Certificate smart cards
Inspect certificates, public keys, key-container metadata and accessible files through the Windows smart-card minidriver.
Open the certificate viewerABOUT CARDGROOVESmall card.
Small card.
Plenty to discover.
A closer look at card data and the cryptography around it.
One project, two workbenches
CardGroove brings certificate smart cards, PIV identity cards, DESFire access badges, EMV payment cards and chip inspection into one Windows workspace. Keycard cryptocurrency wallets have a separate desktop panel.
The website provides calculators, parsers and reference lists for exploring card formats, checking test vectors and understanding key operations.
Explore the tools →Cards, identities and credentials
PIV identity cards
Read public identity objects, discovery information, key history and certificate slots. Protected objects keep their access-status information.
Decode a PIV objectDESFire access badges
Inspect card version, visible application IDs, file IDs and accessible file settings without authentication. This mode does not read file contents or provision badges.
Decode DESFire file settingsEMV payment cards
Read PSE and PPSE payment directories and inspect application identifiers, labels and selection priorities.
Decode a payment directoryChip & Java Card
Explore ATR, CPLC manufacturing fields and accessible application registries. Inspect captured APDU commands and responses.
Decode an APDU commandKeycard crypto wallets
Use the separate desktop wallet panel for inspection, pairing, public-key derivation and explicitly confirmed digest signing on compatible Keycards.
Read the Keycard guideSave, reopen and compare
Save captured records and APDU logs as .cgs or YAML snapshots. Reopen a capture without a connected reader, compare it with another snapshot, or export an individual record’s bytes for decoding.
Implemented scope and hardware testing
The five Ctrl+O read modes inspect accessible data: EMV directories, certificate/minidriver information, public PIV objects, DESFire metadata and chip information. DESFire inspection lists available applications, files and settings; it does not read file contents. PIV compressed certificates are preserved as raw objects in the desktop app.
Certificate/minidriver inspection has been tested with cryptoCertum3.6. PIV, DESFire and Keycard still need qualification with representative physical cards. Available results depend on the card, reader, installed provider and access permissions. Read the compatibility notes →
Browser tools
The browser tools decode PSE/PPSE directories, PIV objects, APDU commands, X.509 certificates and DESFire file settings alongside the existing cryptography calculators. They work with supplied data; they do not connect to your smart-card reader or an HSM.
Examples use test data. Each calculator describes its supported methods and limitations, with references where applicable. A matching calculation does not establish certificate trust, issuer authorization or hardware certification.
Reference lists retain their source attribution. Supported profiles can differ from those used by a particular card, issuer or HSM.
EMV specifications
Need Payment Integration?
Polywick Studio can help you with your Adyen, Moneris, WorldPay, Fiserv, Clover and Verifone integration-from POS software and PinPad workflows to terminal and backend connections.
* Payment integrations require an existing relationship with your payment provider.
Crypto Card Integration
Need EMV or JCOP / Java Card consulting? Polywick Studio can help plan custom applets, connect smart-card readers to desktop or backend applications, and troubleshoot APDU exchanges and card-data handling. Discuss card personalization, authentication and digital-signature workflows, or card-based access systems-from an initial prototype to integration testing with your target cards and readers.
Discuss your integration