Validation of Android-based NFC technologies as a Platform for Authentication Solutions

Today, a growing number of mobile devices come enabled with Near Field Communications (NFC) “out-of-the-box.” This has opened the door to an explosion of new possibilities for smartphones, such as those running on the Andriod platform. These new NFC capable Android devices could potentially replace RFID technologies, which are widely used in a variety of authentication applications, such as control access cards. However, it is unclear that all such cards can actually be “cloned” on the Android platform, which only offers a limited access to its NFC capabilities. Moreover, the simple act of re-placing an insecure RFID access cards with an Android App that is as vulnerable, does not solve the serious security issues that currently plague these wireless technologies. On the road to producing a secure NFC authentication solution, Ubique Technologies first needs to reproduce current solutions in order to ensure backward compatibility, which is an essential barrier – that needs to be eliminated – for market adoption.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pierre Langlois

Student:

Partner:

FFD Security Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology; Technology

University:

École Polytechnique de Montréal

Program: