CardS4: modal theorem proving on Java smart cards

Abstract

We describe a successful implementation of a theorem prover for modal logic S4 that runs on a Java smart card with only 512 KBytes of RAM and 32 KBytes of EEPROM. Since proof search in S4 can lead to infinite branches, this is "proof of principle" that non-trivial modal deduction is feasible even on current Java cards. We hope to use this prover as the basis of an on-board security manager for restricting the flow of "secrets" between multiple applets residing on the same card, although much work needs to be done to design the appropriate modal logics of "permission" and "obligations". Such security concerns are the major impediments to the commercial deployment of multi-application smart cards.