SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RFID SECURITY

• US 20100007466A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Radiofy, LLC
• Inventors: Shoarinejad, Kambiz, Soltan, Maryam
• Granted Patent: US 7,952,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10257 arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks computer security in general G06F21/00; jamming of communication, countermeasures H04K3/00; secret communication H04K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

An RFID system includes an RFID tag, an RFID reader, and a server. The RFID tag communicates to the server via encrypted information. The information may be encrypted with synchronized encryption keys. In this manner, the reader need not decrypt the information from the RFID tag. The effectiveness of malicious readers is thereby reduced, resulting in improved RFID tag security.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information between a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a server, said method comprising the steps of:

encrypting, by said RFID tag according to a predetermined scheme, identification data identifying said RFID tag, to result in encrypted RFID information;

reading, by a RFID reader, said encrypted RFID information from said RFID tag;

transmitting, from said RFID reader to said server, a transmission, wherein said transmission includes said encrypted RFID information; and

decrypting, by said server according to said predetermined scheme, said encrypted RFID information to produce said identification data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authorizing, by said server, said transmission using said identification data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said RFID reader, authentication data, wherein said authentication data authenticates said RFID tag to said server, and wherein said transmission, from said RFID reader to said server, includes said authentication data;

authenticating, by said server, said transmission using said authentication data and said identification data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said step of receiving comprises receiving, by said RFID reader, said authentication data and transaction information, wherein said authentication data authenticates said RFID tag to said server, and wherein said transaction information relates to a transaction involving said RFID tag and said RFID reader; and

said step of transmitting comprises transmitting, from said RFID reader to said server, said transmission, wherein said transmission includes said encrypted RFID information, said transaction information, and said authentication data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

authenticating, by said server, said transaction using said authentication data and said identification data; and

authorizing, by said server, said transaction using said identification data and said transaction information.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said authentication data comprises a password, biometric information, or a pseudo-random number.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said RFID tag displays an authentication code that a user of said RFID tag provides to said reader as said authentication data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating said RFID tag, prior to said step of reading.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating said RFID tag, prior to said step of reading, with one of a switch, biometric information, or a password.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by said RFID tag prior to said step of encrypting, a pseudorandom number, wherein said step of encrypting is performed using said pseudorandom number.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said server generates an encryption key and transmits said encryption key to said RFID tag, wherein said RFID tag uses said encryption key when encrypting, and wherein said server uses said encryption key when decrypting.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said server generates an encryption key and transmits said encryption key to said RFID tag, wherein said RFID tag updates said encryption key according to a defined process to result in an updated encryption key, wherein said RFID tag uses said updated encryption key when encrypting, wherein said server updates said encryption key according to said defined process to result in said updated encryption key, and wherein said server uses said updated encryption key when decrypting.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of reading is performed by backscattering.

14. An apparatus including a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, said RFID system comprising:

an RFID tag;

an RFID reader that communicates with said RFID tag; and

a server that communicates with said RFID reader,

wherein said RFID tag encrypts, according to a predetermined scheme, identification data identifying said RFID tag, to result in encrypted RFID information,

wherein said RFID reader reads said encrypted RFID information from said RFID tag,

wherein said RFID reader transmits a transmission to said server, wherein said transmission includes said encrypted RFID information, and

wherein said server decrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said encrypted RFID information to produce said identification data.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said server authorizes said transmission using said identification data.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said RFID reader receives authentication data, wherein said transmission, from said RFID reader to said server, includes said authentication data, and wherein said authentication data authenticates said RFID tag to said server.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said server authenticates said transmission using said authentication data and said identification data.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

said RFID reader receives said authentication data and transaction information, wherein said transaction information relates to a transaction involving said RFID tag and said RFID reader;

said transmission includes said encrypted RFID information, said transaction information, and said authentication data;

said server authenticates said transaction using said authentication data and said identification data; and

said server authorizes said transaction using said identification data and said transaction information.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said RFID tag comprises:

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader; and

a processor, coupled to said transceiver, that encrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said identification data.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said RFID tag comprises:

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader;

a memory that stores a plurality of encryption keys; and

a processor, coupled to said transceiver and to said memory, that encrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said identification data using a selected one of said plurality of encryption keys.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said RFID tag comprises:

a switch that activates said RFID tag;

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader when said RFID tag is active; and

a processor, coupled to said switch and to said transceiver, that encrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said identification data.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said RFID tag comprises:

a switch that activates said RFID tag, wherein said switch includes one of a physical toggle, a biometric sensor, or a password processing system;

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader when said RFID tag is active; and

a processor, coupled to said switch and to said transceiver, that encrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said identification data.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said RFID tag comprises:

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader;

a processor, coupled to said transceiver, that encrypts, according to said predetermined scheme, said identification data; and

a display, coupled to said processor, that displays an authentication code that a user of said RFID tag provides to said RFID reader as said authentication data.

24. A method of transmitting information between a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a server, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting identification data from said RFID tag to an RFID reader;

receiving, by said RFID reader, authentication data, wherein said authentication data authenticates said RFID tag to said server;

transmitting, from said RFID reader to said server, a transmission, wherein said transmission includes said identification data and said authentication data; and

authenticating, by said server, said transmission using said authentication data and said identification data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said authentication data comprises a password.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said authentication data comprises biometric information.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said authentication data comprises a pseudo-random number.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said pseudo-random number is generated by said RFID tag and displayed to a user, and wherein said server includes a synchronized pseudo-random number.

29. A method of transmitting information between a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a RFID reader, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by said RFID tag from said RFID reader, first information;

displaying at least a portion of the first information to a user;

receiving a verification from the user to verify the first information; and

transmitting identification data from said RFID tag to said RFID reader if the first information has been verified.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of receiving a verification comprises activating a switch on said RFID tag to verify the first information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said first information comprises information about a transaction.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said first information comprises a number or a code.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said first information comprises an image.

34. An apparatus including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for use in an RFID system including an RFID reader and a server, said RFID tag comprising:

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader; and

a processor, coupled to said transceiver, that generates a pseudorandom number according to a predetermined scheme, and that encrypts identification data identifying said RFID tag using said pseudorandom number.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said RFID tag further comprises a switch for activating said RFID tag.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said RFID tag further comprises a switch, where said RFID tag receives information from a reader, and a user verifies the information from the reader and activates the tag using the switch, and said RFID tag transmits information to the reader only if said user verifies the information from the reader.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said RFID tag further comprises a display, and wherein said RFID tag receives information from a reader and displays the information to a user.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said RFID tag further comprises a display, coupled to said processor, that displays said pseudorandom number.

39. An apparatus including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for use in an RFID system including an RFID reader and a server, said RFID tag comprising:

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader;

a processor, coupled to said transceiver, that encrypts, according a predetermined scheme, identification data that identifies said RFID tag, and that generates an authentication code; and

a display, coupled to said processor, that displays said authentication code.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said RFID tag further comprises a switch for activating said RFID tag.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said RFID tag receives information from a reader and displays the information to a user.

42. An apparatus including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for use in an RFID system including an RFID reader, said RFID tag comprising:

a switch for activating said RFID tag;

a transceiver that communicates with said RFID reader; and

a processor, coupled to said transceiver, that processes information received from said RFID reader.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising a display, coupled to said processor, that displays information received from said RFID reader.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said RFID tag receives first information from said RFID reader if said switch is activated and said transceiver is disabled if said switch is deactivated.