Security system

And
Privacy risk

Mohammad Abdullah Sarwar

F. No.- 18-LECM-064
En. No - GL2128
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction of RFID
• Classification of RFID tag
• How does RFID works?
• Application of RFID
• Security of RFID system
• Overview of security and privacy threats
• Types of attacks, their introduction and countermeasures
• problem to be solved
• Conclusion
• References
 INTRODUCTION OF RFID

• Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use of radio waves

to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an
object.
• The RFID technology is a means of gathering data about a
certain item without the need of touching or seeing the data
carrier, through electromagnetic waves.
 CLASSIFICATION OF RFID TAGS

• Active tags - Active tags require a power source. In the latter case, a
tag’s lifetime is limited by the stored energy. One example of an active
tag is the transponder attached to an aircraft that identifies its
national origin.
• Passive tags - Passive RFID is of interest because the tags don’t
require batteries or maintenance. The tags also have an indefinite
operational life and are small enough to fit into a practical adhesive
label.
 Active RFID Passive RFID

Tag Power source Internal to tag Energy transfer from the reader
via RF
Tag battery YES NO

Availability of tag power Continuous Only within field of reader

Required signal strength from Very low Very high

reader to tag
Available signal strength from tag High Very low
to reader
Communication range Long range (100m or more) Short range ( up to 10m )

Sensor capacity Ability to continuously monitor Ability to read and transfer

and record sensor input sensor values only when tag is
powered by reader

Table 1 Difference between active and passive tag

 HOW DOES RFID WORKS ?
RFID is consisted of three separate components:
• an antenna;
• an RFID tag (programmed transponder with unique information);
• a transceiver with back end database (a reader to receive and decode the signal);

fig. setup of RFID system[2]

 RFID APPLICATIONS

There are various applications of RFID in fields listed below –

1. Manufacturing
2. Retail
3. Logistics
4. Transportation
5. Medical
6. Security
 SECURITY OF RFID SYSTEM

Generally the following security requirements have to be considered in

the context of RFID systems:
Functional Reliability
• Authenticity
• Tag anonymity
• Integrity
• Data privacy
• Backward security
OVERVIEW OF PRIVACY & SECURITY THREATS

Several RFID features make it particularly vulnerable among

information systems, including:

• the wireless transmission between the tag and reader;

• the tag’s low computational power, which is often insufficient for
strong security measures;
• the tag’s small size, which means that people can carry one without
their consent or even knowledge.
 TYPE OF ATTACKS ON RFID SYSTEM

RFID based systems are subject to generic attacks that threaten system
security and user privacy.
Some of them are as followed:
• Eavesdropping
• People tracking
• Spoofing attack
• Tag content changes
• Relay attack
• Password decoding
• Reply attack
• Tag cloning
 1. Eavesdropping

• As transmit power of the reader are much larger than the label, so
listening to the reader is much easier than the label .
• Hackers secretly monitor data via air inter face i.e. the communication
channel between the reader and tag.
• Eavesdropping is passive, that means attacker does not emit any
signal so it is highly difficult to detect.
Countermeasures to prevent eavesdropping
attack
 Encrypt the data
 limit the distance between the tag and reader by using the standard
with the smallest communication range sufficient for a given
application.
 2. Spoofing Attack

• Attacker get some information of identity by eavesdropping.

• Then network will be accessed by using this information of identity to
impersonate the legitimate labels or readers.
• Effective counter measures are two way authentication and
encryption.
 3. Relay attacks
• From the RFID system’s viewpoint, the communication looks as if the
legitimate tag and the reader are close to each other.
• In relay attack, attacker create a communication channel between tag and
reader even then they are out of range.
• For example, a thief could capture the radio signal from your vehicle’s key
fob and relay it to an accomplice who could use it to open your car door.
• Authentication protocol doesn’t work.

Fig. relay attack[2]

Fig. How relay Attack works[3]
 Countermeasures to prevent relay attack

 by shielding the tags (such as keeping them in bags made of aluminum

foil) while not in use.
 the distance bounding protocol, which uses response time to estimate the
distance between the reader and tag.
 In the communication the reader's signal to noise ratio is directly related
to the distance between the reader and tag, which can be used for
distance authentication
 4. Replay attack

• Attackers abuse authorized tag carriers’ identities by repeating their

authentication sequences.
• attackers might use a clone tag or resend the eavesdropped signal
from a PC equipped with an appropriate card and antenna.
• Attacker must have the information sent by the tag during normal
communication.
• Counter measure is to use one time password or use the random
number in authentication protocol.
 5. Tag Cloning

• In tag cloning, attacker can reverse engineering to duplicate RFID tag have the
same functionality.
• The RFID tag used for identifying has a unique ID number, if the ID information
disclosure, the label can easily be copied.
• Attackers can use duplicates to access a restricted area, abuse private
data, or make an electronic transaction on the victim’s behalf.
Countermeasure –
 Tag authentication prevent cloning.
 Use of challenge-response protocol.
 Developers can also reduce risk by moving sensitive information to a protected database in the
system’s back end.
 6. People Tracking

• attackers follow tag carrier’s movements using various techniques ,

including placing fake readers in doors or deploying eavesdropping
devices near legitimate readers.
Countermeasures –
 low-range tags
 shielding tags
 authenticating readers
 disabling tags when they’re not in use.
 7. Tag content change

• If a tag is writeable, attackers can change its content.

• leading the access-control system to falsely reject an authorized
person.
• they can insert malware.
Countermeasure –
 In some writeable tags, developers can protect memory content by temporarily
or permanently disabling writing capability.
 8. Password Decoding

• As currently most RFID systems use encryption technology.

• Attackers can decode encryption algorithms by conducting violent
attacks and the like, and decipher the intercepted cryptograph to get
plain-text.

Countermeasure against password decoding are –

 Design stronger encryption algorithm by using longer keys.
LATEST PROBLEMS OF RFID SECURITY SYSTEMS
TO BE SOLVED
• The threats and security protocol research of RFID security.
• Low-power and low-cost RFID Security Mechanism.
• Design of the encryption algorithm which is applied to RFID system.
 CONCLUSION

• Security threats to RFID systems directly affect and constrain the rapid
development of RFID technology.
• This comprehensive and systematic analysis of security threats for
RFID systems and forms of attack, gave the appropriate security
solutions.
 REFERENCES

[1] Hong Li, YongHui Chen and ZhangQing He “The Survey of RFID
Attacks and Defenses”, IEEE 2012
[2] Pawel Rotter, “A Framework for Assessing RFID System Security and
Privacy Risks”, PERVASIVE computing, IEEE CS journal April-June 2008
[3]www.googleimages.com