Competing with European and Far Eastern companies in smart card software technology, TÜBİTAK UEKAE is ushering in a new era in Türkiye. With its first National Smart Card Operating System, “AKIS,” TÜBİTAK UEKAE is bringing the highest level of security to smart cards.
As we approached the 2000s, smart cards, which began to become widespread in our lives, are small enough to fit in our wallets and, considering their technical specifications and capabilities, are no different from a computer. This technology stores, shares, processes, and records information within an extremely miniaturized 'chip'.
Smart cards consist of hardware and software components. Just like in a computer, the operating system and the software components on that operating system ensure that all operations are performed securely and quickly. The core hardware of smart cards, the 'chip', is supplied by 4-5 major manufacturers worldwide. However, a 'chip' is meaningless without an operating system and software components, and a chip only functions as a smart card with its software component. The crucial aspect of smart card security is also provided by the operating system. Breaking the security of a smart card, and thus gaining unauthorized access to and altering the data within, is only possible by deciphering the operating system's special security algorithms and obtaining its keys.
