NFCApplications and Security

WHAT IS NFC ?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication.

NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that provides intuitive, simple, and safe communication between electronic devices.

It is a wireless communication interface with a working distance limited to about 10 cm.

It works on the simple principle of inductive coupling.

When current flows through the NFC chip, a magnetic field is generated.

This field induces electricity within the second device or an NFC tag.

The second device generates a magnetic field of its own which is then detected by the first device.

It registers this RF field and decodes it.

NFC STANDARDS

Operates at 13.56 MHz

Can send data at a rate of 106, 212 or 424 kb per second.

MODES OF OPERATION

READ MODE PEER-TO-PEER CARD EMULATION

SIMPLY READS AN NFC TAG

TWO NFC ENABLED DEVICES CAN EXCHANGE

INFORMATION.

PHONE CAN ACT AS A CARD TO MAKE PAYMENTS

APPLICATIONSPRESENT AND PROTOTYPED

• Make payments with a wave or a touch anywhere contactless card readers have been deployed.

• Read information and “pick up” special offers and discounts from smart posters or smart billboards.

• Store tickets to access transportation gates, parking garages or get into events.

• Store personal information that will allow secure building access.

• Take a picture and transfer it to an NFC-enabled printer or monitor.

• Share business cards with other NFC-enabled phones.

AT PARKING METERS

NFC POWERING AN E-PAPER.

NFC RINGS

SECURITY• Whenever radio frequencies are involved, there's a potential security

risk.

• Even though NFC transmissions must take place over very short ranges, it's possible to pick up transmissions from much further away.

• It's harder to detect transmissions from passive components. Even so, an eavesdropper could detect signals from about a meter away with the right equipment.

• Data can be stolen or corrupted by an attacker easily By creating an RF field of the same frequency as that of the sender.By changing bits 1 to 0 or vice versa in a signal.By modulating carrier signal with a pause in the original signal.

SOLUTIONS• NFC specific key agreement

Set of keys unique for NFC transactionsThis one does not require any asymmetric cryptography.Therefore reduces the computational requirements significantly

• Secure Channel for NFC Establishing a secure channel between two NFC devices is clearly the best approach to

protect against eavesdropping and any kind of data modification attack.

A standard key agreement protocol like Diffie-Hellmann Elliptic Curves could be applied to establish a shared secret between two devices

• Chip ModificationThe NFC chip can be modified to constantly check its RF field while it is transmitting data.

The power required to attack is much larger than the power of the NFC signal.

Hence the chip will be able to identify an attacking signal instantly

CONCLUSION

• NFC is not more insecure than other related technologies. It offers options for

encrypting data on the application layer the same way as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but additionally provides safety through the requirement of very close physical proximity.

• At present, the NFC technology has reached a level where

commercial launch preparation can begin and should be established.

• Reliability and usability of NFC applications are probably

the most striking advantages of the NFC technology and therefore important

keys to its success.

• When compared to alternative technologies, NFC offers great advantages.

• It is very likely that the NFC technology will play a big role in our future everyday life.