MIFARE Plus

A significant family of contactless smart card ICs from NXP Semiconductors. It is a key technology for secure identification and payment solutions.

Key Features and Concepts:

1. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 128-bit Security: This is the most critical enhancement. Unlike MIFARE Classic’s proprietary and now vulnerable Crypto1 algorithm, MIFARE Plus uses AES for robust data encryption and mutual authentication. This significantly boosts security against cloning, eavesdropping, and data manipulation.

2. Memory Capacity: MIFARE Plus cards typically come with 2 KB (2K) or 4 KB (4K) of EEPROM memory, organized in a structure compatible with MIFARE Classic, which further aids in migration.

3. Variants: NXP offers different versions to suit various needs:

   • MIFARE Plus S (Standard): Designed for a straightforward and secure migration from MIFARE Classic.
   • MIFARE Plus X (eXpert): Offers more advanced features, including enhanced flexibility, optimized command flows for speed and confidentiality, and “proximity checks” to mitigate relay attacks (where an attacker relays signals over distance to trick the system).
   • MIFARE Plus SE: A more cost-effective version, often with 1KB memory, still providing AES readiness for basic migration.
   • MIFARE Plus EV2: The latest generation, offering further enhancements in security, performance, and new features for smart city applications.

Applications:

MIFARE Plus is highly relevant for:

• Public Transportation: Upgrading existing fare collection systems (e.g., for metro, bus, or future rapid transit systems) to be more secure against fraud.
• Access Control: Enhancing security for employee ID cards, student IDs, and access badges in corporate offices, universities, and government buildings.
• Loyalty Programs and Stored Value: Securely managing points, rewards, or cashless payment balances in retail, cafeterias, or vending machines.
• Smart City Initiatives: Serving as a backbone for multi-application city cards that combine various services (e.g., transport, payments, library access) on a single, secure credential.

Summary: MIFARE Plus is the go-to solution for organizations that want to improve the security of their contactless card systems from MIFARE Classic to AES encryption, without the massive expense and disruption of completely replacing all their existing readers simultaneously. It offers a flexible, phased approach to security upgrades.