What Is a LEAF Card?
LEAF was created by industry members to provide open protocols and allow free access to technology specifications to simplify the integration of new and open technologies. The vision is to make accessing smart cards seamless and allow secure reads on the readers which should be fully portable to other devices. LEAF is providing the tools to make such concepts a reality and the support to make the adoption simple by providing the highest possible value to the end-user.
A product specification:
- Truly open definition
- Offers guaranteed interoperability
- Multi-application
- Optional Customer-owned cryptographic keys
- For access control and all other campus application
- Certified design
A growing group of contributors:
- Secure issuance
- Compatible RFID readers and devices
- Program management and support
- A growing ecosystem
- A common access control data structure
These LEAF cards are the perfect alternative to the HID ICLASS and have the encoding format that runs on NXP MIFARE DESFire EV2 cards. This new generation will allow people to have a multi-application card, with guaranteed interoperability and giving optional customer-owned cryptographic keys for access control, and other campus applications. Below shows the different layers that a LEAF card contains:
- The Access control application contains the Access Control Data and is protected by 8 read keys allowing up to 8 different device vendors to independently provide reader solutions-
- The Compatibility Application allows older EV1 readers to also access the card securely
- The Campus Application is preconfigured to allow for read/write operations on campus
- The rest of the memory can be used to add any Other Applications such as biometrics, library, vending, secure logical access and secure printing
LEAF combines the best security protocols and iSO standards with the most advanced technologies to provide a complete specification for interoperable solutions. Security through standards is enabling a more open and more secure world. LEAF pledges to continue its quest to provide compatibility in security
Every end-user vastly benefits from interoperable products. LEAF products have one sole mission… interoperability. LEAF can provide all the definition and support necessary to achieve maximum standardization. For the security industry, this means defining a standard data structure for the latest smart card technology. The LEAF smart card design supports the most advanced security features, and a truly open multi-application structure.
Why Choose LEAF?
To the end-user:
- A truly secure smart card platform
- Guaranteed interoperability
- Unrestricted usage
- Out-of-the-box Multi-application
- Key management options
- Access Control
- Secure Issuance
To the industry:
- Fully ISO14443A compliant
- Based on the proven secure DESFIRE EV2 design
- Simple adoption into any reader (no licensing cost and free support)
- A growing ecosystem of compatibility
- A common access control data structure
OPEN
LEAF is a smart card usage definition based on a completely open and clearly defined data model for compatibility with every RFID device.
SECURE
Card data is protected by multiple cryptographic keys allowing secure access by independent devices.
INTEROPERABLE
The end-user has the option to own their keys. With an open protocol definition, the end-user is free to use the vendors of their choice.