Unlocking cards with passwords
There are NFC cards that have data organized in pages, such as MIFARE Ultralight® and NTAG® cards. If you can’t read all the NFC card’s pages with the Read function, the card might be protected with a password. To unlock the protected card, you can enter the password manually, generate the password to unlock the pages, or extract the password from the reader.
On this page, you’ll learn how to capture the password sent by the reader, generate passwords for supported types of cards, and unlock cards by entering passwords manually.
Extracting the password from the reader
If you have access to the reader and the card, try to extract the password from the reader by emulating the captured card’s data. The reader might authenticate the card with a password, which can be captured and saved by your Flipper Zero. After that, you can read the data on the card’s remaining pages.
To extract the password and unlock the card, do the following:
Read and save the card.
Go to Main Menu -> NFC -> Saved -> Card’s name -> Unlock.
Select Unlock with Reader, then tap the reader with your Flipper Zero.
When the password is captured, press Continue.
Read the card by holding the card near your Flipper Zero’s back.
Once pages are unlocked, press Save.
Name the card, then press Save.
If unlocking failed
- The card might be connected to another reader.
Generating the password
Using your Flipper Zero, you can generate a password for toys-to-life NFC technology and Xiaomi Air Purifier. When the card is near, Flipper Zero generates the password from the card’s UID.
To generate the password and unlock the card, do the following:
Go to Main Menu -> NFC -> Extra Actions -> Unlock NTAG/Ultralight.
Select the card type, then hold the card near your Flipper Zero’s back.
Once pages are unlocked, press Save.
Name the card, then press Save.
Entering the password manually
If you know the password, you can enter it manually and unlock the card by doing the following:
Read and save the card.
Go to Main Menu -> NFC -> Saved.
Select the saved card.
Then go to Unlock with Password -> Enter Password Manually.
Enter the password in hexadecimal, then press Save.
To unlock the card with the entered password, hold the card near your Flipper Zero’s back.
Once pages are unlocked, press Save.
Name the card, then press Save.
MIFARE, MIFARE Ultralight, and NTAG are registered trademarks of NXP B.V.