Decoding RFID: A comprehensive overview of security, attacks, and the latest innovations (WHY2025)

RFID reverse engineering has seen significant advancements, yet a comprehensive overview of the field remains scattered across research and practitioner communities. Here the authors presents a structured survey of existing RFID technologies, encryption protocols, and known attack methodologies. Take the opportunity to listen to both Kirils' practical experiences and the deep insights of Iceman when it comes to RFID hacking. The talk will cover: 1) An overview of RFID types, including both low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) cards, briefly touching upon ultra-high-frequency (UHF) systems as well. 2) A breakdown of encryption protocols used in RFID security, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. 3) A review of documented attacks, including cloning, sniffing, relay, cryptographic, and side-channel techniques. Additionally, analysis of the latest developments in magic RFID cards will be presented. Findings are based on an aggregation of academic research, industry reports, and hands-on testing of RFID systems in real-world environments. Licensed to the public under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ about this event: https://program.why2025.org/why2025/talk/MWLGZB/