SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RFID SECURITY

• US 20110228941A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• 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 8,085,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• 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 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• 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

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. An apparatus comprising a tag for use in a system including a tag reader and a server communicatively coupled to the tag reader, the tag comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with the tag reader through a wireless link; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor to execute sets of instructions to (i) send preliminary information of the tag to the server through the tag reader, (ii) receive, based on the preliminary information, an encryption key from the server through the tag reader, and (iii) encrypt, based on a predetermined encryption scheme, identification data identifying the tag using the encryption key, the identification data for the server to decrypt according to the predetermined encryption scheme using the encryption key.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the preliminary information comprises a partial identification of the tag.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the encryption key comprises a pseudo random number.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the tag does not comprise a continuous source of power.

49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the tag further comprises a display to display information received from the tag reader.

50. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the set of instructions executed by the processor further comprises a set of instructions to send the encrypted identification data to the server through the tag reader.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the tag further comprises means to activate the tag prior to executing the set of instructions for sending the encrypted data to the server.

52. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the wireless link is one of a Bluetooth link, an ultrawideband (UWB) link, a backscattering link, and an optical link.

53. An apparatus comprising a tag for use in a system including a tag reader and a server communicatively coupled to the tag reader, the tag comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with the tag reader through a wireless link;

a storage to store a plurality of encryption keys; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor to execute sets of instructions to (i) receive, from the server through the tag reader, a pointer identifying one of the plurality of stored encryption keys, (ii) select the encryption key identified by the received pointer, and (iii) encrypt identification data identifying the tag using the selected encryption key, the identification data for the server to decrypt according to a predetermined encryption scheme using the encryption key.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the encryption key comprises a pseudo random number.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the tag does not comprise a continuous source of power.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the tag further comprises a display to display information received from the tag reader.

57. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the set of instructions executed by the processor further comprises a set of instructions to send the encrypted identification data to the server through the tag reader.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the tag further comprises means to activate the tag prior to executing the set of instructions for sending the encrypted data to the server.

59. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the wireless link is one of a Bluetooth link, an ultrawideband (UWB) link, a backscattering link, and an optical link.

60. An apparatus comprising a tag for use in a system including a tag reader and a server communicatively coupled to the tag reader, the tag comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with the tag reader through a wireless link;

a storage to store timing information; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor to execute sets of instructions to (i) receive timing information, (ii) compare the timing information with previously stored timing information, (iii) generate an encryption key based on the comparison, and (iv) encrypt identification data identifying the tag using the encryption key, the identification data for the server to decrypt according to a predetermined encryption scheme using the encryption key.

61. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the encryption key comprises a pseudo random number.

62. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the tag does not comprise a continuous source of power, wherein the previously stored timing information comprises timing information received a last time when the tag was active, wherein the set of instructions to generate the encryption key comprises a set of instructions to use said predetermine scheme to generate a pseudo-random number.

63. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the tag further comprises a display to display information received from the tag reader.

64. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the set of instructions executed by the processor further comprises a set of instructions to send the encrypted identification data to the server through the tag reader.

65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the tag further comprises means for activating the tag prior to executing the set of instructions for sending the encrypted data to the server.

66. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the wireless link is one of a Bluetooth link, an ultrawideband (UWB) link, a backscattering link, and an optical link.