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Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decryption
https://forum.yubico.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2003		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  jtl [ Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decryption
Hello

I have a Yubikey NEO with OpenPGP properly setup using a computer over USB. Encryption and decryption work fine.

My Android device is a stock Galaxy Note 3 (N900W8) running Android 4.3 (MJ4 build) currently

Now when I try and use Openkeychain on Android with it to encrypt to decrypt something I get the password prompt as usual, when I type in an invalid pin code I get the standard "Invalid PIN, x tries remaining." etc. However when the PIN code is correct and I try and decrypt/encrypt something I get a "Transceiver error" message every time.

What's also interesting is that I use the Yubikey Authenticator app for Android to store OATH one time passwords and it too sometimes gets errors, (but works most of the time) leading me to think that this a not a problem with Openkeychain but more with the NFC.

I initially opened a bug report for Openkeychain, which you can view here.

Thanks
Author:  jtl [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
I just made a huge discovery.

Using the NXP Taginfo app with my brothers Nexus 5 (running 5.1.1) I scanned my YubiKey and it was successfully detected every time, not matter what.

I'm so angry but feel dumb at the same time, why can't my $600 Note 3 can't read my Yubkey NFC tag reliably? (as in Yubico Authenticator works every time with intermittent communication errors, and the Openkeychain app never works for encryption decryption), any Yubico employees want the data from Taginfo, PM me

Thanks
Author:  Abshole [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
How does your phone go with other NFC tags/devices?
Author:  jtl [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 8:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
Abshole wrote:
How does your phone go with other NFC tags/devices?


I actually restored to 4.3 from 4.4 leaked build recently (Before DefCon :P) because I was having all sorts of weird issues.

I'm running a stock phone, other than being rooted, although I don't think that's it because I was having the same error rate with 4.4 custom kernel and all that fancy stuff.

I haven't done any NFC use for a while so I tested with my mother's Galaxy S4 beaming stuff to me through S-Beam/Android Beam and it worked fine. Could test with fathers Blackberry which is just a standard NFC device. (no Android/S-Beam)

If anyone has any experience with NXP Taginfo I recently tried it with my Note 3 while I was troubleshooting with my Visa contactless credit card (Don't have it saved in any payment app and was in Airplane mode at the time for security reasons) and also tried it with a RFID/NFC government ID and both of those too got the serious error message.

I'm thinking that this may be a hardware problem because I tried 100% restoring my phone which also wiped the NAND but I will try changing the hidden Samsung NFC (which I haven't altered at all in current testing) to see if that helps.

I wonder if a new battery will help because part of the NFC tech is built into the battery and this battery is quite old (Phone was manufactured in September 2013 and purchased October 24th 2013)

Forgot to mention. I tried the Yubikey with my mothers phone and it successfully detected the PGP smartcard functionality and all the other functionality 100% of the time across multiple runs even with an Otterbox case attached. What's puzzling is my phone never does even with the battery door removed and yet for some weird reason Yubico Authenticator works most of the time.

JTL
Author:  Tom2 [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
Looks like drop in power since OpenKeyChain takes longer.

Do you have phone covers, if yes remove it.

For testing purposes you could remove your phone battery cover.
Author:  jtl [ Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
Tom2 wrote:
Looks like drop in power since OpenKeyChain takes longer.

Do you have phone covers, if yes remove it.

For testing purposes you could remove your phone battery cover.


I actually had no case for a while and still don't.

I removed the battery door and no change no matter what. But when testing with my mothers Galaxy S4 and brother's Nexus 5 they both had Otterbox type cases that were quite thick and it worked every time, provided that you match the Yubikey with the right spot for the NFC antenna.

What I think I'm going to try next is ordering a new battery (using stock one from phone) and battery door, see if that improves things.

I will keep you updated

Thanks.
Author:  jtl [ Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
Ordered a new battery for Note3 as it was wearing down anyway and the NFC antenna is in the battery. Picked express shipping, we will see.
Author:  jtl [ Tue Sep 01, 2015 3:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Issues with Android NFC doing OpenPGP encryption/decrypt
Alright, got new battery today for Note3, charged up with phone off, etc. NFC with Yubikey still doesn't work, meanwhile it works fine with other phones I have access to :/

Beginning to think this is possible failure of NFC chip or something, while S-Beam with S4 works fine.

Any advice?
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