Smart Card Detective has been developed at the University of Cambridge by Omar Choudary (see his personal web page) for analysis of protocols used in Chip&PIN debit and credit cards. It has been used to demonstrate weaknesses in the EMV protocol, details of which can be found in MPhil thesis of Omar Choudary [PDF]. UK Cards Association made a somewhat clumsy attempt for removal of the thesis from the internet - an action that caused a wide discussion about academic freedoms (Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, Mirror, Daily Mail, and others).

Our aim is to turn a laboratory device into a professional analysis and testing tool. This will allow banking and payment institutions, security experts, consulting companies, and researchers to perform analysis and testing of smart card protocols. We have re-designed the original device and we have also started working on improvements of software.

You can find more information about Smart Card Detective on its website - www.smartcarddetective.com, or on our web site.