{"id":5081,"date":"2022-11-16T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alicebiometrics.com\/es-el-nfc-una-tecnologia-segura\/"},"modified":"2024-04-08T20:07:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T18:07:42","slug":"es-el-nfc-una-tecnologia-segura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alicebiometrics.com\/fr\/es-el-nfc-una-tecnologia-segura\/","title":{"rendered":"Is NFC a secure technology?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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NFC technology emerged in the late 1990s, although it didn’t begin to spread until it went public with the first Nokia smartphone in 2006. Its adoption has been slow for different reasons, including lack of standardization and lack of infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Currently, many users don’t even know if their mobile phone has NFC. But the truth is that it is a technology that offers many opportunities in operations and transactions over short distances. And, in addition, with the potential to improve the user experience.<\/p>\n

In fact, the NFC chip market is expected to grow, mainly due to the launch of new types of wearables.<\/p>\n

In a past post, we defined NFC<\/a>. In today’s article, we focus on the risks and security of NFC, and how it can become the great ally of identity verification<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Is it secure to use NFC?<\/h2>\n\n\n

Surely you have read some hoaxes about how easy it is to steal information on cards and terminals by NFC. And although at first glance it may seem coherent because the data is transmitted with simple contact, the truth is that the NFC chip is encrypted and is limited to its purpose, be it payments, accesses, etc. without putting private data at risk (thanks to tokenization).<\/p>\n\n\n

In this regard, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) says that paying with a mobile phone is, if possible, safer than paying with a ‘contactless’ card because mobile payments require a PIN, a selfie, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n

In fact, if a person loses their payment card, it could be used up to the limit. On the other hand, if a person loses their mobile phone and has a password, they can’t access the payments.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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3 reasons why NFC is a secure technology<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next, we compile the three great guarantees that NFC offers to defend that it is a secure technology.<\/p>\n\n\n

1 ) The user initiates the operation or transaction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

In any operation or transaction in which NFC technology is used, the user, owner of the device with this technology, is responsible for initiating said operation.<\/p>\n\n\n

To do this, the user must authenticate himself in some way, through a PIN, a selfie, a fingerprint, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n

Furthermore, when a connection is established between two terminals with NFC, both parties validate that operation in some way. Otherwise, it doesn’t complete.<\/p>\n\n\n

For example, in the case of identity verification, the user is immersed in the process and he has to initiate and execute the operation; or in the case of a payment, the payment can only be accepted, with the express order of the user who pays.<\/p>\n\n\n

2) Data transmission occurs over very small distances<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

The transmission of information using NFC technology works over very short distances, we are talking about a maximum of 10 cm. In most cases, it would be very difficult for an outsider (or criminal) to intercept an operation or transaction, because they would have to be too close. And even if I did intercept it, it’s encrypted.<\/p>\n\n\n

The short range acts as a security measure of the NFC. The criminal or attacker would have to be very close and in a payment context, for example, it would be very obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n

3 ) NFC chips are configured with a single use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

NFC chips only serve specific purposes. This means that, for example, NFC chips that are installed inside mobile phones can’t access other information stored on the device, beyond the transmission for which they are configured. So there is no need to worry that a chip can autonomously receive data or that another person can access private information.<\/p>\n\n\n

However, it must be emphasized that any technology can be hacked. But in that sense, they are usually complex operations and surely the hackers who know how to corrupt NFC chips are engaged in other types of activities.<\/p>\n\n\n

It is important to remember that proactive measures, such as having an unlock selfie or other options, make all the difference to protect devices.<\/p>\n\n\n

And, of course, how secure it is will be up to the developers of the technology to add layers of password protection and encryption to the solution (check out the great profiles we have on our team here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why is NFC used in identity verification?<\/h2>\n\n\n

The success of remotely registering new clients and authentication processes depends on the technology behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n

In the case of identity verification, easy and frictionless accessibility to the user is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n

The use of NFC technology in identity verification responds to three main reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n