Simultaneous multi-level RFID tag ownership & transfer in health care environments

Authentication of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags takes several forms depending on the dictates of the considered scenario. For example, mutual authentication protocols are used in scenarios where both tag and reader need to authenticate each other. We consider and develop ownership transfer protocols for three scenarios in the health care domain that have not been addressed in extant literature. RFID-tagged items in a health care supply chain experience different levels of ownerships, often simultaneously, throughout their lifetime. We consider a scenario related to ownership of RFID tags in a health care supply chain, specifically the seamless incorporation by a third party logistics provider. Another scenario considered is where tags simultaneously possess a temporary and a permanent key for communicating with a temporary (e.g., rental customer) and a permanent (e.g., owner) user respectively. The third scenario considered is where there are several levels of ownership (e.g., primary owner, rental owner, sub-rental owner). We provide example cases in the health care domain where such scenarios are observed. We then present brief security analyses of the developed protocols.