Mythbusters Show Cancels RFID Episode (Credit Card Insecurity)

by skeeter1 9 Replies latest social current

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  skeeter1

  I am a fan of Mythbusters. Apparently, they were about to air a show on RFID.

  RFID is a radio chip that is inside our credit cards, passports, etc. A person with a special radio wand who is 20 feet away can READ your credit card information without ever having to pick your pocket.

  Mythbusters was about to do a show on it, but, apparently, the lawyers of the credit card companies stopped the show from airing. The host who spilled the beans on this has since backpeddled on his account of the story.....

  The credit card companies say that they encrypt the RFID cards...but some people are reporting that the cards are not encrypted as thought.

  The good news is that there are special sleeves and wallets to stop the readers.

  *****************

  http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/02/mythbusters-rfid-hacking-episode-canned-by-credit-card-company-l/

  Mythbusters RFID hacking episode canned by credit card company lawyers

  by Nilay Patel, posted Sep 2nd 2008 at 11:47AM

  Although it's no secret that RFID is easily hacked (see: trainpasses, passports, credit cards, one billion other cards, etc .) it's still not necessarily common knowledge, and it sounds like the major credit card companies want to keep it that way -- according to Adam Savage, Mythbusters was all set to do a show exposing the weak security behind most RFID implementations but was shut down by lawyers from "American Express, Visa, Discover, and everybody else... [who] absolutely made it really clear to Discovery that they were not going to air this episode." Since Discovery is an ad-supported channel, it's not surprising that it backed down, but we'd say that the credit card industry would be far better served spending money on actually improving security rather than lawyering up and trying to keep consumers in the dark. Video after the break.
  
  [Via Wired]
  
  

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  Elsewhere

  Damn!

  So far the best way to disable the RFID chip in a Passport is known as the "Hammer" technique. It's a very sophisticated and technically challenging process that involves placing your Passport on a sturdy and hard surface and then banging on it with a hammer.

  Seriously, after doing some research on this a few months ago this was by far the #1 recommended way to disable the RFID chip.
• 

  skeeter1

  I found the following product. I am thinking of getting it for everyone on my Christmas list. It can't be any worse than a fruitcake!

  ************************************

  Zoom
  More Images

  More comfortable than aluminum foil in your pants.

  There's some seriously scary stuff out there in the world -- from bird flu and terrorism to depleting our planet of natural resources. There's not a lot that the average person can do about much of the things that may keep us up at night. Luckily, there's one scary prospect on the horizon that we can help with -- and it doesn't require lining your pants with aluminum foil! Aren't you lucky?

  Imagine if you will, some of these possible real-life scenarios:

  A shadowy character crouches unseen in the bushes. He doesn't have a gun or a knife, but he has a laptop. He watches as his prey walks by. Invisible radio waves emitting from the credit-card in his wallet get picked up by the laptop, recorded, and saved onto a cloned card. For all intents and purposes, this man becomes you, and has decided to go shopping.

  Or maybe he picked up the passkey that lets you into your office building. With ease, he can now walk into your secure office building and steal your company's equipment. The next morning, security guards are waiting in your cube to have a chat.

  The nightmare scenario was brought forth recently - a bomb lies waiting in a garbage can. Sensitive electronics read the identification cards and passports of the people who walk by, waiting until somebody of your nationality comes close...

  It's a scary world out there. Credit card companies and governments are putting RFID chips in your cards and identification, sometimes without your knowledge. Protect yourself and your money with a wallet that specifically inhibits those radio frequencies from escaping until you pull your card out. Did we mention you don't need to put foil in your pants? It's important to us that you know that you do NOT have to put foil in your pants. Very important. No foil. In your pants... none... zip... nada.

  The DIFRwearR RFID Blocking Wallet is a high-quality leather billfold with a built in Faraday cage to block RFID transmissions. It has room for six credit cards, your cash, business cards and your ID. Don't get caught unprotected
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  stillajwexelder

  Scary
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  BabaYaga

  Woah! Good lord... thanks for the heads-up, Skeeter... I was unaware of this.
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  VM44

  Would a magnetic degausser disable a RFID chip?
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  Elsewhere

  Would a magnetic degausser disable a RFID chip?

  No. And RFID is literally a tiny computer with a radio transceiver. Degaussing will only wipe data from magnetic media.
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  VM44

  OK, then how much induced current can the RFID chip withstand?

  Packing enough alternating current into a small enough area should burn out most any semiconductor circuit.
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  calico

  Found this on Wickipedia

  RFID implant as the mark of the beast

  For more details on this topic, see eschatology, dispensationalism.

  A few critics, mostly Evangelical Christians, believe that RFID tagging could represent the mark of the beast, which Revelation 13:16-17 says will be placed by the Antichrist in the right hands or foreheads of humans and necessary for commerce.

  “	He forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no man could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.	”
  —Revelation 13:16-17
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  BurnTheShips

  OK, then how much induced current can the RFID chip withstand?

  Hmmmmm. A really strong field would presumably fry it i suppose.

  *rubs chin*

  BTS