Instead of burning data to physical cards, developers created Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices. These devices store hundreds of Amiibo files digitally and use the encryption keys to spoof an actual figure, allowing users to cycle through an entire collection with the press of a button.
Because NTAG215 chips are commercially available and incredibly cheap, anyone can buy a blank tag. Without security, a user could simply copy the data from a legitimate Amiibo and paste it onto a blank card.
Each physical Amiibo has a unique ID (UID) hard-coded into its hardware. Nintendo's encryption process uses this unique ID to "lock" the data to that specific figurine.
: Popular iOS alternatives that require the key to write to blank tags.
The software uses the decrypted keys to read the .bin file and calculate a new, valid cryptographic signature customized specifically to the UID of a blank, store-bought NTAG215 tag.
To fully grasp the complexity of Amiibo security, let's revisit the mechanics of key derivation and encryption in more detail. This section is for those interested in the deep technical "how."
To use features related to amiibo encryption, you typically need two specific key files (often combined into one key_retail.bin locked-secret.bin : Used for the "locked" portion of the amiibo data. unfixed-info.bin : Used for the "unfixed" portion of the amiibo data. How to Use the Keys