INSPECTION FOR VALIDITY OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

An electronic funds transfer system (EFT) is described in which retail terminals located in stores are connected through a public switched telecommunication system to card issuing agencies data processing centres. Users of the system are issued with intelligent secure bank cards, which include a microprocessor, ROS and RAM stores. The ROS includes a personal key (KP) and an account number (PAN) stored on the card when the issuer issues it to the user. Users also have a personal identity number (PIN) which is stored or remembered separately.A transaction is initiated at a retail terminal when a card is inserted in an EFT module connected to the terminal. A request message including the PAN and a session key (KS) is transmitted to the issuers data processing centre. The issuer generates an authentication parameter (TAP) based upon its stored version of KP and PIN and a time variant parameter received from the terminal. The TAP is then returned to the terminal in a response message, and based upon an imputed PIN, partial processing of the input PIN and KP on the card a derived TAP is compared with the received TAP in the terminal. A correct comparison indicating that the entered PIN is valid.The request message includes the PAN encoded under the KS and KS encoded under a cross-domain key. Message authentication codes (MAC) are attached to message and the correct reception and regeneration of a MAC on a message including a term encoded under KS indicates that the received KS is valid and that the message originated at a valid terminal or card.