Proxmark III
DeveloperJonathan Westhues
Websitehttps://cq.cx/proxmark3.pl

The Proxmark 3 is a powerful general purpose RFID tool, the size of a deck of cards, designed to snoop, listen and emulate everything from Low Frequency (125kHz) to High Frequency (13.56MHz) tags.[1][2] The device was originally created as a PHD project by Jonathan Westhues to facilitate the research of RFID systems. The first original website about the Proxmark device created in 2007. The project was free to use and all the necessary designs and source codes were published. Five years later, already more than a thousand Proxmarks were sold for extensive RFID protocol and security research.[3]

Any statements on Jonathan's web site relating to the abilities of the board may be little dated now, and the capabilities of the Proxmark 3 have been (and continue to be) further enhanced, by great enthusiasts, such as Gerhard de Koning Gans who added ISO-14443a support and many others who continue to add features in their own time.[4]

Since it was open-sourced, there have been multiple commercial versions of the Proxmark. Originally manufactured individually or in small runs, a handful of manufacturers began to commercialize the device.

Original capabilities

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Updated implementations

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Table of implementation comparison

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version/

specification

CPU Storage User Interface Antennas Battery BLE/Wifi

module expansion

Android compatible Case
RDV2 AT91SAM7S512 512Kb SPI flash 4x mode LEDs

1x button

LF Pretuned, Removable

HF Pretuned, Removable

+ - - -
Easy AT91SAM7S256 256Kb SPI flash 4x mode LEDs

1x button

LF Attached

HF Integrated

- - - -
EVO AT91SAM7S512 External 2MBits

512Kb SPI flash

1x RGB LED

1x button

LF Pretuned, Internal

HF Pretuned, Internal

+ - + +
RDV4 SAM7S512 External 2MBits

256Kb SPI flash

4x power LEDs

4x mode LEDs

1x button

LF (125KHz): 70mm @ 65V

HF (13.56MHz): 88mm @ 44V

+ + + +

Proxmark 3 RDV2

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Proxmark 3 RDV2

Designed and manufactured by Elechouse, the Proxmark 3 RDV2, or "Revision Two" was the first major evolution in the Proxmark framework for many years.

All major hardware components, including the microcontroller, FPGA and flash memory were revised and updated.

However, the most significant changes were in the antenna design and implementation. The bulky, awkward and untuned antennas of the Proxmark 3 were replaced with compact, pre-tuned HF and LF antennas, using the standard SMA interface instead of the USB-Hirose cables previously used.

The Proxmark 3 RDV2 was the first all-in-one design, with its stacked PCB design providing a case and attach points for the antennas, finally enabling the device to be used in environments where more discretion was required.

The Proxmark 3 RDV2 was quickly adopted as the "industry standard" device. Its popularity resulted in grey-market / counterfeit versions of the device surfacing on AliExpress / TaoBao. These devices had known issues with their antenna performance and suffered from failing relays.

Proxmark 3 Easy

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Proxmark 3 Easy

The Proxmark 3 Easy was designed and produced by Elechouse, the creators of the Proxmark 3 RDV2. It was designed as a lower-cost version of the Proxmark 3 RDV2 specifically for domestic sales in China via TaoBao. It was created to be a cheaper, less capable fork of the RDV2.

Its lower price point came at the cost of performance:

Proxmark 3 EVO

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Proxmark 3 EVO

The Proxmark 3 EVO, or "Evolution" is designed by Elechouse to be the ultimate evolution of the Proxmark 3 Platform.

No larger than a wallet, the Proxmark 3 Evo has been miniaturised and modernised to respond to the evolving requirements of the community.

It can be considered the ultimate desktop device for RFID researchers and hobbists.

  • Durable: High quality ABS case protects your hardware, even on the go
  • Flexible: Only proxmark to feature an RGB LED for intuative status indication
  • Android Compatible: Works with Project Walrus for automated red-teaming

Proxmark 3 RDV4

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Proxmark 3 RDV4

The Proxmark 3 RDV4 is the latest revision of the Proxmark 3 Platform. It is designed and manufactured by RRG, a company formed by four people instrumental to the Proxmark 3.

The RDV4 revision represents a highly optimised piece of hardware specifically designed for the pen-testing community:

  • Covert: Fits easily into a hand and pocket
  • Modular: Rapidly switch pre-tuned antennas for more range when in the field
  • Intuiative: Multiple Status LEDs for at-a-glance status checking
  • Android Compatible: Works with Project Walrus for automated red-teaming
  • Expandable: BLE/Wifi module expansion capability for automated data egress[6]

References

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  1. ^ "RFID Hacking with The Proxmark 3". Kevin Chung. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  2. ^ EXC3L (2019-05-12). "Cracking Mifare Classic cards with Proxmark3 RDV4". Medium. Retrieved 2021-05-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ D.Garcia, Flavio; Koning Gans, Gerhard; Verdult, Roel (2012). Tutorial: Proxmark, the Swiss Army Knife for RFID Security Research. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Proxmark/proxmark3". GitHub. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  5. ^ "Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting". code.google.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  6. ^ "Home | Proxmark". www.proxmark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03.