A Novel Lightweight and Low Power Tag-Reader Mutual Authentication Protocol for Portable RFID based Security Systems

In any wireless communication system, it is the need of the hour that the sender and the receiver should prove their genuineness. In any portable security systems based on RFIDs, a process called mutual authentication need to be performed before the confidential communication between a tag and reader starts. A novel lightweight low power mutual authentication protocol is proposed in this paper which is based on a multi-function circuit. The proposed protocol is a less complex circuit with low power dissipation compared to the earlier and existing mutual authentication protocols. It also provides a higher level of security. The proposed protocol is described using Verilog HDL. It is simulated using Altera Quartus II software. Also the functional block in the proposed mutual authentication scheme is implemented using Altera DE2 FPGA kit. The proposed protocol can be used to manufacture tags in a very cost effective way.