Published in RFID Journal on August 5, 2024.
- NXP Semiconductors is the first NFC technology company to gain certification from the CCC for interoperability and security
- Its SN220 chip is used in mobile devices and wearables to enable drivers and authorized parties to securely access and operate cars without a key
NXP Semiconductors has become the first technology company to earn Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) certification for a near-field communication (NFC) chip intended for digital car keys.
The company’s SN220 chip gained the nod from CCC, along with BMW Group’s NFC-based Digital Key product, that allows accessing and starting of a car with an NFC-enabled device.
The SN220 is what NXP calls a convergence solution, combining an NFC controller with an embedded secure element in a single chip as part of an overall digital key system solution. NXP’s digital key leverages Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to ensure a consistent and seamless user experience.
CCC certification indicates that the NFC-based product meets the consortium’s requirements for secure and interoperable access. The standards group is reviewing other products for certification ahead.
Digital Cars to Become Universal
Keyless entry and operation of cars is growing in popularity, while some early versions of the technology have been proprietary. According to a McKinsey & Company report, more than 90 percent of vehicles sold in 2030 will be connected, up from 50 percent today.
“That significant increase means we need to ensure every aspect of the vehicle-to-device ecosystem is fully functional for consumers,” said Alysia Johnson, CCC’s president.
Already, NXP has a wide portfolio of NFC, as well as UWB and BLE chips and secure elements for both vehicles and smart mobile devices, such as smartphone, smart cards or wearables, said Abu Ismail, NXP’s secure embedded transactions product management director.
Several NXP products— including the SN110, SN220 and SN300 —support CCC-based digital car key Release 2 (for NFC) and Release 3 (for NFC, UWB, BLE), and are incorporated into phones and wearables. Certification however confirms that a product meets the specific standards of CCC for security and interoperability.
Certification Program to Boost Digital Key Innovation
In fact, two of the main barriers historically to consumer adoption of connected car technology, and digital keys were lack of interoperability and security concerns, according to Johnson. So the CCC introduced a certification program to encourage more interoperable and secure solutions that aligned with the CCC Digital Key specification, she said. The spec defines digital car keys to ensure seamless interoperability and security across the full ecosystem of cars, mobile phones and other hands-free secure car access devices.
Companies seeking certification use a Certification Application and select their preferred Authorized Test Laboratory, where their product is evaluated to ensure it meets the CCC’s requirements. Once the product passes the testing process, companies are certified and able to use the CCC Digital Key logo on their product, signaling to consumers that their solution is fully interoperable and secure, Johnson said.
NXP completed these processes to earn certification for its chip. “Standardization is crucial to ensuring a secure access solution, building consumer trust, and driving adoption,” Ismail said. “With the CCC certification, automotive and phone manufacturers alike can assure and certify compliance with this standard.”
Secure and Universal Chip
The SN220 is the second-generation, single-die, secured NFC controller combined with an embedded secure element, NXP reports. Available since 2021, the chip is designed for multiple mobile use-cases and offers software components, also called applets, that have been developed and optimized for secure car access based on both NFC, UWB or BLE.
The SN220 is widely used today in smart mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearables, while in vehicles NXP offers a variety of automotive-grade solutions for secure car access.
NXP is an active and motivated charter member of the CCC organization, Ismail said. “NXP believes standardization is crucial to driving adoption in the industry and therefore spends significant effort to assure compliance of our devices to global standards,” he said.
Ismail added that the company has been striving to be the first to comply and get certified to CCC standards. That effort will also include the Release-3 Car Access, which supports full passive-entry capabilities with UWB and BLE. The SN220 currently supports this newest version of the standard, and NXP intends to certify the chip once a certification program is available at CCC for UWB and BLE.
NFC’s Future in Digital Car Access
NFC technology itself is important for secure car access, with a wide-set of offerings intended to ease the transition as the automotive industry replaces today’s key fobs with smartphone or smart card access. An NFC solution enables a key to be customized and shared with other mobile device users, such as family, friends or even colleagues, said Ismail.
Additionally, NFC solutions, such as the SN220, are designed to be functional even when the phone cannot be turned on due to low battery.
Another benefit to using NFC for access is its limited transmission range, requiring users to be within centimeters of their vehicle to tap-to-unlock, Johnson said. This deters some of the most common keyless proximity attacks, as an attacker will unlikely be within close enough range to intercept an NFC signal transmitted from smart device to vehicle.
Need for Standardization
However contactless technology could still pose security risks and that’s where CCC’s standardization is intended to help. Traditionally, drivers have prevented automotive theft by holding their physical keys close as they lock their doors, Johnson said. That’s not an option with a digital key.
Manufacturers need to incorporate high levels of security into the technology and minimize hacker opportunities to falsely authenticate a digital key or manipulate the accessibility features when a digital key is in proximity.
The security requirements of the CCC Digital Key specification allow device and vehicle manufacturers to ensure their users can securely and safely access their vehicles, create and delete digital keys, share a digital key with others and start their vehicles.
UWB and BLE to Follow
Looking ahead, the CCC Digital Key Certification Program will be verifying more products. BMW Group and NXP are just the first two companies to complete their certification process, but there are more companies in progress,” said Johnson.
The CCC is in the process of expanding its certification program to include UWB and BLE and plan to roll these out later this year. CCC’s certification for BLE, will address products that enable remote command, and UWB with BLE will provide full passive entry capabilities. Those who are certified or pursuing certification for NFC will also have access.
The CCC membership comprises over 200 companies and includes major device makers, automotive manufacturers, and technology companies.
“As a cohesive membership, we regularly meet to help realize the full potential of the CCC Digital Key specification, which incorporates UWB and BLE on top of the existing NFC capabilities,” said Johnson.
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