Remote Key Injection

Remote Key Injection (or Remote Key Loading) is the process of loading keys onto a payment terminal remotely, effectively eliminating the need for a middle man by bypassing manual loading of the keys in a secure facility. Handpoint was a pioneer in the mPOS industry when we implemented RKI.

This process allows merchants to automatically and securely complete payment terminal key injection at the point-of-sale. It offers a faster, more cost effective, and more secure alternative to the industry’s traditional manual secure room key injection process.

In the U.S. and most European countries, some card transactions need to be verified and authorized in real time via online PIN. Elsewhere, PIN verification and authentication takes place between the terminal and the card, known as offline PIN verification. In countries with online PIN verification, payment terminals need to be injected with special keys to enable them to encrypt the PIN which traditionally requires a secure Key Injection Facility.

Handpoint’s RKI eliminates the need for an off-site secure Key Injection Facility and its associated cost, inventory complexities, and distribution delays by utilizing a secure channel to remotely inject mPED terminals. This enables debit PIN and other data encryption keys, such as those used for point to point encryption (P2PE), to be safely and securely injected, no matter where the terminal is located.