New standards: DUOX, PKOC, Aliro
Asymmetric keys in the badge and the phone, and the first steps of post-quantum cryptography: what is changing, without jargon.
For twenty years, a secure badge has relied on a shared secret: the same key is known to the card and to the system that reads it. Three new developments change this rule by giving each badge, or each phone, its own key pair. Here is what they are, where they stand, and what this changes for an installation.
Shared key or key pair: the difference
Symmetric key: a shared secret
This is how a MIFARE DESFire® card works: the card and the reader (or its SAM card) know the same AES key. Security is strong, provided this key is protected everywhere it is held.
Badgesecret key=secret keyReader or SAM card
Hence the key ceremony, diversified keys and transparent mode, described on our page Securing your access control.
Asymmetric keys: one pair per badge
The badge generates a private key, which never leaves it, and a public key, which it can show to anyone. The reader sends a challenge; the badge signs it with its private key; the reader checks the signature with the public key.
Badgeprivate keysignspublic keyReader
The reader no longer holds any secret to steal. This is the principle of FIDO keys, presented on our page FIDO, MFA and NIS 2.
Three names to know
MIFARE® DUOX
A badge chip, from NXP
- Announced by NXP in November 2024: the first contactless chip in the MIFARE® family to combine asymmetric and symmetric cryptography.
- NIST P-256 and brainpoolP256r1 elliptic curves, ECDSA signature, and AES-256 on the symmetric side.
- Common Criteria EAL 6+ certification, proximity check against relay attacks, transaction signature.
- Partial compatibility with MIFARE DESFire® EV3, according to the data sheet.
- Uses highlighted by NXP: electric vehicle charging, vehicle access, access management.
PKOC
An open credential format, from the PSIA
- Public Key Open Credential: the public key of the badge or phone is used as the identifier; the private key stays in the badge or device.
- ECDSA signature on the NIST P-256 curve, which is the mandatory curve.
- "PKOC over OSDP" specification ratified by the PSIA on 22 March 2024; core specification 2.0.1 approved on 13 August 2026.
- No site key to buy or share: the credential does not belong to a manufacturer.
Aliro
A phone-to-reader protocol, from the Connectivity Standards Alliance
- Version 1.0 published on 26 February 2026.
- A common protocol and credential between phones, watches and access control readers, based on asymmetric cryptography.
- Phone presented over NFC, authentication over Bluetooth Low Energy, and optional UWB.
- Among the first members expected to achieve certification, according to the Alliance: Apple, Google, Samsung, HID, Allegion, NXP, STMicroelectronics.
- Certification goes through authorised test labs; the standard is expected to evolve, in particular for key sharing.
What to compare
| MIFARE DESFire® EV3 | MIFARE® DUOX | PKOC | Aliro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A badge chip | A badge chip | A credential format | A protocol between phone and reader |
| Keys | Symmetric (AES-128) | Asymmetric (ECC) and symmetric (AES-256) | Asymmetric (ECC P-256) | Asymmetric |
| Secret in the reader | Yes, except in transparent mode with a SAM card | No for the asymmetric part | No | No for the user's credential |
| Bracket | Card, key fob, token | Card, key fob, token | Card or phone | Phone or watch |
| Where it stands | In service everywhere, recommended today | Chip available according to NXP; readers and systems to be checked | Specifications published; products to be checked | Standard published in 2026; certifications in progress |
And today?
With MACS, tomorrow is today
These standards promise a credential in the phone, accepted by several brands. MACS, the SELEPSO group platform distributed by SCAP, already does it:
- Several brands. Readers, locks, cylinders, padlocks and lockers from different manufacturers, driven by the same service.
- One credential per resource. MACS generates a different credential, with its own security level, for each reader or each resource.
- One app, one cloud. The mobile credential for readers already installed and standalone access control, with no wiring, are managed together.
MACS is not one of these standards: it is a platform available right now, on iOS and Android.
What about the quantum computer?
A sufficiently powerful quantum computer would break elliptic curves and RSA, that is, the asymmetric cryptography used today, including by the three developments above. Symmetric keys hold up better: this is one of the reasons for moving to AES-256.
The US NIST published the first so-called post-quantum standards in August 2024: ML-KEM for key exchange (FIPS 203) and ML-DSA for signatures (FIPS 204). Chip makers are preparing the transition. NXP speaks of a migration period from 2026 to 2030 for secure elements, and recommends a hybrid approach, combining a classical algorithm and a post-quantum algorithm.
The difficulty, for a badge, is space: according to NXP, an ML-DSA signature needs around 50 KB of memory, compared with a few kilobytes for an elliptic curve. Post-quantum smart cards are appearing in 2026 in payment and identity documents. At the time of writing, we have not found any announcement of a post-quantum access control badge.
What to do today?
- Do not wait to leave 125 kHz and MIFARE Classic®. A DESFire® EV3 card with your own keys, an OSDP Secure Channel link and, where possible, transparent mode remain the current recommendation.
- Choose readers that can evolve. A reader with updatable firmware, that speaks OSDP and already reads NFC and Bluetooth, will keep up more easily.
- Keep control of your keys. Whatever the technology, a site that owns its keys can change badge, reader or supplier.
- Ask what can actually be delivered. Time passes between a published standard and a certified reader in stock. We check with the manufacturers before every project.
Review my installation Compare smartphone badges
Sources
- NXP, MIFARE® DUOX: product page and data sheet; November 2024 press release.
- PSIA, Secure Credential Interoperability and PKOC: core specification 2.0.1 and PKOC over OSDP 1.63.
- Connectivity Standards Alliance, Aliro 1.0 announcement (26 February 2026).
- NXP, white paper on post-quantum cryptography; NIST standards FIPS 203 and FIPS 204 (August 2024).
Page written in November 2026 from these sources. Announcements move fast: confirm each point for your project. MIFARE®, MIFARE DESFire® and MIFARE® DUOX are registered trademarks of NXP B.V.; Aliro is a trademark of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. The other trademarks belong to their owners.