Which chip for an economical 14443 tag with strong clone protection ?

[frederic_claver]

Hi, 

We are considering using RFID technology for a medical device. Our objective is to ask our users to scan a unique tag each time they use a single use consumable kit for traceability reasons. We want the tag to act as a single-use token or ticket (scanning it will deplete the credit stored on it). We are looking only into ISO 14443 tags (short range of reading)

We need to be able to write a small amount of data on the TAG (less than 1k) with an intermediate security level and a very good clone protection. We would like the chip to be available easily in wet-inlay form (not plastic cards).  

We have been looking into various chips but it is hard to decide wich one is best suited. We are hesitating between : MIFARE Ultralight C, MIFARE plus ES and NFC NTAG 424 DNA  (DESFIRE seems oversized security wise). 

Given the fact that we are basically looking for a rather simple and economical tag but with strong cloning protection, what would be in your opinion the best chip ? 

PS : we also noticed that the DES protocol used in Ultralight C is obsolescent and is not recommended for new projects. Not clear what is the impact on Ultralight C chips.  

Thanks for you help and advices,

[nxf54945]

Hello Frédéric,

I hope you are doing well.

Based on your application, I can tell both MIFARE Ultralight C and NTAG 424 DNA can do just fine. You can choose between them according to which satisfies better your application demands:

MIFARE Ultralight C is cheap, reliable, and easy to use. It uses DES encryption, which is well known and tested for the time it has on the market. That does not mean that it is not secure or that your application may be compromised in some way. Rather, it means that it is well suited for applications that require the level of security that it can offer.

NTAG 424 DNA offers a higher level of encryption: AES. It also have SUN feature which enables you to create a unique URL from a TAG reading, which could avoid you developing an App and just focusing on updating an online database every time the link is entered.

Regarding the wet-inlay, I am sorry to tell you that NXP does not sell complete NFC TAGs (IC+ Antenna + Wrapper), but rather the integrated circuits inside the TAGs. However, I can direct you with the certified manufactures that use our ICs: https://www.nxp.com/products/identification-security/rfid/rfid-ecosystem:RFID_ECOSYSTEMS?lang=en&lan... they have a lot of options using all of our TAG ICs they can give you price and options for your application.

I hope this info comes handy. Do not hesitate to ask about any doubt or concern you have about your application.

Best regards

Javier

[frederic_claver]

Hi Javier,

Thanks for the usefull and detailled answer. I think we are going to try both chips although the SUN feature is not applicable to our situation. By the way, do you confirm that - when using a 3KDES or AES protocol - the tag data won't be readable without the passwords?

Thanks also for the Inlay manufacturer list, il will make my sourcing much easier !

PS : on a slightly different topic, we noticed in the familly MIFARE Plus and DESFIRE LIGHT overview the notion of RANDOM ID associated with the UID. The way this feature works is not very clear to us. Not sure it is appropriate for us but is there any documentation available ?

Best regards,

Fred

[nxf54945]

Hi Fred,

I am glad to hear that you found the information useful.

You are right, whether you are working with DES or AES you need the key to read the information stored in the tag.

In this document you will find how to change the key and protect your information from being read on MIFARE Ultralight C: https://community.nxp.com/docs/DOC-341606

As to the NTAG 424, you can find information about Secure Dynamic Messaging on section 4 of the following document: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN12196.pdf

Regarding the UID’s of the TAGs, here you can find information about the different types of UIDs and how they are used: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN10927.pdf

I hope this information helps. Do not hesitate to ask about any doubt or concern you have about your application.

Best regards,

Javier