What is a Secure Element?

Last updated May 2023

A Secure Element (SE) is a microprocessor chip that can store sensitive data and run secure apps such as payment. It can be embedded in any mobile device. 

It acts as a vault, protecting what is inside the SE (applications and data) from typical malware attacks in the host (i.e., the device operating system).

Secure Elements handle all sorts of applications that are vital to our modern digital lives:

Authentication

Instead of a name and password, access to an online service may be protected by a strong authentication mechanism based on credentials stored and processed in the secure element. So, to log into a VPN or your email, a Secure Element could be involved in the background to ensure you are who you say you are.            

Digital Signature                                  

Applications may use the SE to digitally sign a document or any data with a key stored in this secure element. This key helps the secure element unlock encrypted data to be read. Again, this is used to prove you are you. So your email program could connect to the Secure Element to digitally “sign” emails you send, or a government web application could access it when using their digital services.

Mobile Payments

Here, the Secure Element securely stores card/cardholder data and manages the reading of encrypted data. During a payment transaction, it acts like a contactless payment card using industry-standard technology to help authorize a transaction. The Secure Element could be embedded in the phone or your SIM card.

Lifecycle management

SE-embedded devices must be secure throughout their lifecycle. That is why Secure Elements needs to have an end-to-end security strategy. Developing a robust security solution for a device that becomes obsolete after a period of use is no use. This is why

Secured Elements can be updated continuously to counter new threats.

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