Cracking Mifare Ultralight: The Ultimate Guide

The Mifare Ultralight is one of the most widely used RFID cards in various applications, from transportation systems to access control and payment gateways. However, its security features make it a challenge for hackers to crack the encryption algorithm and gain unauthorized access. In this article, we will explore the concept of cracking a Mifare Ultralight card and provide a comprehensive overview of the necessary steps required to hack an M1 RFID card.

What does it mean to 'crack' a Mifare Ultralight card?

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Many times when we talk about hacking Mifare Classic/M1, we are actually talking about how to tamper with the data in the card by reading and writing, and how to reverse the encryption algorithm of the EEPROM data in the card. It's essential to understand that writing data to the card does not mean the card has been hacked. The IC card, also known as a smart card, has an encryption function, reliable data recording, and easy-to-use features such as all-in-one card systems and consumer systems.

The real work is how to interpret the read data of different sectors and blocks, which is equivalent to different M1 scenarios (such as rice cards, water cards, bus cards). So, to hack an M1 RFID card, it's actually hacking its corresponding data storage encryption algorithm (different bits correspond to different business scenarios).

Writing data to the card through M1 password verification is only the first step (entering the door). When the IC card is in use, it must pass a 'predefined' two-way key authentication between the IC card and the reader device before any relevant work can be carried out.

Therefore, the IC card must be initialized and encrypted for the purpose of leaving the factory. This means that an unbreakable one-card system key is generated in the IC card to ensure the security issuance mechanism of the one-card system (for example, a batch of swipe card readers and bus cards are uniformly customized by the urban public transport system).

What do we need to hack an M1 RFID card?

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To hack an M1 card type RFID card, several aspects are required. These include:

* The NFC Forum Type 2 Tag Operation Specification 1.1 document

* A comprehensive understanding of the Mifare Ultralight's encryption algorithm and data storage structure

* A tool such as Proxmark3 to crack/dump/duplicate the Mifare Classic 1k card

In conclusion, cracking a Mifare Ultralight card is not an easy task. It requires a deep understanding of the card's encryption algorithm and data storage structure, as well as specialized tools and expertise. However, with this guide, you will have a better understanding of the necessary steps required to hack an M1 RFID card.

Remember that hacking a Mifare Ultralight card is illegal in most jurisdictions and should only be attempted for educational or research purposes.

Cracking mifare ultralight