EP2274702A1

EP2274702A1 - Method for authenticating an rfid tag

Info

Publication number: EP2274702A1
Application number: EP09745641A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michael Braun
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2008-05-16
Filing date: 2009-04-16
Publication date: 2011-01-19
Also published as: US20110068894A1; CN102027483A; DE102008023914A1; WO2009138308A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an authentication method in an RFID system using the challenge-response protocol. In order to ensure the protection of data privacy, the data communication between the RFID reader and the RFID tag is usually additionally encrypted. Such an authentication can have any degree of complexity and therefore inevitably requires a high degree of hardware and software complexity. The invention relates to an RFID tag having a display, wherein the response is displayed on the display of the RFID tag and is read by the RFID tag by means of an optical scanner, thereby making reading out the response of the RFID tag only possible with direct visual contact.

Description

description

Method for authenticating an RFID tag

The invention relates to a system and a method for authenticating an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, in particular for the authentication of RFID tags providing security for data protection.

With RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) it is possible to equip tags or tags with a chip that can be read without contact. RFID tags are used primarily for marking goods. Furthermore, ID cards for access control and payment systems can be provided with RFID tags. There is a distinction between active and passive RFID tags. Active RFID tags have their own power supply, whereas passive RFID tags do not have their own power supply. Passive RFID tags are powered by an electromagnetic field emitted by an RFID reader.

Usually, an RFID tag has a data memory with a plurality of addressable memory units. The RFID reader for reading out the data stored on the RFID tag has a predetermined standard instruction set for accessing the storage units of the RFID tag. With the two commands "Read" and "Write", data of the memory RFID tag can be read out or data can be written. With these conventional RFID tags, it is only possible to write data into a data memory of the RFID tag or read from the data memory.

Increasingly, however, sensitive data is also kept on an RFID tag, such as electronic travelers, access control cards or plagiarism protection applications. Unauthorized reading of the data from such an RFID tag is absolutely necessary for privacy and security reasons. Unlike data carriers With contact-based interfaces, the data is transmitted wirelessly in the case of RFID tags, so that in particular there is the risk of unnoticed reading out of data.

One differentiates here the following two categories of the protection and thus the wiretapping security:

1. Privacy protection (Data Privacy):

When ensuring the protection of private data, an unauthorized user may not infer their identity by intercepting the data communication between the RFID reader and transponder or alternatively by actively responding to the transponder. Otherwise, this unauthorized user security-critical, sensitive data, which z. B. are stored on the transponder received. Such sensitive data can z. B. contain user-specific information.

2. Protection of local privacy (Location Privacy):

To ensure local privacy, an unauthorized user must be prevented from intercepting the data communication between the RFID reader and the transponder or even by actively addressing the user

Transponders receives at two different times a location-related information about the transponder. In particular, it must therefore be ensured that an unauthorized user can not derive from this that they are each the same or possibly also different transponders, since otherwise they can derive so-called movement profiles (tracking) from individual transponders and thus also their users. Again, this is sensitive, sensitive information that needs to be protected.

Mechanisms of the access protection therefore ensure that unauthorized reading of the data from the RF chip and eavesdropping on the communication are prevented become. Such protection is achieved, for example, by encrypting the stored data.

Another important security measure is the two-sided authentication of the RFID tag and reader in order to prevent unauthorized unauthorized users (or attackers) from intervening in the data communication and thus being able to read safety-critical data. In addition, it can thus be ensured that the data read originate from a non-manipulated RFID tag.

For authenticity verification, an authentication function is implemented, for example, by means of a so-called challenge-response method. In such a challenge-response method, a random "challenge" is generated to authenticate the RFID tag by the RFID reader and sent to the RFID tag. For its part, the RFID tag calculates the "response" belonging to this "challenge" using a secret key and sends this "response" back to the RFID reader. The RFID reader then checks the response received from the RFID tag for its correctness. The challenge-response protocol is designed so that only the RFID tag having the correct secret key can calculate the correct response. It is also not possible for an attacker to determine the secret key by knowing pairs of challenge and corresponding valid response.

In order to ensure data protection for such a procedure, the data communication between the reader and the RFID tag is additionally encrypted. Such an authentication can be designed as complicated as desired. However, an essential constraint in RFID-based data communication is that the simplest and fastest possible data communication between RFID reader and transponder takes place. This is due to the fact that the transponder is typically only low-resources, ie on the one hand on low energy resources and other On the other hand, it has low storage and computational resources, so that as few as possible data volumes should typically be evaluated and authenticated during authentication. On the other hand, this authentication should also be carried out as quickly as possible, since, especially in the case of dynamic RFID-based data communication systems, the transponder to be authenticated is very often within the range of action of the respective RFID reader for only a small period of time. Within this short time, on the one hand, a data communication connection must be established, authenticated, and then the data exchanged. However, the previously known solutions require a relatively large amount of hardware due to the compute-intensive encryption on the part of the RFID tag.

Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for authentication for or in an RFID communication system which, on the one hand, provides the highest possible security and which, on the other hand, requires the least possible hardware outlay.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a method and a system having the features specified in claims 1 and 10. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a method for authenticating at least one RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag by an RFID reader using a challenge-response protocol comprises the following steps:

(a) generating a challenge by the RFID reader,

(b) wirelessly transmitting the challenge to the RFID tag,

(c) determining a response by the RFID tag based on the transmitted challenge and a first secret key,

(d) displaying the determined response on a display of the RFID tag, (e) machine reading the displayed response by the RFID reader and checking the read response.

The inventive system for authenticating an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag by an RFID reader according to a challenge-response protocol comprises:

(a) an RFID reader having a first authentication module for generating a challenge and checking an obtained response, and having a first communication module for wirelessly transmitting the challenge,

(B) at least one RFID tag, with a second communication module for receiving the transmitted challenge and a second authentication module, which determines the response associated with the received challenge, wherein the RFID tag has a display on which the determined response is displayed and the RFID reader has an optical reader module with which the displayed response is read by machine.

The invention will be explained in more detail with exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures. Show it:

1 shows a block diagram of an inventive RFID

Systems,

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the inventive

authentication method

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram for the representation of the inventive authentication method

Based elliptic curves.

First, the basic structure of an RFID system according to the invention will be explained in greater detail on the basis of the block diagram in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference number 1 denotes an RFID system. The RFID system 1 contains an RFID reader 2 and a RFID transponder 3. RFID reader 2 and RFID transponder 3 are connected via a wireless communication link 4 in bidirectional communicative connection.

The RFID reader 2 comprises a control device 5, a transmitting / receiving device 6 and a transmitting / receiving antenna 7. In the same way, the RFID transponder also comprises a control device 8, a transmitting / receiving device 9 and a common transmitting / receiving antenna 10th

The transmitting / receiving antennas 7, 10 can be designed as inductive coil antennas or as dipole antennas.

In the respective control devices 5, 8, the flow of data communication is controlled. Typically, this control device contains a computing device (arithmetic unit, CPU or the like), in which the arithmetic operations are carried out, in particular for the authentication.

The control of the data communication takes place in each case via the RFID reader-side control device 5 and the transponder-side control device 8. The control device 5 of the RFID reader 2 is designed to transmit high-frequency carrier signals 11 to the antenna 10 via the antenna 7

Transponder 3 to send. In the same way, the control device 8 and the transceiver 9 of the transponder 3 are designed to send corresponding response signals 12 back to the RFID reader 2 in response to the transmitted carrier signals 11. The control devices 5, 8 can be designed, for example, as a program-controlled device, such as, for example, as a microcontroller or microprocessor, or else in a hardwired logic circuit, such as, for example, as FPGA or PLD.

The memories 18, 19 typically contain a RAM memory in which z. B. calculation results are stored. Additionally or alternatively, this memory 18, 19 can also be a have EEPROM memory in which system parameters, parameters of the various communication participants, such. As a subscriber-specific private key, a public key, a subscriber-specific certificate or the like, are stored.

The RFID reader 2 also has an evaluation device 14. This evaluation device 14 is arranged in the receiving path of the RFID reader 2 and arranged downstream of the receiver of the transmitting / receiving device 6. In the same way, the transponder 3 has an evaluation device 15 in the reception path 23 of the transponder 3. In the respective evaluation devices 14, 15, the evaluation of the received data of a data communication takes place. In particular, a demodulation and decoding of the received data is carried out there first.

Furthermore, both the RFID reader 2 and the transponder 3 an authentication module 16, 17, which are arranged between the respective transmitting / receiving device 6, 9 and control device 5, 8 of the RFID reader 2 and the transponder 3. These authentication modules 16, 17 are designed here as separate modules. However, this authentication module 16, 17 is preferably part of the respective control device 5, 8.

An authentication module 16, 17 further comprises a memory 18, 19, in which, for example, data, keys or the like, which are required for the authentication or must be cached, are stored.

According to the invention, the RFID transponder now has a display 25, which is set up to display data transmitted by the transceiver 9 of the transponder 3. This is in particular a response determined in the course of a challenge-response method used for authentication. The response can be encrypted, unencrypted or, for example, displayed as a barcode. Of course, other data can be displayed via the display 25. For machine reading of the data displayed on the display 25, the RFID reader 2 according to the invention an optical reader 24. The optical reader is designed, for example, as a (barcode) scanner or camera.

Such an RFID tag with display has been developed within the framework of the project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, PARIFLEX (see: http://www.vue.fraunhofer.de/de/index.php?id=319). In addition to the usual components of RFID tags, the so-called D-RFID has a display, so that the data displayed can be read out from the RFID tag by visual contact with a human. The bistable display, like the RFID tag itself, is operated passively. It is therefore powered by the RFID reader with power and therefore does not require its own power source.

In the first stage of the EU passport, a procedure is used in which only those who actually optical

Has access to the passport that can read the contents of the data store (see: http: //www.bεi. Bund. En / fachthem / epass / security features .pdf). Technically, this is implemented by the fact that the reader must authenticate itself to the RFID chip. For this authentication, the reader requires a secret access key, which is calculated from the machine-readable zone of the passport. The reading device must first optically read the machine-readable zone, then calculate the access key and then authenticate itself to the RF chip.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the RFID reader 2 and the RFID transponder 3 of the RFID system 1, wherein only the authentication modules 16, 17 within these devices 2, 3 for explaining the authentication method are shown there. The inventive authentication method takes place as follows:

At the beginning of the authentication process, the RFID reader-side authentication module 16 generates a request C (C = Challenge).

The authentication module 16 sends out this request C as a request signal 11. One or more transponders 3 located in the immediate vicinity of this RFID reader 2 receive this request signal 11 with the request C, this request signal 11 being demodulated and decoded in the respective transponder 3 in a known manner.

Subsequently, the authentication module 17 calculates the response R matching the request C (R = response).

Subsequently, the authentication module 17 sends the answer R as a response signal to the display 25 on which the

Answer R is displayed optically visible.

- The RFID reader 2 reads with an optical scanner 24, the data displayed on the display 25. In the RFID reader 2 and in particular in the local authentication module 16, the read response signal 26, which contains the response R, processed, so that in the authentication module 16 now also the answer R is present.

- The authentication module 16 checks the answer R. In a positive examination of this data R, the transponder 3 against the RFID reader 2 is authenticated, so that subsequently the actual data communication between the RFID reader 2 and the transponder 3 via the wireless , bidirectional communication link 4 can take place. The method described above is basically suitable for symmetric and asymmetric authentication methods. In the case of a symmetrical authentication method, both the RFID reader and the RFID transponder have the same secret key. In the case of an asymmetric authentication method, there exists an asymmetrical key pair consisting of a private and a public key. The private, secret key is known only to the RFID transponder.

The public key can generally be made known to the RFID reader via two options. The first possibility is that the public key is already known to the RFID reader. In the second possibility, the public key is included in a certificate which is assigned to the RFID transponder and transmitted by the latter together with the answer R to the RFID reader.

According to the second possibility, the authenticated

Transponder 3 relative to the RFID reader 2 by sending back a valid certificate Z 'together with a valid response R to the request C sent by the RFID reader 2 to the latter. Such a valid response R can only be calculated and returned by the transponder 3 if it has knowledge of the secret key ξ _{τ of} the transponder belonging to the public key x _τ from the certificate Z '. In order to check the certificate Z 'in turn, the RFID reader can use a public signature key x _{s of} the entity that issued the certificate Z'.

For this exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the RFID reader generates the request C independently of the secret key stored in the transponder 3. Otherwise, for example, an additional communication step would be required, so that the transponder 3 the RFID reader 2 before his identity or his public key can communicate. As a result, the authentication process is shorter overall.

The exemplary authentication method illustrated in FIG. 3 is carried out as follows:

In steps 1) to 4) of the inventive authentication protocol illustrated in FIG. 5, the RFID reader generates the request C = Xi. This request Xi represents the x-coordinate of the point Pi = ri * P for a random scalar r _± . The RFID reader 3 sends this request Xi to the transponder 3.

In step 5), a response calculation takes place. Here, the transponder 3 calculates the corresponding answer to the request Xi

(X ₂ , Z ₂ ) representing the projective x-coordinate of the point P2 = ξϊ * Pi = ξ _τ * (ri * P).

In step 6), the transponder 3 transmits the answer (X ₂ , Z ₂ ) together with its certificate Z 'of the transponder 3 to the RFID reader. The certificate Z 'consists of the public key x _{τ of} the transponder 3 and the signature components r _τ and s _τ .

For transmission, the data ((X ₂ , Z ₂ ), Z ') are displayed on the display 25 in machine-readable form. This displayed information is read by the optical reader 24 of the RFID reader 2.

The RFID reader 2 checks the certificate Z 'of the transponder 3 in step 7). If the certificate Z 'is not valid, then the RFID reader 2 rejects the transponder 3 as not authentic.

In steps 8) - 9) the RFID reader 2 checks the response of the transponder 3. The RFID reader 2 calculates the projective x-coordinate (X3, Z ₃ ) of the point P3 = r _± * T = ri * (ξ _τ * P) and checks whether (X ₂ , Z ₂ ) as well as (X3, Z ₃ ) projec- tive coordinates of the same point. This is the case if and only if X ₃ Z ₂ = X ₂ Z ₃ . If the answer is correct, the transponder 3 is authentic (step 10)). If the answer is wrong, the RFID reader 2 rejects the transponder 3 as being not authentic.

The protocol described allows a very simple and nevertheless very secure authentication, a maximum privacy protection (Data and Location Privacy)

The described invention makes it possible to read out the response in a challenge-response method only if there is direct visual contact with the display of the RFID transponder. An unnoticed reading of the RFID tag is thus excluded. Furthermore, it is achieved by the invention that no encryption of the data communication in an authentication is necessary to ensure the privacy. This leads to a considerable simplification in the hardware and software requirements of the RFID tag.

Claims

claims

A method of authenticating at least one RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag by an RFID reader using a challenge-response protocol, comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a challenge by the RFID reader,

(b) wirelessly transmitting the challenge to the RFID tag,

(C) determining a response by the RFID tag based on the transmitted challenge and a first secret key, which is associated with the RFID tag, characterized in that

(d) the determined response is displayed on a display of the RFID tag. (e) the indicated response is read in and read out by the RFID reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined response is displayed encrypted on the display.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the determined response is displayed as a barcode on the display.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a symmetric cryptographic method for the Chal- lenge response protocol is used, in which the RFID reader has the first secret key.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an asymmetric cryptographic method is used with an asymmetric key pair consisting of a private and a public key for the challenge-response protocol, wherein the private key is known only to the RFID tag.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the RFID reader has the public key of the asymmetrical key pair.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the public key is transmitted to the RFID reader in a certificate associated with the RFID tag.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the certificate transmitted from the RFID tag is checked by the RFID reader for validity, and the verification of the validity of the certificate is performed using another public key.

The method of any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the asymmetric cryptographic method is implemented on the basis of scalar multiplications on a suitable elliptic curve.

10. A system for authenticating a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag by an RFID reader according to a challenge-response protocol with:

(a) an RFID reader having a first authentication module for generating a challenge and for checking an obtained response, and having a first communication module for wireless transmission of the challenge,

(B) at least one RFID tag, with a second communication module for receiving the transmitted Challenge and a second authentication module, which the received

Challenge associated response determined, characterized in that the RFID tag has a display on which the determined

Response is displayed and the RFID reader has an optical reader module with which the displayed response is read by machine.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag together with the associated display is operated passively.

12. The system according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the first and second authentication module comprises a computing module, which are provided for calculations, checks and authentica- tions within the respective authentication module.

13. System according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the first and second authentication module, a Ver¬

/ Decryption device, which is provided for a respective encryption and / or decryption.