Analysis of Power Constraints for Cryptographic Algorithms in Mid-Cost RFID Tags

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems can be found in wide spread applications – from simple theft prevention over multi bit transponders up to complex applications involving contactless smartcards. This paper shows that the security gap between low-cost RFID Tags that only provide simple security features and contactless smartcards can be filled. It is examined how much energy a passive tag can gain from a magnetic field and which amount is needed by basic logic functions. The gate-equivalents of several cryptographic operations are then compared with the available energy and a conclusion is drawn if they are feasible for RFID tags.