NFC Emulation, anyone use it?

[D2022]

As the title suggests does anyone use NFC emulation on their mobile phone for their Osyter cards, bank cards, building swipe passes or anything like that?

I've got mine set up and linked with my Oyster card and our buildings alarm fob. I've also got a few site tags on it for getting through security on some building sites. It's amazing, saves having to carry cards/fob etc as lets face it, most of us carry our phone to hand.

 

[deltic1989]

This sounds like it could be useful, however I have no understanding of the concept.
Would you happen to be able to link me to some articles that explain it, in a way that an idiot like myself would understand? Or could someone maybe provide some headlines as to how this works?

 

[Emyr]

This sounds like it could be useful, however I have no understanding of the concept.
Would you happen to be able to link me to some articles that explain it, in a way that an idiot like myself would understand? Or could someone maybe provide some headlines as to how this works?

An NFC tag is just a chip with a small transmitting antenna, and a coil for capturing power from a field created by the reader.

In their basic form all they transmit is a tag ID.

A phone can act as an NFC tag if it has the right antenna and software installed.

I think by NFC emulation, they mean taking an existing tag (e.g the Philips MiFare used by Oyster), reading its id into the phone and re-broadcasting that ID on demand, impersonating the original tag.

 

[bangor-toad]

I've got mine set up and linked with my Oyster card and our buildings alarm fob. I've also got a few site tags on it for getting through security on some building sites.

Hi there,
I'm interested in this. I can easily get a non-encrypted tag onto my phone and have it rebroadcast. It's amusing but no particularly helpful. All of the other tags/cards I have though are protected or encrypted. I can't get to copy those.

What software are you using?

As for Oyster, are you saying you've got a clone of the Oyster data onto your phone or is there a way to officially link your phone's NFC with your Oyster card?
I've seen the Suica system used on Japanese phones but I've never seen such an approach in the UK. Mind you, it's rather rare for me to be in London so I could well have missed this...

Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[D2022]

This sounds like it could be useful, however I have no understanding of the concept.
Would you happen to be able to link me to some articles that explain it, in a way that an idiot like myself would understand? Or could someone maybe provide some headlines as to how this works?

Have a read through this...
Basically you need Android 4.4 KitKat to even consider it.

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/nfc/hce.html
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Hi there,
I'm interested in this. I can easily get a non-encrypted tag onto my phone and have it rebroadcast. It's amusing but no particularly helpful. All of the other tags/cards I have though are protected or encrypted. I can't get to copy those.

What software are you using?

As for Oyster, are you saying you've got a clone of the Oyster data onto your phone or is there a way to officially link your phone's NFC with your Oyster card?
I've seen the Suica system used on Japanese phones but I've never seen such an approach in the UK. Mind you, it's rather rare for me to be in London so I could well have missed this...

Cheers,
Mr Toad

I'm using a Sony Xperia Z1, (rooted and unlocked) with an NFC control app I found on XDA, it's a home brew app by some Indian chap, crude but it works. It exploits the root access to circumvent the security limitations NFC usually has.

What handset have you got?

 

[bangor-toad]

I'm using a Sony Xperia Z1, (rooted and unlocked) with an NFC control app I found on XDA, it's a home brew app by some Indian chap, crude but it works. It exploits the root access to circumvent the security limitations NFC usually has.

What handset have you got?

Hi.
Thanks for that. I think I see how you're doing it.
The levels of security are really quite shockingly poor if you're prepared to mess around and look carefully aren't they?

I'd better not try it openly here - the Estates manager would have kittens if they saw me use a phone to open a supposedly "secure" door.
Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[D2022]

I'm using a Sony Xperia Z1, (rooted and unlocked) with an NFC control app I found on XDA, it's a home brew app by some Indian chap, crude but it works. It exploits the root access to circumvent the security limitations NFC usually has.

What handset have you got?

Hi.
Thanks for that. I think I see how you're doing it.
The levels of security are really quite shockingly poor if you're prepared to mess around and look carefully aren't they?

I'd better not try it openly here - the Estates manager would have kittens if they saw me use a phone to open a supposedly "secure" door.
Cheers,
Mr Toad

Security on Android is reasonably good unless, like you say, you are willing to dig and mess around. I've managed to unlock my handset from my network by rooting it. It's fairly easy.

 

[Hyphen]

The levels of security are really quite shockingly poor if you're prepared to mess around and look carefully aren't they?

I'd actually disagree with that.

I have a rooted Android phone (in fact, it was one of my primary considerations when purchasing) and I'd say my phone is more secure now than it was when it was running Samsung's stock firmware.

I have control over my own system, and have applications running that require root access daily. I have the power to vet all applications on my system and restrict what system resources they can access (rather than the more traditional Android model of the app giving a list of demands, and having access to everything it wants 100% of the time). Nothing accesses root without a confirmation from the user, with the exception of one application which has been granted it permanently (it runs 24/7). Most apps which aren't root-aware or don't need it still run within the standard Android per-app security environment which locked versions have.

As with anything, if you download and install applications on any system (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc) and blindly say 'yes' when it asks for administrative access, you get what you deserve. That's no less true on rooted versions of Android. It's like saying Windows or Linux have poor security when users blindly click 'yes' to everything without considering what they're agreeing to.

Of course, I am someone who is employed to be a professional power-wielder (SysAdmin) and who knows what is and isn't right to be doing with that power. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to 99% of people.