Tag-server mutual authentication scheme based on gene transfer and genetic mutation

With its flexibility in deployment and data/lifecycle management, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has potential for application in a wide variety of areas. However, RFID tags suffer from severe resource restrictions. This makes systems employing such tags vulnerable to several attacks, often resulting in the loss of privacy of the tag owner, and misuse of tags. A minimal requirement for a secure RFID environment is the authentication between the tag and the server. This paper presents a mutual authentication scheme, based on the concepts of genetic mutation and gene transfer that is coupled with a key generation/management scheme for encryption of data on the tag. The novelty of the proposed scheme is in the independent generation of keys at the server and the tag in such a system, and the mutual authentication that such a set up can be used to achieve. The proposed scheme is validated by simulation studies and security analysis.