ISO/IEC 13157-2:2016

Overview

ISO/IEC 13157-2:2016 defines the NFC-SEC cryptography mechanisms that enable secure Near Field Communication (NFC) between devices that do not share a prior secret. The standard specifies message formats (PID 01) and cryptographic methods based on Elliptic Curve Diffie–Hellman (ECDH) for key agreement and AES for data encryption and integrity. It is part of the NFC Security series and is intended to be used together with the protocol services in ISO/IEC 13157-1.

Key Topics

• ECDH key agreement
  • Use of elliptic-curve public/private key pairs to derive a shared secret between NFC peers.
  • Includes EC key pair generation, public-key validation, and shared-secret derivation.
  • References specific curve usage (e.g., Curve P-192 noted in the specification).
• AES-based confidentiality and integrity
  • AES algorithms are used for encryption and message integrity.
  • Annex A specifies AES-XCBC-PRF-128 and AES-XCBC-MAC-96 for MAC and PRF operations.
• Key Derivation and Usage
  • Key Derivation Functions (KDFs) defined for SSE (Shared Secret Service) and SCH (Secure Channel Service).
  • Separation of encryption (KE) and integrity (KI) keys and explicit key confirmation procedures.
• Protocol and message details
  • Defines PID 01 message contents, nonce usage, initial counter/IV selection for AES modes, message sequence integrity, and required data conversions (integer/point to octet-string conversions).
• Conformance and normative references
  • Conformant implementations must follow ISO/IEC 13157-1 and referenced cryptographic standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 15946-1, ISO/IEC 18031).

Applications

ISO/IEC 13157-2:2016 is applicable wherever NFC devices need to establish a secure channel without prior shared keys. Typical applications include:

• Mobile payments and wallets (secure pairing and transaction encryption)
• Access control and secure identity transfer (e.g., badges, tickets)
• Secure peer-to-peer data exchange between smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices
• NFC-enabled readers and tags that require authenticated, confidential sessions

Primary users and implementers:

• NFC device manufacturers and firmware developers
• Security architects and protocol engineers
• Payment system integrators and access-control solution providers
• Test labs and certification bodies validating NFC-SEC conformance

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 13157-1 (NFC-SEC services and protocol) - mandatory for protocol-level conformance
• ISO/IEC 13157 series (Parts 3–5) - other cryptography and authentication options (e.g., ECDH-256, AES-GCM)
• ISO/IEC 15946-1 (elliptic-curve cryptography), ISO/IEC 18031 (random bit generation), ISO/IEC 10116 (block cipher modes)

Keywords: ISO/IEC 13157-2:2016, NFC security, NFC-SEC, ECDH, AES, AES-XCBC, key agreement, secure channel, NFC encryption, key derivation.