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Because the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS consoles must know the secret keys to read the Amiibo, the keys had to be stored inside the console's operating system or hardware.
The first key is the , commonly known among reverse engineers as locked‑secret.bin (an 80‑byte binary file). Its purpose is to derive an amiibo‑specific tag key that signs the fixed, locked‑in information of the figure. This includes immutable data such as the UID, the character ID (which identifies the specific amiibo, e.g., “Mario,” “Link,” etc.), and the series it belongs to. The tag master key is used to generate keys that authenticate this static payload, ensuring that the fundamental identity of the amiibo cannot be forged or altered.
When a console scans an Amiibo, it uses a specific set of keys to: the data to read its contents.
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
This is why you can buy 50 blank NFC coins on Amazon and turn them into a full Zelda amiibo collection. Not because of reverse-engineering—because someone found the key.