You can't replace system's real winscard.dll, since it's subject to system file protection, so it could be tricky to override it in some applications.It could be a pain to implement functions like SCardGetStatusChange, specially if you should mix real and simulated readers.To fully emulate the behavior of Windows Smart Card Resource Manager, you must implement lots of functions.That's easier, in some cases, but has some drawbacks: I’m just explaining my approach to a new subject, hoping that it will be useful for someone.Īn alternative approach to the driver is just writing your own version on winscard.dll, and put it in the folder of the application you wish to debug.

I’m not an expert in driver developing this is not by any means an article on “how to write drivers”. Searching the internet for virtual drivers leads you to find many interesting resources, but not the “guide for dummies” that I was hoping to find. In this article, I will not speak about smart card OS emulation (perhaps it will be covered in the future.), but about a driver for a virtual smart card reader. What if you accidentally block a PIN? Or your CSP issues a wrong command, leaving the card in an inconsistent state? These and many other issues are quite common in this field, so one of the first things I realized when I started to work with smart cards was that I needed an emulator: something to play with without the risk of doing any damage. But, sometimes, debugging and testing applications that work with smart cards is a real pain, especially when you have to deal with negative test cases and, as it often happens, you don't have many test smart cards to play with. You can see the state-of-art of computer security and how it can be used in the real environment from real users. Working with smart cards and PKI stuff is an interesting field.

Driver software for smart card reader