PIN servicing

1. A method of performing a personal identification number (PIN) service for a smart card, comprising:

receiving, at a card reader, a selected PIN service request from a selection of a plurality of possible PIN service functions, wherein each of the plurality of possible PIN service functions is concurrently available,

wherein the card reader solely receives, transmits, and displays requests and messages from a user, the smart card, and a user interface component;

in response to the card reader receiving the selected PIN service request, communicating, by the user interface component, to a PIN servicing facility an authentication message having a smart card cryptographic message generated internally and solely by the smart card as a function of the selected PIN service request;

receiving, at the user interface component, from the PIN servicing facility a response message to the authentication message;

validating, by the smart card, the response message against the selected PIN service request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart card cryptographic message comprises a one time cryptogram.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating to the PIN servicing facility the authentication message includes transmitting to the PIN servicing facility user identification information identifying an authorized user of the smart card.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the validating the response message includes providing the response message to the smart card by means of the card reader.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a PIN service message indicating successful validation.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the PIN service message indicates a value of a reference PIN.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the PIN service message indicating successful validation is displayed by the card reader connected to the smart card.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart card validates the response message by generating its own internal PIN service response message and comparing its own internal PIN service response message to a PIN service response message transmitted by the card reader.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at the PIN servicing facility validating the authentication message and generating the response message in response to successful validation of the authentication message and in response to the communicating to the PIN servicing facility the authentication message,

wherein the receiving from the PIN servicing facility the response message to the authentication message is in response to the validating the authentication message and the generating the response message.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the authentication message includes a component that varies between PIN service requests for the smart card according to a predetermined relationship, and the authentication message is validated against the predetermined relationship.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user selects one of a plurality of keys, each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of possible PIN service functions, so as to select said one of the plurality of possible PIN service functions.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a one of the plurality of possible PIN service functions is to unlock a reference PIN held in the smart card.

13. A system for performing a PIN service function, comprising:

a smart card having a reference PIN and internally and solely generating a cryptographic message as a function of a selected PIN service request;

a reader connectable to the smart card for a user initiating the selected PIN service request according to a selected one of a plurality of possible PIN service functions;

and a user interface component,

wherein the reader receives the selected PIN service request;

wherein each of the plurality of possible PIN service functions is concurrently available to the user,

wherein the reader solely receives, transmits, and displays requests and messages from a user, the smart card, and the user interface component;

wherein in response to the reader receives the selected PIN service request, the user interface component sends an authentication message having the cryptographic message to a PIN servicing facility and receives from the PIN servicing facility a response message to the authentication message;

wherein the smart card validates the response message against the selected PIN service request.

14. The system of claim 13 , including said PIN servicing facility arranged to validate the authentication message and to generate the response message in response to successful validation of the authentication message.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the reader includes a plurality of function keys for selection of a corresponding one of the plurality of possible PIN service functions.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-implemented instructions, that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

initiate, by a user at a card reader, a selected PIN service request by selecting one of a plurality of possible PIN service functions, wherein each of the plurality of possible PIN service functions is concurrently available to the user;

receiving, at the card reader, the selected PIN service request;

wherein the card reader solely receives, transmits, and displays requests and messages from a user, a smart card, and a user interface component;

in response to the card reader receiving the selected PIN service request, communicating, by the user interface component, to a PIN servicing facility an authentication message having a smart card cryptographic message generated internally and solely by the smart card as a function of the selected PIN service request;

receiving, at the user interface component, from the PIN servicing facility a response message to the authentication message;

validating, by the smart card, the response message against the selected PIN service request.