Contents

What is NFC
History of NFC NFC Tags

How does NFC work

What is NFC
NFC is a form of contactless communication between

devices like smartphones or tablets. Contactless communication allows a user to wave the smartphone over a NFC compatible device to send information without needing to touch the devices together or go through multiple steps setting up a connection. Near field communication uses electromagnetic radio fields to allow two compatible devices to exchange data and share information when passed close to each other. Based on RFID technology at 13.56 MHz. Operating distance typical up to 10 cm.

What is NFC
Not restricted to 1-to-1 communication Multiple devices in a small area can communicate with each

other using the same frequency. No special software is required. NFC is designed for short distance wireless communication. Allows intuitive initialization of wireless networks. NFC is complementary to Bluetooth and 802.11 with their long distance capabilities NFC does not require line of sight Easy and simple connection method Provides communication method to non-self powered devices

Specifications

Operating Frequency: 13.56 MHz. Data Rate: 106 Kbit/s to 424 Kbit/s. Requires Initiator and Target. Target can be in the form of a tag. A tag can have readable or re-writable memory. Tags currently offer between 96 and 4,096 bytes of memory. Uses Miller coding or Manchester coding. Reception and transmission of data can be done at the same time.

History Of NFC
1983: The first patent to be associated with the

abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton. 2004: Nokia, Sony, and Philips came together to form the NFC Forum. 2006 Initial specifications for NFC Tags 2006 Nokia 6131 was the first NFC phone 2009 NFC Forum released Peer-to-Peer standards to transfer contact, URL, initiate Bluetooth, etc. 2010 Samsung Nexus S, first Android NFC phone launched. 2011 Android, Symbian, Blackberry Oses support NFC.

NFC Tags
NFC tags are small objects, like a sticker, that contain

information that a NFC compatible device, such as a smartphone, can intercept when passed over the NFC tag. The information on the tag is usually read-only, but certain tags do allow the device reading it to write new information to it or alter old information on the tag as well. Tags currently offer between 96 and 4,096 bytes of memory.

Tag Types
Type 1: Type 1 NFC tags have data collision protection and can be set to either read and rewrite capable or read-only. Read-only programming prevents the information from being changed or written over once embedded in the tag. Type 1 tags have 96 bytes of memory, enough for a URL or a small amount of data. The tags memory can expand to a larger size as needed. The low price makes type 1 tags to ideal choice for most near field communication needs. Type 2: Type 2 NFC tags also have data collision protection and can be rewriteable or read-only. They start at 48 bytes of memory, half of what the type 1 tags can hold, but can expand to be as large as a type 1 tag. Communication speeds are the same for tag types 1 and 2. Type 3: Also equipped with data collision protection, NFC tag type 3 has larger memory and faster speeds than tag types 1 and 2. This tag is part of the FeliCa system. The bigger size lets it hold more complex codes beyond URLs, but it costs more to create each tag. Type 4: Type 4 NFC tags can use either NFC-A or NFC-B communication and have data collision protection. The tag is set as either rewritable or read-only when manufactured and this setting cannot be changed by the user, unlike the other NFC tags which can be altered at a later date. The tag holds 32 Kbytes in memory and has faster speeds than the other tags.

Communication Modes
There are two modes. Passive communication mode: The initiator device

provides a carrier fields and the target device answers by modulating the existing field. In this mode, the target device may draw its operating power from the initiatorprovided electromagnetic field, thus making the target device a transponder. Active communication mode: Both initiator and target device communicate by alternately generating their own fields. A device deactivates its RF field while it is waiting for data. In this mode, both devices typically have power supplies.

How does NFC work

a reader, interrogator, or active device, to create a radio frequency current that communicates with another NFC compatible device or a small NFC tag holding the information the reader wants. Passive devices, such as the NFC tag in smart posters, store information and communicate with the reader but do not actively read other devices. Peer-to-peer communication through two active devices is also a possibility with NFC. This allows both devices to send and receive information.

How does NFC work

signals that interact with an NFC tag found in compatible device. The signal creates a current that flows through the NFC tag and allows the device and the tag to communicate with one another. Typically one device, the tag, is passive and only sends out information while the other device, is active and can both send and receive information.

Modulation And Demodulation Techniques

Manchester, 10% ASK

Manchester, 10% ASK

NFC Signaling Technique

NFC-A corresponds with RFID Type A communication. In Type A communication, Miller encoding, also known as delay encoding, is used with amplitude modulation at 100 percent. Using this set-up, a signal sent between devices must change from 0 to 100 percent to register the difference between sending a 1 and a 0. Data is transmitted at 106 Kbps when using Type A communication.
NFC-B

Similar to NFC-A, NFC-B corresponds with RFID Type B communication. Instead of Miller encoding, Type B uses Manchester encoding. Amplitude modulation is at 10 percent, meaning a 10 percent change from 90% for low to 100% for high is used. A change from low to high represents a 0 while high to low represents a 1.
NFC-F

NFC-F refers to a faster form of RFID transmission known as FeliCa. Commly found in Japan, FeliCa is a technology similar to NFC but faster and currently more popular. It is used for a variety of services such as subway tickets, credit card payments, and identification at office buildings and other locations with limited access.

Operation
There are dedicated roles Initiator and Target Any data transfer is a message and reply pair.
Message Reply Initiator Target

There are dedicated modes of operation Active and Passive Active means the device generates an RF field Passive means the device uses the RF field generated by the other device

Comparison with Bluetooth

communication technologies which are integrated into mobile phones. NFC operates at slower speeds than Bluetooth, but consumes far less power and doesnt require pairing. NFC sets up faster than standard Bluetooth. The maximum data transfer rate of NFC (424 kbit/s) is slower than that of Bluetooth V2.1 (2.1 Mbit/s). With a maximum working distance of less than 20 cm, NFC has a shorter range, which reduces the likelihood of unwanted interception.

Security Issues
Although the communication range of NFC is limited to a

few centimeters, NFC alone does not ensure secure communications. Following are the different types of security intrusions: Eavesdropping Data modification Relay attack Lost property Walk-off

Eavesdropping
The RF signal for the wireless data transfer can be picked up with antennas. The distance from which an attacker is able to eavesdrop the RF signal depends on numerous parameters, but is typically a small number of meters. A passive device that doesn't generate its own RF field is much harder to eavesdrop on than an active device. If a secure connection is created between the devices, encrypted data is transmitted between them, decreasing the chances of eavesdropping. Message Alice Bob Eavesdroppi ng Eve

Data Modification
Data corruption and manipulation occur when a criminal manipulates

the data being sent to a reader or interferes with the data being sent so it is corrupted and useless when it arrives. It is relatively easy to destroy data by using an RFID jammer. There is no way currently to prevent such an attack. However, if NFC devices check the RF field while they are sending, it is possible to detect attacks
Message Alice Bob Disturbance Eve

Data Modification
It is much more difficult to modify data in such a way that it appears to

be valid to users. To modify transmitted data, an intruder has to deal with the single bits of the RF signal. The feasibility of this attack, (i.e., if it is possible to change the value of a bit from 0 to 1 or the other way around), is amongst others subject to the strength of the amplitude modulation. If data is transferred with the modified Miller coding and a modulation of 100%, only certain bits can be modified. A modulation ratio of 100% makes it possible to eliminate a pause of the RF signal, but not to generate a pause where no pause has been. Thus, only a 1 which is followed by another 1 might be changed. Transmitting Manchester-encoded data with a modulation ratio of 10% permits a modification attack on all bits.

Interception Attacks
Similar to data manipulation, interception attacks take

this type of digital crime one step further. A person acts as a middleman between two NFC devices and receives and alters the information as it passes between them. This type of attack is difficult and less common. To prevent it, devices should be in an activeAlice Bob passive pairing. This means one device receives info and the other sends it instead of both devices receiving and passing information. Message
Eve

Lost property
Losing the NFC RFID card or the mobile phone will

open access to any finder and act as a single-factor authenticating entity. Mobile phones protected by a PIN code acts as a single authenticating factor. A way to defeat the lost-property threat requires an extended security concept that includes more than one physically independent authentication factor.

Walk-off
Lawfully opened access to a secure NFC function or data is

protected by time-out closing after a period of inactivity.[citation needed][original research?] Attacks may happen despite provisions to shutdown access to NFC after the bearer has become inactive. The known concepts described primarily do not address the geometric distance of a fraudulent attacker using a lost communication entity against lawful access from the actual location of the registered bearer. Additional feature to cover such attack scenario dynamically shall make use of a second wireless authentication factor that remains with the bearer in case of lost NFC communicator. Relevant approaches are described as an electronic leash or its equivalent, a wireless key.

Uses Of NFC
Matching encrypted security code and transporting access

key which can be used in managing Wi-Fi networks Due to short transmission range, NFC-based transactions are possibly secure Instant payments and coupon delivery using your handset, as we do with your credit card or debit card Exchange of information such as schedules, maps, business card and coupon delivery in a few hundred milliseconds Pay for items just by waving your phone over the NFC capable devices Transferring images, posters for displaying and printing