Ena Choudhary

Abstract

Authentication and Privacy are important concerns in current low power wireless devices like RFID and µ-sensors. µ-sensors are low power devices which have been identified as being useful in variety of domains including battlefield and perimeter defense etc. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology for automated identification of objects and people. An RFID device frequently called RFID tag is a small microchip device that holds limited amount of data and transmits the same over the various frequency ranges. An RFID tag is typically attached to an item and contain identification information like serial numbers unique to that item. RFID tags are recently being used in several application areas like inventory management, medicines and security systems etc. Since sensors are deployed in an unattended hostile environment, they are vulnerable to various kinds of attacks. An adversary can pose insider or outsider attacks into the network with the goal of both deceiving the base station and depleting the resources of the relaying nodes. Authentication schemes are implemented that will enable base station to detect any false data transmission. RFIDs, on the other hand pose two main security concerns for users: clandestine tracking and inventorying. RFID tags respond to reader interrogation without alerting their owners or bearers. Thus, where read range permits clandestine scanning of tags is a plausible threat. Security requirements in both of these low power devices are comprised of authentication, integrity, privacy and anti-playback. The recipient of the message needs to be able to unequivocally assure that the message came from its stated source. Similarly, the recipient needs to be assured that the message was not altered in transit and that it is not an earlier message being re-played in order to veil the current environment. Finally, all communications needs to be kept private such that eavesdroppers cannot intercept study and analyze, and devise countermeasures to circumvent the purposes of the sensor network. This thesis implements authentication schemes in µ-sensors that will detect false injection of data into the communication path of the base station and sensors. In addition to that this thesis focuses on an application of RFIDs deployed in library application. Discusses the privacy and authentication issues in RFID tags particularly in the library domain. Describes an authentication scheme implementation to handle these vulnerabilities.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Radio frequency identification systems--Security measures; Wireless communication systems--Security measures; Computer security; Data protection

Publication Date

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Computer Engineering (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Computer Engineering (KGCOE)

Advisor

Fei Hu

Advisor/Committee Member

Marcin Lukowiak

Advisor/Committee Member

Dhireesha Kudithipudi

Comments

Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at QA76.9.A25 C484 2007

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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