Grouping-Proof Protocol for RFID Tags: Security Definition and Scalable Construction

In this paper, we propose a grouping-proof protocol for RFID tags based on secret sharing. Our proposed protocol addresses the scalability issue of the previous protocols by removing the need for an RFID reader to relay messages from one tag to another tag. We also present a security model for a secure grouping-proof protocol which properly addresses the so called mafia fraud atttack. Mafia fraud attack (sometimes called distance fraud) is a simple relay attack suggested by Yvo Desmedt. Any location-based protocol including RFID protocols is vulnerable to this attack even if cryptography is used. One practical countermeasure to mafia fraud attack is to employ a distance-bounding protocol into a location-based protocol. However, in the light of work by Chandran et al., mafia fraud attack cannot be theoretically prevented. Therefore, we need to take hits fact into account in order to make sense about security notion for secure grouping-proof protocols.