Press release 09/05

Furtwangen, October 28, 2005 – Firstly, you log in with a signature card and the corresponding card reader of security class 2 or 3.
The second option is the so-called Elster stick: a USB device which, however, only fulfills security class 1, as the PIN is entered via the keyboard.
Thirdly, you can opt for a software certificate, but this only offers security class 0 and is therefore insecure.
Anyone who needs to send their current sales figures and annual income to the tax office via the data highways is therefore best served by relying on a signature card with an appropriate card reader.
This is the best way to ensure that business-critical data cannot be spied on.
“The system has already proven itself in online banking and can now also be used for tax returns,” explains Carsten Sommer, Managing Director of REINER SCT, the market leader for chip card readers.
The signature card can also be used universally for numerous other e-government solutions, such as e-procurement, BFA queries or the electronic dunning procedure. The stick, on the other hand, is restricted to limited applications on ElsterOnline. A chip card reader, on the other hand, can guarantee the entire range of functions and is therefore a future-proof investment that not only provides valuable services for ElsterOnline. (The text comprises approx. 1,800 characters)