The MIFARE DESFire EV2 is the third generation of the MIFARE DESFire family from NXP Semiconductors, certified Common Criteria EAL5+ (the level required for banking cards and electronic passports). It is designed for the multi-application services of smart cities: public transport, access management, micro-payment and loyalty, student ID, road tolling and parking, ticketing. Compliant with all four levels of the ISO/IEC 14443A standard and compatible with the NFC Forum Type 4 format, it removes the application limit of the EV1 and introduces the Transaction MAC, delegated application management and protection against relay attacks. It can be read and written by the vast majority of recent NFC smartphones.
Information
| Manufacturer | NXP Semiconductors |
| Family | MIFARE DESFire (third generation) |
| References | MF3Dx2 and MF3DHx2 (from 2 to 32 kB) |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 14443A (levels 1 to 4) |
| Protocol | ISO/IEC 7816-4 APDU and file structure |
| NFC Forum type | Type 4 Tag compatible |
| Operating frequency | 13.56 MHz |
| Data rate | 106 to 848 kbit/s |
| Unique identifier (UID) | 7 bytes, factory programmed; optional Random ID |
| Encryption | DES, 2K3DES, 3K3DES and AES-128 (hardware engine) |
| Certification | Common Criteria EAL5+ (hardware and software) |
| Operating distance | A few centimeters (up to 100 mm depending on the antenna) |
| Data retention | 25 years |
| Write endurance | 500,000 cycles (typical value) |
| Memory | 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 kB depending on the version |
Memory
The memory of the MIFARE DESFire EV2 is organized as a hierarchical file system, with no fixed limit on the number of applications, whose structure is freely defined during personalization:
| Level | Role | Security |
|---|---|---|
| Card (PICC) | General settings, management of free memory and applications | Card master key |
| Applications (no fixed limit) | Isolated containers, identified by a 3-byte AID and an optional ISO name | Up to 14 keys and 16 key sets per application |
| Files (up to 32 per application) | Six types: standard data, backup data, value, linear record, cyclic record, Transaction MAC | Access rights per file, up to 8 keys per right |
The number of applications is now limited only by the available memory (from 2 to 32 kB depending on the version) and the size of each file is set at its creation. Used as an NFC Forum Type 4 tag, the chip hosts an NDEF application whose file can occupy almost the entire memory: nearly 1,900 URL characters on the 2 kB version, and far more beyond. Capacity stops being a constraint.
Features & security
- Mutual authentication and EV2 secure messaging: a three-pass mutual authentication, executed by a hardware cryptographic engine (DES, 2K3DES, 3K3DES or AES-128), generates session keys; exchanges are signed with an 8-byte CMAC or encrypted over the radio channel. The new AES-based EV2 secure messaging is recommended for any new project, with the D40 and EV1 modes remaining available for existing fleets.
- Delegated application management: The card issuer can sell or entrust application space to third parties without ever sharing the master key, with memory quotas and reuse of freed space (the foundation of multi-service city cards).
- Transaction MAC: each transaction can be sealed with a MAC computed with a secret key on the card and verifiable by the backend, proving it really took place; the reader identifier can be attached to it to pinpoint a fraud location.
- Multiple key sets and sharing: up to 16 key sets per application with fast rolling to migrate keys smoothly, up to 8 keys per access right, and transactions that can span the files of two applications at once.
- Proximity Check and Virtual Card: a response-time measurement protects against relay attacks, and the Virtual Card architecture preserves the holder's privacy during card selection.
- Atomic transactions and anti-cloning: an anti-tearing mechanism validates or cancels writes as one unit, automatic rollback protects the structure, plus Random ID, an ECC originality signature and hardware sensors against physical attacks.
In its delivery configuration, the EV2 behaves like an EV1: the new features are activated during personalization. The chip comes in two antenna capacitances, 17 pF and 70 pF (MF3DHx2 references). The MIFARE DESFire EV3 succeeds it.
Compatibility
The MIFARE DESFire EV2 uses NFC-A technology (ISO/IEC 14443A), supported by the vast majority of recent NFC smartphones. On Android, reading and writing work natively with NFC Tools, without any particular restriction. On iPhone, automatic background reading is available from the iPhone XS and XR onwards; models from the iPhone 7 can read and write the chip via NFC Tools on iOS 15.6 or later, by starting the scan manually from the app.
With NFC Tools, the chip supports reading technical information as well as reading and writing NDEF records once the card is formatted as Type 4 (blank cards delivered with factory keys can be prepared during the first write). Creating applications, managing keys and fine-tuning the files require specialized encoding through the chip's dedicated commands. The list of compatible models is available in the article on compatibility.
MIFARE DESFire EV1 vs EV2
| Chip | Memory | Security | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIFARE DESFire EV1 | 2, 4 or 8 kB | EAL4+, 28 applications, 3DES and AES | Existing fleets |
| MIFARE DESFire EV2 | 2 to 32 kB | EAL5+, unlimited applications, Transaction MAC, anti-relay | The recommended successor |
The EV2 carries over everything from the EV1 (it can even be deployed as is in an EV1 infrastructure) and adds the EAL5+ certification, delegated application management, multiple key sets and relay protection. The MIFARE DESFire EV3, covered in a dedicated page, continues the line; on the consumer NFC tag side, the NTAG 424 DNA offers AES authentication in a sticker format.
Frequently asked questions
How much data can be stored on a MIFARE DESFire EV2?
The card offers 2 to 32 kB depending on the version, distributed into freely sized files. Used as a Type 4 tag, it dedicates almost all of its memory to the NDEF file, which corresponds to nearly 1,900 URL characters on the 2 kB version (far beyond common needs).
What is new compared with the MIFARE DESFire EV1?
Certification moves to EAL5+, the number of applications is no longer limited, and the chip adds delegated application management, the Transaction MAC, multiple key sets with fast rolling, the Proximity Check against relay attacks, the Virtual Card and the originality signature (while remaining backward compatible with the EV1 and D40).
Is the MIFARE DESFire EV2 compatible with iPhones?
Yes. Background reading works from the iPhone XS and XR onwards, and both reading and writing are possible via NFC Tools from the iPhone 7 on iOS 15.6 or later.
Can a MIFARE DESFire EV2 be protected against rewriting?
Protection relies on the keys: each file defines its read and write access rights, which can require authentication or be set to "never" (writing then becomes permanently impossible). There is no OTP-bit locking as on NTAG chips: everything is configured through the access rights.
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