RFID mutual authentication verification session

• US 8,154,405 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gravelle, Kelly, Scott, Dale L., Tan, Zhenping
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/243,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20090096584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/5.8, 340/10.1, 340/502, 340/505
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• 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: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

In a protocol for preserving the privacy of communications between a RFID reader and a RFID tag, two distinct actions are taken. First, the reader and the tag must be mutually authenticated as being authorized participants in the communications. After that process is successfully completed, the authenticity of each authorized participant must be validated prior to each subsequent communication between reader and tag.

Claims

1. A protocol for safeguarding the security of radio frequency identification (RFID) communications between an RFID base station and an RFID tag to provide protection against an unauthorized communication, the protocol comprising:

conducting by the tag and the base station a first process of mutually authenticating the tag and the base station as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions, said process of mutually authenticating operating on a first random number generated by the tag, a second random number generated by the reader and a key stored by the tag and the reader; and

using a second process differing from the first process to separately verify the authenticity of the base station before each transaction in the series of transactions wherein the tag determines whether the base station is authentic by comparing a base station authentication code generated by the base station and a tag authentication code generated by the tag, the base station authentication code being appended to an unencrypted base station message for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation

wherein said base station authentication code and said tag authentication code are based on said first or second random numbers or said key.

2. The protocol of claim 1, wherein the base station authentication code comprises an encrypted CRC function.

3. The protocol of claim 1, further comprising aborting the series of transactions upon an inability to verify the authenticity of the base station.

4. The protocol of claim 3, further comprising restarting the first process of mutually authenticating the tag and the base station seeking to participate in the series of transactions.

26. The protocol of claim 1, further comprising the base station separately verifying the authenticity of the tag each time the tag sends data to the base station after said process of mutually authenticating said separate verification of the authenticity of the tag being performed by the base station determining whether the tag is authentic by comparing the authentication codes.

5. A protocol for safeguarding the security of radio frequency identification (RFID) communications between an RFID reader and an RFID tag so as to provide protection against an unauthorized communication, the protocol comprising:

conducting by the tag and the reader a process using a unique variable, a random number generated by the tag and a random number generated by the reader for mutually authenticating the tag and the reader as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions with the tag; and

separately verifying the authenticity of the reader before each transaction in the series by the tag determining whether the reader is authentic by conducting a process using at least one of said unique variable, said random number generated by the tag or said random number generated by the reader to compare a reader authentication code generated by the reader and a tag authentication code generated by the tag, the reader authentication code being an encrypted CRC sent by the reader and appended to an unencrypted reader message for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation, said CRC being formed from said unencrypted reader message.

6. The protocol of claim 5, further comprising aborting the series of transactions upon an inability to verify the authenticity of the reader.

7. The protocol of claim 6, further comprising restarting the process for mutually authenticating the tag and the reader seeking to participate in the series of transactions.

8. The protocol of claim 5, wherein a transaction comprises an access of the tag by the reader.

9. A protocol for safeguarding the security of radio frequency identification (RFID) communications to an RFID reader from an RFID tag so as to provide protection against an unauthorized communication, the protocol comprising:

conducting by the tag and the reader a first process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions, said process of mutually authenticating operating on a first random number generated by the tag, a second random number generated by the reader and a key stored by the tag and the reader; and

using a second process differing from the first process to separately verify the authenticity of the tag before each transaction in the series by the reader determining whether the tag is authentic by comparing a tag authentication code generated by the tag and a reader authentication code generated by the reader, the tag authentication code being encrypted by the tag and appended to an unencrypted tag response to a reader message for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation authentication

wherein said base station authentication code and said tag authentication code are based on said first or second random numbers or said key.

10. The protocol of claim 9, wherein the tag authentication code consists of an encrypted CRC function.

11. The protocol of claim 9, further comprising aborting the series of transactions upon an inability to verify the authenticity of the reader.

12. The protocol of claim 11, further comprising restarting the protocol with the conducting a process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader seeking to participate in the series of transactions.

13. A protocol for safeguarding the security of radio frequency identification (RFID) communications between an RFID reader and an RFID tag having a memory with a protected portion so as to provide protection for the protected portion against intrusion by an unauthorized reader, the protocol comprising:

conducting by the tag and the reader a first authentication process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions involving an accessing of the protected portion, said process of mutually authenticating operating on a first random number generated by the tag, a second random number generated by the reader and a key stored by the tag and the reader; and

using a second authentication process differing from the first authentication process to separately verify the authenticity of the reader as being authorized before each transaction in the series by the tag determining whether the reader is authentic by comparing a reader authentication code generated by the reader and a tag authentication code generated by the tag, the reader authentication code being encrypted by the reader and appended to an unencrypted reader message for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation, wherein the encrypted reader authentication code and the appended unencrypted message are transmitted together to the tag

wherein said base station authentication code and said tag authentication code are based on said first or second random number or said key.

14. The protocol of claim 13, wherein the first authentication process comprises a private key process.

15. The protocol of claim 14, further comprising receiving a tag ID from the tag and obtaining the private key by the reader in accordance with the tag ID.

16. The protocol of claim 15, further comprising creating the reader authentication code generated by the reader in accordance with the private key.

17. The protocol of claim 16, further comprising creating the reader authentication code generated by the reader in accordance with a random number received from the tag.

18. The protocol of claim 17, further comprising creating the reader authentication code generated by the tag in accordance with the private key.

19. The protocol of claim 18, further comprising creating the reader authentication code generated by the tag in accordance with a random number received from the reader.

20. The protocol of claim 14, wherein the second authentication process comprises a checksum authentication function.

21. The protocol of claim 20, wherein the checksum authentication process comprises an encrypted checksum function.

22. The protocol of claim 21, wherein the encrypted checksum process consists of an encrypted CRC function.

23. The protocol of claim 13, wherein the message comprises a reader message for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation.

24. The protocol of claim 13, further comprising aborting the series of transactions upon an inability to verify the authenticity of the reader.

25. The protocol of claim 24, further comprising restarting the protocol with the conducting a process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader seeking to participate in the series of transactions.

27. A protocol for safeguarding the security of radio frequency identification (RFID) communications between an RFID reader and an RFID tag having a memory with a protected portion so as to provide protection for the protected portion against intrusion, the protocol comprising:

conducting by the tag and the reader a process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions involving an access of the data of the protected portion, said mutual authentication using a key known to the tag and the reader, a random number generated by the reader and a random number generated by the tag; and

separately verifying the authenticity of the reader before each transaction in the series by the tag determining whether the reader is authentic by comparing a reader error detection function generated by the reader and a tag error detection function generated by the tag, the reader error detection function being encrypted by the reader and appended to an unencrypted reader command for instructing the tag to perform a tag operation, wherein the encrypted reader error detection function and the appended unencrypted reader command are transmitted together to the tag and are based on said key, said random number generated by the reader or said random number generated by the tag in said process of mutual authentication.