Protecting RFID tags from power analysis

A cheap and effective solution for protecting RFID tags from power attacks.

RFID tags are secure tags present in many applications (e.g. secure passports). They are poised to become the most far-reaching wireless technology since the cell phone, with worldwide revenues expected to reach $2.8 billion in 2009. RFID tags were believed to be immune to power analysis attacks since they have no direct connection to an external power supply. However, recent research has shown that they are vulnerable to such attacks, since it is possible to measure their power consumption without actually needing either tag or reader to be physically touched by the attacker. Furthermore, this attack may be carried out even if no data is being transmitted between the tag and the attacker, making the attack very hard to detect. The current invention overcomes these problems by a slight modification of the tag's electronic system, so that it will not be vulnerable to power analysis.