An authentication protocol in a security layer for RFID smart tags

This article presents a novel approach of a cryptographic authentication protocol for radio frequency identification (RFID) smart tags. RFID smart tags are microchips which can be attached to products in order to allow their contactless identification via radio frequency. Cryptographic authentication is necessary to provide security for products like branded goods or immobilizer systems in cars. However, existing protocols do not include cryptographic authentication mechanisms. Therefore, a new approach for authentication is presented in this paper. Due to the limited computing power, die-size, and low-power restrictions, a two-way challenge-response authentication scheme is proposed. Packet and frame formats extend the existing RFID protocol which is defined in the ISO/IEC 18000 standard (International Organization for Standardization, March 2003). The analysis of the authentication mechanism was done using Java models at different abstraction levels. The hardware implementation of the tag was realized in VHDL using a customized embedded microcontroller.