EMVCo releases draft contactless kernel specification for payment devices

EMVCo has released a draft specification for the contactless kernels used in payment acceptance devices.

The EMV contactless kernel specification incorporates features and requirements including advanced security technologies such as elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for card authentication, biometric and mobile card verification methods, on-card data storage, secure channel technology for privacy, and data protection and architecture that supports physical or cloud implementations.

A contactless kernel provides a set of functions for payment acceptance devices (such as point-of-sale terminals and ATMs) to process contactless transactions, EMVCo says.