Pin encryption device security

Abstract

An apparatus and method for securing transaction data, includes reading token data from a token using a read apparatus and encrypting the token data at the read apparatus, sending the encrypted token data to a security module over a communication link, and verifying the integrity of the communication link based on encrypted token data. The apparatus and method can further include receiving authentication data for the token and encrypting the authentication data within the security module, and combining the encrypted token data and encrypted authentication data into a transaction data stream. In various embodiments, a detection apparatus with plurality of read structures (for example, read gaps), can be used to provide additional information in verifying the integrity of the communication link comprises determining whether the read structures are detecting token data with a spatially diversity in accordance with a geometry of the read structures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.