card operating system (COS)

Card Operating System(COS) is the general term for smart card operating systems. COS operating systems support the specific functions for the management, operation, processing, storage, transmission and encryption of smart card applications, their data and files.

There are multi- application smart card operating systems that can simultaneously process several applications in parallel, for example, a bank card that can also be used to make phone calls. The operating system supports various banking functions, providing crypto and management functions and a secure storage area. This is a modularly designed range of functions that can be put together by the card issuer. The secure areas can only be accessed via authentication using a personal identification number( PIN). Well-known smart card operating systems are Security Card Operating System( SECCOS) for the German EC card and STARCOS from Giesecke und Devrient. Others are CardOS, Telesec Chipcard Operating System( TCOS) and MultiFunctionCard( MFC).

Open chipcard operating systems such as Multi Application Operating System( MULTOS), which stands for Multi Application Operating System, can load other programs onto the chipcard in addition to the chipcard operating systems and have them executed by the card. These open COS operating systems include Java Card and Windows for Smart Cards(WfSC).