Consumerist
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whoops
State Department Admits RFID Passports Are Insecure
The State Department is advising travelers using super-secure RFID-enabled passports to buy a "radio-opaque" holster, because it turns out that RFID chips aren't so super-secure after all. Don't fret if "radio-opaque sheath" isn't on your holiday shopping list, this is thankfully one of those rare problems that you can solve with a hammer... More » -
security
'Identity Theft-Proof' Wallet Blocks RFID, Goes In Front Pocket
If you're concerned about your RFID-chipped credit cards being skimmed, you might want to consider shielding them. DIFRwear makes a wallet with the shielding already included, and now roguewallet in Maine has introduced its own RFID-shielded version, with a fin-shaped design so it fits better in your front pocket to thwart pickpockets. Unfortunately, it's also $50, compared to $20 for the more conventional looking DIFRwear hip-pocket design. (Both are FIPS 201 compliant, if that means anything to you.) More » -
mythbusters
Mythbusters Host Retracts RFID Censorship Comments
Mythbusters host Adam Savage is retracting comments he made at a hackers conference where he said an episode exposing security flaws in credit card RFID technology was squelched by credit card company lawyers. In a new statement Adam says, " If I went into the detail of exactly why this story didn't get filmed, it's so bizarre and convoluted that no one would believe me, but suffice to say...the decision not to continue on with the RFID story was made by our production company, Beyond Productions, and had nothing to do with Discovery, or their ad sales department."
'MythBusters' co-host backpedals on RFID kerfuffle [Cnet] (Thanks to Dariush!)
PREVIOUSLY: Mythbusters Gagged: Credit Card Companies Kill Episode Exposing RFID Security Flaws -
privacy
Don't Want RFID On Your Plastic? Call Your Credit Card Company
There's all sorts of advice online about how to disable RFID chips and tags, and now that they're starting to show up uninvited on credit cards, you might be tempted to try some of those tactics. But as a reader found out, many credit card issuers will simply swap out your newfangled RFID-enabled card for a traditional one if you just ask. More » -
the store of tomorrow
German Department Store Launches RFID-Enhanced Men's Department
A German department store is trying a new RFID system in its men's department, where it's tagged 30,000 pieces with Smart Chip labels. When shoppers take garments into the dressing room, an integrated display shows the customer price, materials, and care instructions, as well as sizes and colors available. Later this year, the screens will also show complimentary pieces, a great help if you're not good at matching clothes or are color blind. More » -
security
Don't Like RFID In Your Credit Card? Ask 'Em To Turn It Off
While the danger of someone long-distance slurping the account information communicating out the RFID chips being increasingly embedded in credit cards is, for the time being, remote, reader Eyebrows McGee reports success in asking AmEx to turn it off... More » -
tin foil hats
How To De-RFID Your Credit Card
Credit card companies are putting magical radio chips inside your credit cards to allow for "touch n go" "contact-less" payments, but if for some reason the idea of a miniature beacon transmitting your credit card information, albeit however encrypted the companies feel like making them, there is something you can do about, blogs Cody: Dremel! More » -
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rfid
Protect Your RFID Credit Card With A RF Jammer
Credit card companies are embedding radio frequency tags (RFID) in credit cards. Since these are transmitters, there's the possibility of a thief using an RFID sniffer to snag your credit card digits. More » -
passport
HOW TO: Disable RFID in Your New Passport
Despite the fact that RFID chips are not secure and can be read by hackers, any U.S. Passport issued after Jan 1 will contain an RFID chip. If you'd like to risk 25 years in prison for tampering with it, Wired has a primer on how to disable the chip and protect yourself from ID theft. More » -
rfid
Personal RFID Firewall Invented
This paper outlines a system for protecting yourself from the threat of RFID bandits snagging the credit card information you broadcast. The "RFID Guardian" jams your RFID signals, then it clones their signals and rebroadcasts them only if and when you tell it. If the banks won't make the cards more secure, it's up to the user to protect himself. — BEN POPKEN More » -
consumer alert
No-Swipe Credit Cards Pose Risk Says Senator
Credit cards that use RFID signals to conduct transactions could put consumers at risk for identity theft and credit card fraud, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY said in a press conference Sunday. More » -
gawker
NYC RFID Subway Turnstiles Spread
New RFID turnstiles mean Citibank customers with enabled cards or credit wands need never fumble for a Metrocard again. More » -
privacy
RFID Confuses The US Government
Despite a report by Homeland security, the US is going ahead with plans to put RFID tags in everything from passports to drivers licenses. More » -
banks
Long-Distance RFID Snagging Possible, Already Done
After posting about the danger posed by magic wand credit cards, some readers pooh-poohed the notion that someone could build a device capable of reading RFID from a distance. More » -
banks
Foil RFID Thieves. Literally.
The tin-foil hat contingent may have finally hit on something right. More » -
consumer alert
No-Swipe Credit Card No Problem For Thieves
Radio-frequency enabled credit cards allow consumers to complete transactions with a flick of the wrist, but new research shows that it's not just consumers and merchants who will find the new system easier. More » -
rfid
RFIDs Cloned Within Human Flesh
If it means I have to memorize one less arbitrary pin code in my life, you can tattoo a bar code on my forehead as far as I'm concerned. Still, many are worried about the privacy issues involved in implanted RFID chips, and the prospect of living in a society that may make them mandatory. Big Brother and all that. More »
rfid
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Sat Nov 14
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