Card Production Life Cycle (CPLC)

In relation to Java Cards or EMV credit cards, the Card Production Life Cycle (CPLC) are data element that contain information about the production process of the card such as the operating system or the ICC manufacturer. CPLC data is defined in VISA GlobalPlatform Card Specification 2.1.1 are coded in 42
bytes. The Card issuer BIN data contains usually the serial number of the card. The Open Platform specification proposes only that the CPLC data should be retrievable.

The Card Production Life Cycle may be used by an off-card entity to track the life of the card and also to determine the versions and features of each Java Card. The CPLC data typically contains the whom, when and what identification for the following:

• The integrated circuit (IC) fabrication;
• The Operating System;
• The integrated circuit card (ICC) manufacturer.;
• Module fabrication;
• Embedding;
• Pre-personalization; and;
• Personalization.

Each new secure element that is issued by the SAP Mobile Platform operator can be identified by a unique ID, and requires a specific keyset. The secure element unique ID is stored in a structure called CPLC data, which uniquely identifies each secure element and is stored into each secure element prior to configuration.

known to each other: card management and all commercial issues are contractually regulated well in advance. The stored applications and the Service Providers involved are usually static, and will not change during the card’s life cycle. Technically the cards do allow content download after issuance, but this is rarely done.

APDU command ‘9F7F’ (CPLC / Card Production Life Cycle Data): Defined in “Visa Integrated Circuit Card / Card Specification“. The Open Platform 2.0.1 (predecessor of GlobalPlatform) defines that CPLC should be retrievable with the GET DATA command — but it does not tell the particular tag.

The product life cycle is the course of the life of a product from when the product is in development to after it has been removed from the market.

Plastic Cards in General

Card Production Life Cycle refers to the various stages involved in the production and management of plastic cards, such as credit cards, debit cards, identity cards, membership cards, and loyalty cards. The stages typically include design, personalization, encoding, printing, quality control, packaging, distribution, and inventory management.

The Card Production Life Cycle starts with the design phase, where the card issuer creates the artwork and specifications for the card. The next stage is personalization, where the issuer adds unique information to each card, such as the cardholder’s name and account number. Encoding is the process of adding information to the magnetic stripe (magstripe) or chip on the card.

Printing is the process of transferring the design and personalization information onto the card using various printing technologies such as thermal transfer, dye-sublimation, or digital printing. Quality control ensures that each card meets the issuer’s standards, including accurate personalization and encoding.

Packaging involves grouping the cards and preparing them for shipment. The cards are then distributed to the cardholders or the issuers’ various branches or locations. Finally, inventory management involves tracking the cards from production to distribution to ensure that an adequate supply of cards is always available.

The Card Production Life Cycle is a crucial process for card issuers, as it ensures that cards are manufactured to the highest quality and security standards, and are delivered to cardholders on time.

Utilities used to read CPLC data:

GlobalPlatformPro: https://github.com/martinpaljak/GlobalPlatformPro

GPShell: https://sourceforge.net/p/globalplatform/wiki/Home/