Near Field Communication, or NFC, has generated considerable interest of late. The tap-and-go payment using NFC attempts to offer an alternative to conventional card payment systems and a whole lot more. Not only is it conceptually appealing its applications are becoming increasingly diverse and are limited only by the inventiveness and ingenuity deployed. From unlocking devices to sharing media and other content to authenticating IDs, NFC offers a myriad of contactless solutions and possibilities which can enthrall and dazzle in equal measure. Repetitious procedures like turning devices on and off, travel ticket validation as well as a host of other functions can be accomplished employing NFC effectively and with aplomb, while rendering a futuristic and almost “sci-fi” like experience.
NFC-enabled smartphones such as Android-using mobiles can employ Google Wallet credentials for making payments by holding the phone against the Point of Sale (PoS) terminal. Many older handsets can also be NFC-enabled by embedding an NFC adapter. The fiercely price sensitive mobile phone arena constantly on the lookout for revenue boosting mechanisms can offer value addition through a range of NFC enabled applications and services. NFC empowered offerings could supplement and enhance declining profits through alternative and newer revenue streams. Plastic payment cards such as credit and debit cards are already NFC enabled in many countries to facilitate contactless payments.
Apart from mobile phones and payment cards, other variants of NFC enabled devices include various items of jewelry such as rings, wristbands, other trinkets as well as clothing accessories and numerous other objects and trimmings that can be suitably equipped with NFC tags. Items with embedded tags or stickers containing personal credentials of the holder can be used as electronic keys, access IDs, tickets, payment wallets and a great deal more. The tags themselves do not require any batteries and are generally of the “read-only” variety. The data they hold can be “read” using the radio frequency (RF) field of the initiator or reader device. Thus, for example, a PC can be equipped to “read” the password from a user's NFC-enabled wristband and authenticate the user's credentials to facilitate a contactless login.
Access cards have been around for a while and typically offer authenticated access to offices, hotel rooms and restricted areas through fobs, plastic tags and the like, however, NFC-enabled mobile phones have the advantage of receiving and updating the tag “information” remotely, i.e., the device (mobile handset in this case) does not have to in close physical proximity to be “programmed” but instead can “receive” data securely and wirelessly, through the mobile network.
Clearly, this is not possible in any of the other NFC enabled devices and this makes mobile phones more ideally suited for performing a wide range of functions. Like all “leaps” in technology NFC is not without its shortcomings and users need to be cognizant of inherent vulnerabilities that could have data security implications. For instance, a defrauder could intercept a communication and alter data from an unwitting user’s device triggering off a "man in the middle" attack. As a result, confidential personal information such as banking particulars and credit card details could be "sponged" by scamsters. While a scamming device needs to be in close proximity in order to carry out such attacks, it is still possible and unsuspecting users could be inadvertently handing over confidential data to unaccredited devices. Also eavesdropping and data tampering through “in the vicinity” antennae presents additional challenges.
While there is seemingly no mechanism to check or confirm the authenticity of the initiator, the target device holding the information can be made to respond to an "intent", i.e., it parts with information only on demand and not merely by virtue of being in the range of a reader device.
New technological innovations throw up new challenges that are addressed as the technology evolves. Developing solutions to overcome vulnerabilities not only make the technology more robust, but also intensifies its acquiescence. Improved efficiency, extent of usefulness, ease of use and cost-effectiveness are factors that contribute to a technologies advancement and proliferation. Is this a “defining moment” in the evolution of NFC that will propel its level of uptake and success ? As most would risk to contemplate – only time will tell.
