Design considerations for a computationally-lightweight authentication mechanism for passive RFID tags

Abstract

Passive RFID tags are attractive for their low cost, small footprint, and ability to function without batteries. The lack of onboard power, however, limits the complexity of operations that can be performed by the tags' integrated circuits, and this limitation prevents the tags from being able to perform typical functions required to support e-authentication. This thesis quantifies the delta between the power that would be required to perform MAC-based authentication, and the power made available to a tag via the reader. A modified MAC protocol is then proposed that would theoretically close this delta while still providing sufficient authentication assurance.