Failure of the technical security device

Supplementary information can be found in the article "Failure scenarios".

According to § 17 para. 1 of the RKSV (Cash Register Security Ordinance), any "not merely temporary failure [...] of the security device [...] must be reported to the competent tax office or via FinanzOnline without unnecessary delay".

However, the RKSV understands the "failure of the security device" to mean the

1. theft or other loss of the signature or seal creation device as well as the
2. loss of function of the signature- or seal creation device

Technical Security Device

What actually is the "technical security device"?

The security device or technical security device according to § 4 RKSV is essentially a not further specified component which must fulfil various tasks and features to ensure protection against manipulation of data stored in a cash register. § 4 (1) RKSV describes the security device as follows: "The security device [...] consists of a concatenation of cash transactions with the help of the electronic signature of the signature creation unit or the electronic seal of the seal creation unit". 

Thus, the security device is in any case a combination of a logical component (software which uses cryptographic procedures) and the so-called signature or seal creation unit.

The main tasks of the technical security device are:

• produce the document linkage - "chain of transactions" (cf. § 4 par. 1 RKSV)
• managing the Totalizing Memory (grand total counter) (cf. 3.2.4., Decree)

Fiscal AT

From a technical point of view, the Austrian version of the RetailForce Fiskal middleware "Fiskal AT" in combination with a signature or seal creation unit corresponds to the technical security device and thus performs the following relevant functions:

• generate the document linkage
• keeping and managing the total memory
• communication with the signature or seal creation unit
• generating the so-called "machine-readable code

Failure possibilities

Since the technical security device consists of two separate components, there are now two different failure scenarios:

1. Failure of the software component of the technical security device
2. Failure of the signature or seal creation unit 

1. failure of the software component - Fiskal AT

If the Fiskal middleware "Fiskal AT" fails, e.g. it does not respond to the web service call, the service (Fiskal AT) should be restarted.

Essentially, the failure of the Fiskal middleware is equivalent to a failure of the cash register!

If the error persists despite restarting the service, contact RetailForce Support (e.g. ticket here in the Solution Center) and proceed as described in the article "Cash register failure".

2 Failure of the signature or seal creation unit

The case of a failure of the signature or seal creation unit is described in the linked article.

Sources

• Ordinance of the Federal Minister of Finance on the technical details for security devices in cash registers and other measures serving data security (Cash Register Security Ordinance, RKSV): https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20009390 
• Decree on the individual recording, cash register and receipt sharing obligation: https://findok.bmf.gv.at/findok?execution=e1s1