METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INCREASED RFID TRANSMISSION SECURITY

• US 20090015385A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Thueringer, Peter, Teuwen, Philippe
• Application Number:
  US11/916,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20090015385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.510
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

A method and system for secure RFID system communication is provided. The RFID system comprises an RFID reader (101) communicating with an RFID tag (102). The RFID reader (101) sends (116) to the RFID tag (102) a request to write. The RFID tag (102) generates random data (P), and sends (122) the random data (P) to the RFID reader (101). The RFID system encrypts information (M2) by using the random data (P), and the RFID reader (101) sends (124) the encrypted information (E) to the RFID tag (102) which decrypts the information (E) by using the random data (P). Finally the RFID tag (102) stores (126) the decrypted information (M2) on a memory (103) of the RFID tag (102).

Claims

1. A method of controlling storage in an RFID tag communicating with an RFID reader, said method performed in the RFID tag and comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to write,

generating random data,

sending the random data,

receiving encrypted information,

decrypting the received information by using the random data, and

storing the decrypted information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the random data is followed by the step of:

storing the random data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the random data is derived from measuring any of thermal resistance noise, thermal shot noise, atmospheric noise and nuclear decay.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the random data and decrypted information are of the same length, thereby fulfilling the properties of a one time pad.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of decrypting the received information is followed by the step of:

overwriting or deleting the random data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps are preceded by the steps of:

receiving a request to read, and

sending RFID tag information.

7. An RFID tag for storing information and communicating with an RFID reader, said RFID tag comprising:

means for receiving a request to write,

means for generating random data,

means for sending the random data,

means for receiving encrypted information,

means for decrypting the received information by using the random data, and

means for storing the decrypted information.

8. A method of controlling writing of information by an RFID reader communicating with an RFID tag, said method performed in the RFID reader and comprising the steps of:

sending a request to write,

receiving random data, and

sending information encrypted by the random data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving the random data is followed by the step of:

encrypting information by using the random data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said steps are preceded by the steps of:

sending a request to read, and

receiving RFID tag information.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of sending the encrypted information involves:

writing as the information on the memory of the RFID tag.

12. An RFID reader for controlling writing of information on an RFID tag, said RFID reader comprising:

means for sending a request to write,

means for receiving random data, and

means for sending information encrypted by the random data.

19. An RFID system comprising an RFID reader according to claim 12 communicating with an RFID tag.

13. A method of communication for an RFID system comprising an RFID reader communicating with an RFID tag, said method comprising the steps of:

sending, from the RFID reader to the RFID tag, a request to write,

generating, by the RFID tag, random data,

sending, from the RFID tag to the RFID reader, the random data,

encrypting information by using the random data,

sending, from the RFID reader to the RFID tag, the encrypted information,

decrypting, by the RFID tag, the encrypted information by using the random data, and

storing, by the RFID tag on a memory of the RFID tag, the decrypted information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the random data is followed by the step of:

storing the random data, by the RFID tag, on a memory of the RFID tag.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the random data is derived from measuring any of thermal resistance noise, thermal shot noise, atmospheric noise and nuclear decay.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the random data and decrypted information are of the same length, thereby fulfilling the properties of a one time pad.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of decrypting the information is followed by the step of:

overwriting or deleting, by the RFID tag, the random data.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said steps are preceded by the steps of:

sending, from the RFID reader to the RFID tag, a request to read, and

sending, from the RFID tag to the RFID reader, RFID tag information.