Darmstadt, August 5, 2011

MONA makes the new personal ID card mobile

Researchers at the TU Darmstadt are turning mobile phones into card readers with the help of an innovative application

Scientists at the TU Darmstadt in the Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt (CASED) have developed the first mobile eID application, which is called “MONA”, for the new personal ID cards. Instead of a computer and card reader, users with the new personal ID cards will only need a modern smartphone in future for providing secure electronic identification. The scientists are hoping to release the first version of this software, which was developed within the scope of a project initiated by Deutsche Telekom Laboratories in cooperation with T-Systems and the company media transfer AG, over the next few months during the course of an open source project. They then want to further develop the application for different kinds of smartphones, such as Android mobiles, together with programmers who interested in getting involved.

MONA, which stands for “Mobile Authentication with the new personal ID card (german: Ausweis)”, is a Java ME application for mobile devices. The first version of the application runs on the Nokia model 6212 and can be adapted simply for use with other models. Moritz Horsch, who developed the software together with Dr. Alexander Wiesmaier and Johannes Braun in a workgroup of Prof. Dr. Johannes Buchmann, wants to simplify utilization of the ID card: “The eID function provided by the new personal ID cards can make a lot of Internet services, which currently only request a user name and password for authentication purposes, more secure and more transparent. Online purchases for example. Soon all users with suitable smartphones will be able to make use of our application, no matter where they are, at home or on the go”, according to Horsch.

Smartphone replaces computer and card reader

Until now, anyone who wanted to use the eID function needed a computer, on which the eID software had been installed, and an appropriate card reader. The so-called Near Field Communication (NFC) technology enables modern mobile phones to communicate with the contactless chip in the new personal ID cards. NFC-capable smartphones can therefore take over the role of computer and card reader, thereby enabling the personal ID cards to be used while on the go. As an application, MONA allows the individual components on the smartphone to communicate with one another and enables the user to interact. This means the decision, as to which data may be transmitted, can be made separately for each individual service. The researchers have, however, not only focused on the users: “MONA also makes electronic identification more interesting for the providers of Internet services, because smartphones, in contrast to card readers, are more common everyday devices”, explained Wiesmaier.