RFID random number generator created by NSF researchers

Filed in archive Ubiquitous Computing on September 13, 2007

How about a cost effective manner of producing sets of random numbers for RFID tags? A team of University of Massachusetts researchers have exactly made this possible and using this technique it is also possible to come up with unique fingerprints for every tag. Under this technique the state of the memory of the RFID tag is read as it is powered. All this has been made possible by Wayne Burleson, Daniel Holcomb and Kevin Fu who undertook the research. You all must be aware that creating set of random numbers has always been a challenge for the techie guys since computers on their own cannot produce truly random numbers. Though algorithms have been written which can aid in creating pseudo-random numbers but at times it leads to repeatable patterns which can be used for decoding messages encrypted with those digits.




These researchers have invented a technique where a set of random numbers can be created from the tag itself by reading the binary state of the memory cells of the tag. An EPC Class 1 tag generally has 1,000 to 4,000 gates and this memory in general is unstable therefore all information gets lost when memory loses power. Most of these tags either contain a charge or don't contain a charge when it's powered again which could be 0 or 1 but whenever some tag is powered it leads to fluctuation between gates having a charge and not having a charge and its these variations which can be utilized for generating a steady stream of random numbers. Also these variations can be used for uniquely identifying or creating fingerprints. Seems the researchers have made the task of generating random numbers for RFID companies a child's play.