RFID security system and method, including security stamp

• US 8,138,923 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boris Wolf, John Lima, Lukas Grunwald
• Original Assignee: Neocatena Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolf, Boris, Grunwald, Lukas
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US11/796,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/539.13, 340/994, 340/572.3, 340/572.8, 340/572.9, 340/5.61, 340/5.82, 340/10.1, 235/375, 235/385, 713153-158, 713/165, 713/175, 713/189, 709/248, 726 1- 6, 726 14- 17, 726 21- 33, 380/28, 382/282, 326/8, 42/700.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Embodiments of an RFID security system and method are described herein. Embodiments include an RFID security server or appliance and RFID security software. In an embodiment, the RFID security server is placed between an RFID reader and an enterprise back-end. Thus the system operates at the point where the RFID data stream leaves the RF interface and enters a physical transmission medium before any other active components on the network (such as databases, middleware, routers). The RFID security server analyzes RFID tag data (including meta-data) received from the reader in-band and detects malware and errors in the data. RFID tag data containing malware or errors is blocked from entering the enterprise back-end. In an embodiment, analyzing RFID tag data includes generating a security stamp that is uniquely associated with the tag data. The security stamp is stored on the RFID tag, or alternatively, stored separately for later comparison in order to detect tampering.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag security system, comprising:

a plurality of security servers each coupled between respective RFID tag reader devices and respective back-end systems, wherein a back-end system is configures to read tag data from and to write tag data to one or more RFID reader devices; and

at least one database coupled to each security server, wherein the database is configurable to store a plurality of policies, and wherein each security server is configurable to analyze tag data read from and written to a respective tag reader device according to one or more of the policies, wherein analyzing comprises,

determining whether the tag data has been tampered with and whether a tag is an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag;

generating a security stamp uniquely associated with the tag data;

storing the security stamp on or more of one the tag and an external integrity database, wherein under predefined circumstances when the tag data has been tampered with, an exception causes an escalation of priority, the predefined circumstances comprising a signature reference indicating an attack signature; and

determining whether there is a security stamp associated with the tag data;

if there is a security stamp associated with the tag data, generating a second security stamp based on the tag data; and

comparing the associated security stamp with the second security stamp to establish integrity of the associated tag data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one integrity database coupled to the plurality of security servers and configured to store generated security stamps.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each security server is further configurable to:

transmit the tag data to a respective back-end system when it is determined that the tag data has not been tampered with, and that the tag is nor an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag; and

block the tag data from being transmitted to the respective back-end system when it is determined that the tag data has been tampered with, and that the tag is nor an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each security server is further configurable to store associated security stamp the RFID tag itself at a configurable area of tag user data along with a configurable code marking the tag as one that carries a security stamp.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the back-end system comprises part of an enterprise and wherein the policies are preconfigured for the enterprise.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one database is further configurable to store attack pattern signatures, wherein analyzing the tag data comprises comparing attack pattern signatures to the tag data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each security server further comprises a front-end module configurable to receive interpret data from a plurality of RFID tag types.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one database is further configurable to store audit data comprising history information, including of results of analyzing the tag data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each security server further comprises a back-end module coupled to the back-end system, wherein the back-end module is configurable to transmit tag data output by the tag reader device to the backend system, and wherein the back-end module is configurable to interface with a plurality of types of back-end systems.

36. The system of claim 2 wherein a mismatch between the associated security stamp and the second security stamp is interpreted as one or more of,

unauthorized tag user data manipulation, unauthorized tag user data duplication due to unavoidable tag meta data changes when copying tag user data from one physical tag to another;

and

unauthorized manipulation of a security stamp stored on the tag.

10. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag security method, comprising:

receiving RFID tag data from an RFID tag reader device;

analyzing the tag data read from or written to a respective tag reader device, comprising determining whether the tag data has been tampered with and whether the tag is an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag;

if the tag data has not been tampered with, generating a security stamp uniquely associated with the tag data, and transmitting the tag data to a destination system and storing the security stamp on one or more of the tag and an external integrity database;

if the tag data has been tampered with, blocking the tag data from being transmitted to the destination system, wherein under predefined circumstances when the tag data has been tampered with, an exception causes an escalation of priority, the predefined circumstances comprising a signature reference indicating an attack signature and

determining whether there is a security stamp associated with the tag data

if there is a security stamp associated with the tag data, generating a second security stamp based on the tag data; and

comparing the associated security stamp with the second security stamp to establish integrity of the associated tag data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the destination system comprises an enterprise back-end system.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the associated security stamp on at least one of an associated RFID tag and an integrity database.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the data further comprises comparing attack pattern signatures to the tag data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing further comprises analyzing according to one or more predetermined policies.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined policies comprise a plurality of rules, and wherein analyzing further comprises evaluating a first rule to determine whether the first rule is applicable.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the first rule is applicable, processing the first rule.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the first rule is not applicable, evaluating a next rule to determine whether the next rule is applicable.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, if the next rule is applicable, processing the next rule.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, if none of the plurality of rules is applicable, processing a default rule.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the tag data comprises processing at least one of a plurality of predetermined rules.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing results of the analysis in an audit database.

22. A computer-readable medium, comprising a non-transitory media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed in a system cause a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag security method to be performed, the method comprising:

receiving RFID tag data from an RFID tag reader device;

analyzing the tag data read from or written to a respective tag reader device, comprising determining whether the tag data has been tampered with and whether the tag is an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag;

if the tag data has not been tampered with, generating a security stamp uniquely associated with the tag data, and transmitting the tag data to a destination system and storing the security stamp on one or more of the tag and an external integrity database; and

if the tag data has been tampered with, blocking the tag data from being transmitted to the destination system, wherein under predefined circumstances when the tag data has been tampered with, an exception causes an escalation of priority, the predefined circumstances comprising a signature reference indicating an attack signature and

determining whether there is a security stamp associated with the tag data;

if there is a security stamp associated with the tar data, generating a second security stamp based on the tag data; and

comparing the associated security stamp with the second security stamp to establish integrity of the associated tag data.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the destination system comprises an enterprise back-end system.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprising storing the associated security stamp on at least one of an associated RFID tag and an integrity database.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein analyzing the data further comprises comparing attack pattern signatures to the tag data.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein analyzing further comprises analyzing according to one or more predetermined policies.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the predetermined policies comprise a plurality of rules, and wherein analyzing further comprises evaluating a first rule to determine whether the first rule is applicable.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises, if the first rule is applicable, processing the first rule.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises, if the first rule is not applicable, evaluating a next rule to determine whether the next rule is applicable.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises, if the next rule is applicable, processing the next rule.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises, if none of the plurality of rules is applicable, processing a default rule.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein analyzing the tag data comprises processing at least one of a plurality of predetermined rules.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises storing results of the analysis in an audit database.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises storing escalating the results of the analysis when the tag data is determined not to be secure.

35. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag security system, comprising:

a plurality of security servers each coupled between respective RFID tag reader devices and respective back-end systems, wherein a back-end system is configures to read tag data from and to write tag data to one or more RFID reader devices; and

at least one database coupled to each security server, wherein the database is configurable to store a plurality of policies, and wherein each security server is configurable to analyze tag data read from and written to a respective tag reader device according to one or more of the policies, wherein analyzing comprises,

determining whether the tag data has been tampered with and whether a tag is an unauthorized duplicate of a genuine, original tag;

generating a security stamp uniquely associated with the tag data, wherein generating a security stamp comprises calculating a unique hash value over tag data utilizing standard cryptographic hash functions, comprising hash-based message algorithm code-message direst five (HMAC-MD5), hash-based message algorithm code-secure hash algorithm one (HMAC-SHA-1), wherein tag data comprises tag user data, payload data, and factory pre-set tag meta data, including an unchangeable unique tag identification number;

storing the security stamp on or more of one the tag and an external integrity database, wherein under predefined circumstances when the tag data has been tampered with, an exception causes an escalation of priority, the predefined circumstances comprising a signature reference indicating an attack signature; and

determining whether there is a security stamp associated with the tag data;

if there is a security stamp associated with the tag data, generating a second security stamp based on the tag data; and

comparing the associated security stamp with the second security stamp to establish integrity of the associated tag data.