NXP Semiconductors has unveiled MIFARE Plus, the latest addition to its MIFARE portfolio. According to NXP, this latest contactless IC, which will be available for pilots in the fourth quarter of this year, features multiple levels of security, including Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, and an easy migration path from existing MIFARE Classic implementations.

“For both transport operators and passengers, MIFARE Plus offers unprecedented levels of security, privacy, compatibility and performance for entry-level smart cards, and is ideal for ticketing systems,” says Henri Ardevol, general manager, automatic fare collection, NXP Semiconductors. ´The IC has been designed from the ground up to address the security and privacy needs of the 21^st century and thus complements well our current MIFARE portfolio.”

NXP says the backwards compatibility of MIFARE Plus allows for a seamless introduction of cards in existing MIFARE Classic implementations. After upgrading the system infrastructure, service operators can easily switch MIFARE Plus-powered cards in the field to a higher security level without the need to revoke or re-issue the cards.

According to NXP the MIFARE Plus is the only smart card IC of its class to offer strong AES encryption for authentication, integrity and confidentiality, based on a 128-bit key length. MIFARE Plus chips comprise a number of additional security features which, when used optimally in the infrastructure, provide for a system that prevents individuals from being identified and tracked by others. These features are enabled through the support of secure Random Identifiers (RIDs) next to 7 Byte Unique Identifiers (UIDs). MIFARE Plus also offers an originality function, which improves verification of cards and enables active measures against emulators.

NXP says it will seek formal Common Criteria EAL 4+ Certification from the German Federal Office of Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik) for MIFARE Plus.