new chip, because the S3B512C has all three components.

According to Samsung, this is the world’s first solution that makes this possible in the field of security chips. The new chip is capable of reading and storing the cardholder’s biometric data and authenticating it in encrypted form via the built-in Secure System. The secure analysis and processing of the stored data is also carried out first-hand with the help of the security processor built into the chip.

Simplified payment

With the help of such a credit card together with the built-in Samsung S3B512C chip, payment transactions can be significantly simplified. For example, the chip enables a transaction without having to enter a PIN or provide a signature. Information about the identity of the credit card user is retrieved directly via the chip, while it is checked whether this is the owner of the card.

According to Samsung, the built-in Secure Element in the S3B512C has received EMVCo and CC-EAL-6+ certification, which speaks for security. The proprietary authorization algorithm thus secured excludes manipulation by imitated fingerprints, it is further stated.

However, the company has not yet announced when and in which credit cards the Samsung S3B512C will be used.