“ Tap Tap Tap In ”

Ahh, the joys of Apple and Android pay… wiping the chicken grease off your finger to pay via fingerprint or using your face to unlock your phone wallet. The introduction of NFC* technology has made life so much more convenient. Gone are the days of punching numbers on a pad when we can simply pay for things with our face, our finger or a simple tap.

NFC is similar to Bluetooth, but does not require much power to operate and can transmit information wirelessly over small distances. For example, if your iPhone has died, you can still use Apple Pay to pay for public transport. I’m not sure if a Samsung can do that though. I’m playing, the Apple vs Android debate part 2 is coming soon.

The giants of the mobile industry have incorporated NFC technology into their devices. Take for instance Google, they have implemented the NFC functionality that allows you to tap devices together to share data. Also, Samsung uses NFC technology which they call ‘S beam’ but instead of enabling Bluetooth, it enables a wifi connection. This has a higher bandwidth** so it’s better than the typical Bluetooth connection. Ultimately, these functions are pretty secure but I would suggest keeping your mobile software up-to-date as they may contain security upgrades which may affect the NFC functionality.

NFC Functionality 

There are a few things that NFC can do. For instance, NFC does enable product authentication on products. Once a legitimate product is embedded with NFC at the factory it’s given a unique digital ID that can be verified by customers before purchase. This also helps retailers and brands to discover fake merchandise. So ladies, I would check that Chanel bag you be stunting with.

Also, we can buy programmable NFC tags which can perform different tasks. For example, we can write our wifi password to an NFC tag and then it’s just a quick tap-tap for those guests that want it.  

NFC Security

The devil works hard but cybercriminals work harder. I feel like they won’t let us rest! Not to worry too much though, as NFC is pretty safe but with everything there is always a loophole. There are NFC skimming apps that can be used to steal card data when in very close proximity.

But how safe is NFC? Apple, Android and Samsung all use tokenisation***. It’s quite complicated as there’s a lot that goes on in the background. To put it simply, when you save your card details onto your phone the details are then encrypted and sent to your provider’s (Apple, Samsung, etc) server. The server then decrypts this information and adds your card’s payment network to the account information. So basically, this facilitates transactions between the merchant (Nike, PLT, etc) and the card issuer (AMEX, Barclays, etc) which enables Apple/Android Pay. Your mobile will then create a DAN (Device Account number). This is basically a different card number to your real card number, which is then added to Secure Element****. Seeee, not to worry, you’re all safe.

NFC has quite a few impressive use-cases and it’s shaped the way we approach tasks, with the capabilities to do pretty much anything. I do think we could see passports and driving licences added to mobile devices. It would be interesting to see how they would authorise this and ensure ultimate security. With Android devices really taking full advantage of NFC technology, it won’t be long until Apple follows suit (as usual).

On the contrary, as we are tapping away have we given thought to where our data ends up? During this pandemic, restaurants have used NFC tags for us to view the menu rather than having a physical menu. What if these tags have been compromised? You might think that’s weird, but cybercriminals are very creative. So.. stay vigilant !!!

‘Tips with T’

– It may be a drag, but read about how NFC enabled apps process your data – Keep a look out for any NFC updates and apply them

Love & Guidance

TT