The ISG is delighted to announce a research collaboration between The UK Cards Association and the Information Security Group Smart Card Centre (SCC) at Royal Holloway, University of London. The UK Cards Association has become a Member of the SCC and committed significant funding to the core research programme for, at least, the next three years. The collaboration is by no means just about funding as The UK Cards Association is the UK’s card payments industry voice on a wide range of topics and it has a plethora of expertise and influence. The work aims to provide the opportunity for interested parties to be forewarned and better informed of practical attack scenarios that may affect card payment systems.

On the new collaboration, Dr. Konstantinos Markantonakis of the SCC, said:

“The research collaboration with The UK Cards Association is very exciting and it really comes at the right moment. The UK Cards Association brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge into the real world information security problems faced by the UK card payment industry. We believe that this expertise will blend nicely with our existing research thread on the issues of card based and mobile NFC payments, in an attempt to further explore both current and future risks with the ultimate goal of providing adequate countermeasures.”

David Baker, Head of Cards Technical Unit, The UK Cards Association, responded:

“The UK Cards Association is thrilled to be associated with the Royal Holloway, University of London Information Security Group Smart Card Centre and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership. Card payments systems are evolving to meet the challenges of the digital age and it is essential that we remain on top of any new threats and vulnerabilities. By forging strong links with the SCC, who are already carrying out research in key areas of interest to the industry, we hope that together we can help shape a more secure future for card payments.”