Retailers and restaurateurs need to upgrade. The Kassensicherungsverordnung (KassenSichV) [Cash Register Security Ordinance] requires them to equip their cash registers with cryptographic security mechanisms that prevent tax fraud. The focus here is on a so-called Technical Security Device (TSE), a security module that must be certified according to the specifications of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). A TSE must be used in every cash register, whereby the technical details are regulated in standard TR-03153.
cryptovision, which has specialised in crypto solutions for two decades, has completely developed an innovative TSE module on behalf of Bundesdruckerei and its subsidiary D-TRUST. A few days ago, this product received the required certificate from BSI. Now nothing stands in the way of its use in supermarkets, restaurants or furniture stores.
The primary goal in the multi-year design process was to develop not only a secure and legally compliant TSE solution, but above all one that is suitable for everyday use. No retailer will tolerate that a cash register that he uses dozens of times a day is suddenly more cumbersome to operate. Against this background, cryptovision and Bundesdruckerei decided to implement a microSD card, as known from digital cameras for example. With a size of less than two square centimetres, such a card can be integrated into small (mobile) POS systems without any problems. It can also be used on a server.
As the only solution on the German market, the TSE developed by cryptovision uses the latest chip generation with the card operating system JCOP 4 from NXP. All security-relevant functions are stored centrally on this chip – this increases not only security but also the future viability of the TSE. The product enables up to four transactions per second, with a lifetime that can be set at up to 20 million transactions. The solution can be accessed via several interfaces (C-API, JAVA-API or transport layer), which makes integration by manufacturers of POS systems easy.
“With our TSE product, we have once again succeeded in meeting high security requirements and legal regulations in a solution that is suitable for everyday use,” says Markus Hoffmeister, CEO of cryptovision, happily. “Our long-standing partnerships with NXP, Bundesdruckerei and D-TRUST were a great advantage in this respect”.
For Hoffmeister, the legally required protection of cash registers is only the beginning of a development that will also result in the protection of numerous other technical devices: “The future belongs to the Internet of Things (IoT). From electricity meters to cars to refrigerators, there is hardly anything that will not be connected to a communication network at some point in the future. Security will play a central role in this.” cryptovision is prepared for this. The Jacolyn CSP security solution, which forms the core of the certified TSE product, is not only suitable for cash registers. It can be used in many IoT applications in the future.
Additional links:
Press release by Bundesdruckerei (German): https://www.bundesdruckerei.de/de/Newsroom/Pressemitteilungen/Digitale-Kassendaten-vor-Manipulationen-schuetzen
Website about cryptovision’s TSE solution: https://www.cryptovision.com/en/solutions/iot-and-industry/fiscalization-solutions