MULTOS Applications. MULTOS applications are typically written in the C programming language. Recently a Java compiler became available as well. Regardless of the programming language used, the sources are compiled into the MULTOS Executable Language (MEL). MEL is a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) language specific to MULTOS. development, and testing time can be reduced to a minimum due to simulators and debuggers from various manufacturers.

MULTOS Security. MULTOS is designed and independently evaluated to a high level of security to ensure that issuers, application developers, and other MULTOS service providers can build their business proposition without having to undertake expensive and lengthy evaluations of the underlying technology. The security of MULTOS is ensured by a requirement in the MULTOS implementation licence which obligates all MULTOS silicon providers to undergo a rigorous testing and evaluation process to prove security, tamper resistance and interoperability. No other smart card platform available today can claim a similar level of security.

MULTOS Development. To do application development, you need a MULTOS application developers card. This special card provides a standardized and simplified way to create, load, and delete certificates.

MULTOS Compatability. The latest version of MULTOS is Version 5. MOASCO makes certain that new versions are backward compatible. MULTOS supports contactless cards, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), and GSM.

MULTOS Applications Run on a Virtual Machine. MULTOS provides a platform-independent way to develop applications. Commonly used chips are manufactured by Hitachi and Infineon. The virtual machine guarantees that a an application developed on an Hitachi card can be deployed on an Infineon card.

MULTOS API. There is a standard Application Programming Interface (API) between applications and the operating system. This feature allows applications from different vendors and industries, which may be written using different standards such as EMV and B0' in financial services, to co-exist on a single operating system and co-reside on the same smart card.

MULTOS Runs on the Micro Controller on a Smart Card. The MULTOS smart card checks the validity of the application it has been sent, allocates the program a protected and (through the use of special "firewalls") isolated area in its memory, and locks the new application into place. Each new service or application is kept rigorously separate by the firewalls from any other program already on the card, so that the operation of one application (or even the malfunctioning of one application or a 'hostile application') cannot interfere with the operation of the others. A MULTOS card issuer can therefore feel safe knowing that an application requiring a high degree of security and type approval (e.g. a financial services application) can co-reside with applications for which security is not of paramount importance and which therefore have not been subjected to rigorous testing (e.g. an address book application). Furthermore, MULTOS application providers do not need to trust each other's products, nor even have any relationship with each other.

MULTOS is compliant with the key industry standards including ISO 7816 and EMV.

MULTOS on the Web: Please refer to www.multos.com for more detailed information about MAOSCO and the MULTOS multi-application smart card operating system.

CardWerk offers MULTOS Development and Consulting Services.

Please contact us for further information about our smart card development and consulting services.