The newest generation of open smart cards, such as Java Cards, provides facilities for multiple applications to reside and collaborate on a single card, and for dynamically loading new applications after post-issuance. The open character of such smart cards is also its major weakness, as it allows for logical attacks to be mounted on widely deployed applications. For example no Java card application in the field currently uses the real power of Java due to the lack of confidence in the post issuance capability. For the current Java Card architecture smart card industrials are expecting that formal methods and language-based security may be used to guarantee the highest quality for their software (execution platforms and applications).
Betting on a continuous evolution towards open computing devices, next generation cards will consist in embedded Java micro-server platforms. This vision relies on different hypotheses like full Java for cards, card integration in a networked world, and flexible and adaptable cards. Unfortunately, this vision raises new challenges in term of security and this meeting will be the opportunity for first class academics and industry researchers to further cross-fertilization in the area of security, systems and software for smart cards.