Modelling the Security of Smart Cards by Hard and Soft Types for Higher-Order Mobile Embedded Resources

Abstract

We provide a type system inspired by affine intuitionistic logic for the calculus of Higher-Order Mobile Embedded Resources (Homer), resulting in the first process calculus combining affine linear (non-copyable) and non-linear (copyable) higher-order mobile processes, nested locations, and local names. The type system guarantees that linear resources are neither copied nor embedded in non-linear resources during computation.We exemplify the use of the calculus by modelling a simplistic e-cash Smart Card system, the security of which depends on the interplay between (linear) mobile hardware, embedded (non-linear) mobile processes, and local names. A purely linear calculus would not be able to express that embedded software processes may be copied. Conversely, a purely non-linear calculus would not be able to express that mobile hardware processes cannot be copied.