RFID MUTUAL AUTHENTICATION VERIFICATION SESSION

• US 20090096584A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TC License Limited
• Inventors: Tan, Zhenping, Gravelle, Kelly, Scott, Dale L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,154,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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

1-11. -11. (canceled)

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

conducting a process of mutually authenticating said tag and said authorized reader as being authorized to participate in a series of transactions involving a readout of data from said read-protected portion of the tag'"'"'s memory;

and

separately verifying the authenticity of the reader as having said authority before each transaction in said series by determining whether the reader is authentic based on a comparison of a reader authentication code generated by the reader and a reader authentication code generated by the tag.

13. The protocol according to claim 12, including aborting said series of transactions upon an inability to verify the authenticity of the reader'"'"'s authority.

14. The protocol according to claim 13, including restarting the protocol with said conducting a process of mutually authenticating the tag and the reader seeking to participate in said series of transactions.

15. The protocol according to claim 12, wherein said tag is an active tag.

16. The protocol according to claim 12, wherein said tag is a passive tag.

17. The protocol according to claim 12, wherein said tag and reader operate in the ultra high frequency range.