Protocols for RFID tag/reader authentication

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are poised to supplant barcodes in the very near future. Their information storage capacity as well as their ability to transfer information through contactless means without line-of-sight translates to significant advantage over barcodes. However, cost and privacy issues are major impediments to their widespread use. We consider the latter issue, specifically those that relate to securely authenticating RFID tags and readers. Light-weight authentication protocols are necessary in RFID applications due to tag-level constraints. Over the past few years, several streams of research have emerged approaching the RFID tag/reader privacy/security problem from different perspectives. We study and evaluate a few protocols from each of those streams, identify possible vulnerabilities, and provide alternate solutions when possible. We provide security analysis of the proposed solutions.