PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. — The Smart Card Alliance, an industry group working to promote and facilitate the adoption of smart card technology has issued a white paper seeking to explain the technology's security.

The paper, titled "What Makes Smart Card Secure" walks readers through smart cards use of secure integrated circuits, the security features those circuits have, what sorts of cryptography smart cards use and how the payments industry is using the cards to improve payment security.

"Smart card technology is an essential ingredient that brings a higher level of security to payment and identity systems worldwide," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Alliance. "Our newest report details how smart card technology uses secure integrated circuits as the core of the technology, and explains the unique security benefits this provides to personal secure devices such as cards, USB tokens, SIM modules or embedded chips."