SURVEY ON NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY

Vishal BhatnagarMichael Jewitt

Karan KampaniGreg MaagTim Suffel

What We Researched

What is NFC? How does NFC work? How is NFC different from Bluetooth? Current Applications Future Applications Challenges with Security Challenges in the Market

What Is NFC?

Near Field Communications Communication Protocol between 2

devices Short range

Max of 4 inches Low Power Successor to RFID

Uses Magnetic Induction Creates Radio-Wave Field

“Sharing, pairing, and transaction” [1]

How Does NFC Work?

Short Range Wireless Technology Typically requires a distance of 4 cm or

less Operates at 13.56 MHz Transfer rates of 106 kbits/s to 848

kbits/s

Passive Communication Mode

Initiator Device Has a power source Provides an electromagnetic field that

powers the target device Target Device (or Tag)

Can be in the form of tags, stickers, key fobs, or cards

Uses electromagnetic field to transfer small amounts of data to the initiator device

Active Communication Mode

Both initiator and target device have a power supply

Communicate by alternately generating their own fields

Two devices communicate to each other by trading roles of initiator and target

Comparison with Bluetooth

Both short range communication technologies

NFC has a slower transfer rate NFC does not require pairing of devices

Comparison with Bluetooth

NFC Bluetooth

Range < 4 cm ~10 m (class 2)

Frequency 13.56 MHz 2.4-2.5 GHz

Bit Rate 848 kbit/s 2.1 Mbit/s

Set-up time < 0.1 s < 6s

[2]

Making Transactions Easier

Scan mobile device to make purchases Movie tickets Soda Etc…

Checking purchases Entry into a theater Get information

from NFC enabled poster.

Google Wallet What is it?

An application developed for the Android platform

Enables payment for items with cell phone

How it works Swipe phone near

NFC-equipped pin pad

accept the transaction

Angry Birds

New version of game [3] Angry Birds Magic

Nokia C7 Will use NFC

People can connect to other devices

Unlock higher levels by bumping phones

Social Media

Works like foursquare but using NFC tags at different locations.

Started by a German company called servtag

Transportation and Access

Easily integrated into all public transport systems

Use the phone to use train ticket passes

Car rentals Unlock and start your

car Opening of home

doors Countries like

Norway aiming for nationwide NFC transport ticketing standard [4]

Identity Documents

Governments, employers and other institutions use contactless identity cards

Initially planned for university and school use

Security of national ID cards and passport information strengthened with biometric information

Healthcare

NFC tags provide medical professionals with information about treatments for a patient

Keep a track of doctors and nurses who have checked in with a patient

Remote monitoring of health from home (patients discharged earlier than normal) reducing healthcare costs [5]

Smart Objects

Information tags on an object provide detailed information about it

Security Issues with NFC NFC can fall victim to

eavesdropping[6]

Eavesdropping can be achieved from distances of up to 10 m[7]

The Man-in-the Middle attack is deemed infeasible with NFC [6]

Practically impossible for the attacker to get the RF field to align correctly

Incorrect alignment would cause a scrambling of the data

[6]

Other Security Issues Apps for mobile phone NFC

payment can be spoofed by malicious apps that emulate the legitimate NFC apps[8]

This is especially a problem on Android

Stolen devices can be a security issue with electronic keys

When apps use a password or PIN system it leaves amount of security up to the user[8]

This can be bad when users re-use passwords or have weak passwords such as “password” or “1234”

[8]

Challenges for NFC in the Market

NFC chips not yet included in the Apple iPhone

Support from software developers and the merchant community[9]

Cost of hardware for NFC chip readers Costs several hundred

dollars per reader and retailers would need one per register[10]

[10]

Conclusion

NFC is an exciting new short range mobile technology

There are many great potential uses Makes transactions easier Help with transportation and access Interact with surroundings

NFC still requires more security protection

May soon revolutionize the way we use our mobile devices

References [1]http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-02/near-field-

communication-helping-your-smartphone-replace-your-wallet-2010/

[2]http://mgitecetech.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/nfc-near-field-communication/

[3]http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/angry-birds-magic-uses-nfc-video-31-05-2011/

[4]http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/category/applications

[5]http://wewillraakyou.com/2011/05/near-field-communication [6]computerresearch.org/stpr/index.php/gjcst/article/download/

588/524 [7]events.iaik.tugraz.at/RFIDSec06/Program/papers/002%20-

%20Security%20in%20NFC.pdf [8]http://www.pcworld.com/article/228959/

google_wallet_security_has_a_weakness.html [9]http://www.microsperience.com/?p=4891 [10]http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/16/mobile-wallet-nfc-

overhyped/