Proxy-based reader authentication by trusted authority

1. A method for a verification authority to authenticate Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, the method comprising:

transmitting a challenge to a proxy connected to a plurality of RFID readers;

receiving, from the proxy, a response to the proxy challenge;

verifying the proxy response based on at least the proxy challenge and a proxy key;

in response to verifying the proxy response, authenticating at least one of:

the proxy; and

at least a first one of the plurality of RFID readers;

receiving, from at least one of the proxy and the first authenticated RFID reader, a tag-authentication request including at least a tag identifier and a tag response;

verifying, using at least a tag challenge and a tag key determined from at least the tag identifier, whether the tag response is computed based on the tag challenge and the tag key; and

transmitting a tag-authenticity message based on verifying the tag response.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the proxy challenge in response to receiving one of:

an authentication request from the proxy, and

the tag-authentication request.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from the proxy, at least one of:

a proxy identifier;

at least one identifier associated with the plurality of RFID readers; and

a physical location associated with the plurality of RFID readers.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the identifiers is received in a cryptographically secured message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proxy is an application configured to run on a processor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tag-authentication request includes an identifier for at least one of the proxy and the first RFID reader.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

verifying the tag response comprises determining that the tag response is not computed based on the tag challenge and the tag key; and

the tag-authenticity message refutes an authenticity of the tag.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a notification to a designated party in response to at least one of determining that a received proxy response is not authentic and determining that a received tag response is not authentic.

9. A method for a proxy to enable a plurality of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers to authenticate RFID tags, the method comprising:

transmitting an authentication request to a verification authority;

receiving a proxy challenge from the verification authority;

determining a proxy response based on the proxy challenge and a proxy key;

transmitting the proxy response to the verification authority; and

at least one of:

identifying the RFID readers directly to the verification authority to enable the RFID readers to authenticate tags via the verification authority; and

sending tag responses from the RFID readers to the verification authority for authenticating, wherein authenticating tag responses comprises determining whether the tag responses are computed based on a respective tag challenge and a respective tag key.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the proxy is an application configured to run on a processor.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein identifying the RFID readers comprises transmitting at least one identifier associated with the RFID readers to the verification authority.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the at least one identifier in a cryptographically secured message.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the at least one identifier with at least one of the authentication request and the proxy response.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the authentication request includes at least one of a proxy identifier and a physical location associated with the RFID readers.

15. A method for a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system including a proxy coupled to a plurality of RFID readers to authenticate RFID tags via a verification authority, the method comprising:

receiving a proxy challenge from the verification authority;

determining a proxy response based on the proxy challenge and a proxy key;

transmitting the proxy response to the verification authority to authenticate at least one of:

the proxy; and

at least a first one of the plurality of RFID readers;

transmitting a tag-authentication request including at least a tag identifier and a tag response to the verification authority, wherein the tag-authentication request originates from the first one of the RFID readers; and

receiving a tag-authenticity message from the verification authority indicating whether the tag response is computed based on a tag challenge and a tag key.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the proxy is an application configured to run on at least one of:

one of the RFID readers,

a network appliance,

a server,

a host,

a cloud, and

a cloud server.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the proxy response includes at least one of:

at least one identifier associated with the RFID readers;

a proxy identifier; and

a physical location associated with the RFID readers.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one identifier is cryptographically secured.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tag-authentication request includes an identifier for at least one of the proxy and the first reader.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the tag-authentication request is transmitted to the verification authority directly from one of the proxy and the first RFID reader, and

the tag-authenticity message is received by at least one of the proxy and the first RFID reader.