Public-Key Cryptography for RFID-Tags

Abstract

RFID-tags are a new generation of bar-codes with added functionality. An emerging application is the use of RFID-tags for anti-counterfeiting by embedding them into a product. Public-key cryptography (PKC) offers an attractive solution to the counterfeiting problem but whether a publickey cryptosystem can be implemented on an RFID tag or not remains unclear. In this paper, we investigate which PKC-based identification protocols are useful for these anti-counterfeiting applications. We also discuss the feasibility of identification protocols based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and show that it is feasible on RFID tags. Finally, we compare different implementation options and explore the cost that side-channel attack countermeasures would have on such implementations