Christoph Jechlitschek, [email protected] paper provides a survey on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Initially RFID tags weredeveloped to eventually replace barcodes in supply chains. Their advantages are that they can be readwirelessly and without line of sight, contain more information than barcodes, and are more robust. The paperdescribes the current technology, including the frequency ranges used and standards. With the increasingubiquity of RFID tags, however, privacy became a concern. The paper outlines possible attacks that canviolate one's privacy and it also describes counter measures. The RFID technology did not stop at item-leveltagging. The paper also presents current research that focuses on locating and tracking labeled object thatmove. Since the uses for RFID tags are so widespread, there is a large interest in lowering the costs forproducing them. It turns out that printing tags might become a viable alternative to traditional production. Thepaper reviews the current progress.Keywords: Radio Frequency IDentification, RFID, RFID tags, Electronic Product Codes, EPC, Supply ChainManagement, Security, organic printing, Location and TrackingSee also: Other Reports on Recent Advances in NetworkingBack to Raj Jain's Home Page1. Introduction2. Historic Development of RFID3. Current RFID Technology3.1 Energy Sources3.2 Frequency Bands3.3 Standards3.4 RFID Systems4. Security4.1 Privacy4.2 Authentication4.3 Attack ranges4.4 Attacks against RFID Systems5. RFID Location and Tracking6. New Production Methods7. Social Implications of RFID8. Summary9. References10. List of AcronymsRadio Frequency IDentification - RFID file:///F:/www/cse574-06/ftp/rfid/index.html1 of 13 11/27/2013 2:11 AMRFID tags, or simply "tags", are small transponders that respond to queries from a reader by wirelesslytransmitting a serial number or similar identifier. They are heavily used to track items in productionenvironments and to label items in supermarkets. They are usually thought of as an advanced barcode.However, their possible area of use is much larger. This paper presents a few new applications that arepossible using RFID technology such as locating lost items, tracking moving objects, and others. RFID tagsare expected to proliferate into the billions over the next few years and yet, they are simply treated the sameway as barcodes without considering the impact that this advanced technology has on privacy. This paperpresents possible exploits of RFID systems and some proposed solutions as well.Back to Table of ContentsThe first RFID application was the "Identification Friend or Foe" system (IFF) [Wiki-RFID] [Wizard Wars]and it was used by the British in the Second World War. Transponders were placed into fighter planes andtanks, and reading units could query them to decide whether to attack. Successors of this technology are stillused in armies around the world.The first commercial RFID application was the "Electronic Article Surveillance" (EAS). It was developed inthe seventies as a theft prevention system. It was based on tags that can store a single bit. That bit was readwhen the customer left the store and the system would sound alarm when the bit was not unset. In theend-seventies RFID tags made its way into the agriculture for example for animal tagging.In the eighties RFID technology got a boost when Norway and several US states decided to uses RFID for tollcollection on roads [EZ-Pass]. In addition to toll collection the following decade brought a vast number ofnew applications, such as ski passes, gasoline cards [Speed Pass], money cards, etc.In 1999 the Auto-ID Center at MIT was founded. Its task was to develop a global standard for item-leveltagging. The Auto-ID was closed in 2003 after completing the work on the Electronic Product Code (EPC).At the same time the newly founded EPCglobal Inc. continues the work.The probably first paper related to RFID technology was the landmark paper by Harry Stockman,"Communication by Means of Reflected Power" in October 1948. The first patent on RFID was issued in1973 for a passive radio transponder with memory [US. Patent 3,713,148].Back to Table of ContentsThis section describes out of which parts RFID tags consist of, how they work in principle, and what types oftags do exist. It focuses on how tags are powered and what frequency ranges are used. The section concludesby covering a few important standards.RFID transponders (tags) consist in general of:Micro chipRadio Frequency IDentification - RFID file:///F:/www/cse574-06/ftp/rfid/index.html2 of 13 11/27/2013 2:11 AMAntennaCaseBattery (for active tags only)The size of the chip depends mostly on the Antenna. Its size and form is dependent on the frequency the tag isusing. The size of a tag also depends on its area of use. It can range from less than a millimeter for implants tothe size of a book in container logistic. In addition to the micro chip, some tags also have rewritable memoryattached where the tag can store updates between reading cycles or new data like serial numbers.A RFID tag is shown in figure 1. The antenna is clearly visible. As said before the antenna has the largestimpact of the size of the tag. The microchip is visible in the center of the tag, and since this is a passive tag itdoes not have an internal power source.Figure 1: A passive RFID tag(from [Wiki-RFID], used under theGNU Free Documentation License)In principle an RFID tag works as follows: the reading unit generates an electro-magnetic field which inducesa current into the tag's antenna. The current is used to power the chip. In passive tags the current also chargesa condenser which assures uninterrupted power for the chip. In active tags a battery replaces the condenser.The difference between active and passive tags is explained shortly. Once activated the tag receivescommands from the reading unit and replies by sending its serial number or the requested information. Ingeneral the tag does not have enough energy to create its own electro-magnetic field, instead it uses backscattering to modulate (reflect/absorb) the field sent by the reading unit. Because most fluids absorb electro-magnetic fields and most metal reflect those fields the reading of tags in presence of those materials iscomplicated.During a reading cycle, the reader has to continuously power the tag. The created field is called continuouswave, and because the strength of the field decreases with the square of the
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