You know what’s the most annoying word in this whole technology song and dance? The word “revolutionary.” It’s a word that should only be applied to certain items. In the official CrunchGear chat room, we decided that we’d use the word to describe the iPhone (first mass market touchscreen smartphone), the Wii (it prints money) … → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/3c2d32b6/ Ever lose your hotel keycard? Ever have it get de-magnetized? Both of these are simple to resolve – just go to the front desk – but wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t need to worry so much about the darn things? Nokia is working with VingCard to allow you to use your cellphone to open your hotel door. As described in the video above, the goal is to allow frequent guests to bypass the front desk for check-in altogether. The guest can register online and get an SMS sent to their phone from which they install a small application. Then they simply go to their hotel room and use their phone to unlock the door! No more lost cards! When the guest checks out, the RFID-enabled lock resets to a new code, making sure that the previous occupant can no longer gain access. The key part of this technology is the near field communication (NFC) chip, which isn’t largely deployed in cell phones yet. These locks aren’t likely to become commonplace for awhile, but I think it’ll be an extremely popular addition to hotels. → Read More
If someone asked me to help them steal a gigantic cactus, I’d be like, “Have you ever touched a cactus? Those things are really prickly. Find yourself another cohort, kind sir.” But apparently the giant Saguaro cactus, found mostly in Arizona, can sell for over $1,000 which, in turn, has given rise to a pretty active poaching trade. In order to cut down on such thievery, officials at Arizona’s Saguaro National Park will test the effectiveness of implanting RFID microchips – similar to the ones that people implant in their pets – inside the types of cacti that are getting stolen most often. Park officials will then be able to wave a wand scanner over cacti found in truck beds and even local nurseries to detect whether or not a particular cactus has been stolen. [via Jaunted] → Read More
Details of the much-discussed Oyster card hack have been published and released at a security conference that’s being held in Spain right now. What a long, awkward sentence. The hack takes advantage of a security flaw in the Mifare Classic RFID chip. This chip is used in, among other locales, the Oyster card that’s used in the London public transportation system. The researchers have defended their publishing of the hack by saying more harm would be done by not publishing the information. They added, hey, let’s assume Bad Guys (organized crime and the like) already know about the vulnerability, and may already be making money off it. Besides, officials said they can detect if someone uses a modified/hacked Oyster card within the system. The security paper can be read in its entirety here (it’s a PDF), which I found via Cryptome. Additional documents can be found here. via BBC News → Read More
So many people have raised the issue of RFID security that it’s practically common knowledge, even among technophobes, that they are easily cracked. Verayo has announced an augmented RFID chip with “Physical Unclonable Functions” (I don’t know whether PUF is pronounced “puff” or “poof,” either way it’s hilarious). PUFs are, I’m guessing, unique IDs that are physically imprinted somewhere within the chip — the idea being that a clone of the chip would have to share that physical component as well. Now, if there’s anything I’ve learned about security, it’s that there’s always a soft spot somewhere in the system. It could be fundamental like the original flavor easy-to-clone RFID chips, or it could be the guy next to you watching you type your password. Either way, hackers will get around whatever barriers you set down. It’s a never-ending battle, but we shouldn’t let that dim the value of something like this Vera chip — assuming it works. → Read More
Adam Savage of Mythbusters basically busted the myth of RFID security – and the Discovery Channel wouldn’t air the segment. Here he talks at the HOPE conference about the experience. → Read More
The Last HOPE is entering its final day today, and Gearfuse of all sites (!) is doing a genuinely passable job of covering it. That lanyard up there is the show’s entrance badge, the same one with built-in RFID that makes tracking attendees a cinch. If you’re anywhere near the Hotel Pennsylvania (34th Street & 7th Avenue in Manhattan), you really ought to attend. → Read More
Guess who’s credit/debit card now has RFID? Yup, apparently I used my old card at a highly insecure location within the past few days, so much so that Citibank had to rush me a new card. And lucky me, this one has RFID, only MasterCard calls it PayPass. I do have the option of disabling the RFID chip by calling the bank, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing that as soon as this post goes up. The last thing I need is some smarter-than-me 13-year-old using a “steal Deleon’s credit card information” ray on me. → Read More
Not the document in question A new passport-like travel card poses a threat to our Nation’s security because, some security experts say, it’s easily susceptible to counterfeiting. The card, which is the size of a credit card, has two identification mechanism: a photo and an RFID chip. The photo, it seems, can be removed by using a solvent, and the RFID tag could, theoretically, be re-programmed. Worst case scenario is, a “bad guy” can simply swipe out the photo and change the embedded information to show that he’s an upstanding U.S. citizen. Once inside, these experts warns us, who knows what evil they may commit. It’s partially scare-mongering, yes, but it does highlight how the government operates. Rather than outfit the card, which is scheduled to go into circulation in July, with a tested optical strip, which is more secure but takes longer to process, State chose the quick-to-process RFID tag. Good to see all that record spending go toward useful projects. via Drudge Report → Read More
The good folks at this year’s HOPE conference, organized by 2600 magazine, will track the movements of attendees by using RFID, while at the same time encouraging them to find vulnerabilities in the technology. The attempt to draw attention to the widely implemented yet poorly understood (by the average person) technology should be applauded. During the conference, says the press release, “Large displays will show in real-time where people go, with whom they associate, for how long and how often.” RFID tags can be found embedded in any number of items nowadays, including passports. The fear there is, with the proper equipment, someone could steal the personal data right off the passport without the victim so much as suspecting anything. That’s why attendees will be encouraged to figure out ways to get around the tracking system: alter how much information is embedded in the tag, create ways to capture other people’s data, and so on. Basically, giving the technology a thorough testing. The HOPE conference, officially called the Last HOPE, takes place in New York July 18-20. Pretty sure one of us will be there to report the sites and sounds of the show, the last one of its kind. → Read More
[photopress:itearfid.jpg,full,center] Rather than complain about RFID’s evilness, some artists are using the technology to make a name for themselves. Over at we make money not art, which is easily my favorite name for a blog, there’s interviews with five artists who, in one way or another, use RFID in their work. One such project, the iTea tea set, uses the radio technology to scour the Internet for facts about you. So next time you’re enjoying afternoon tea with Ric Flair, you can ask him about that last Nitro match he had against Sting in 2001, a big moment in my life. So now when one of your techy friends starts his rant about RFID, kindly remind him that the technology can be used for non-evil ways. New Brave World workshop at iMAL: RFID and art [we make money not art] → Read More
[photopress:hrfid.jpg,full,center] Hitachi and Toppan (no idea who Toppan is, either) have developed an RFID tag that has a hologram on it, which is designed to make merchandise theft as hard as possible. The RFID tag’s signals are encrypted, which should eliminate the threat of a miscreant hanging around and capturing and cracking the tag. As for the hologram, it’s supposedly incredibly difficult to reproduce without supervillian-esque manufacturing facilities. The tag’s overall goal is to ensure that only authentic products make it onto store shelves. Counterfeiting, apparently, costs businesses more than $200 billion per year. Canal Street probably won’t care for this technology too much. World’s first holographic RFID tag to stop Vuitton knock-offs [Digital World Tokyo] → Read More
Samsung, our favorite tech company ending in “sung,” has revealed a compact and complete RFID reader, which they’ve managed to compress onto a single chip. It’s small enough (6.5mm square) to be embedded in clothes, posters, and probably babies as well – at least, if they wanted babies to be able to read RFID tags. Its low power consumption rate means we’ll probably be seeing these things included standard in Samsung phones, gadgets, and so on as soon as they can get them there. Samsung Develops Single-Chip RFID Reader for Mobile Devices [Korea Newswire] → Read More
Back in high school, I worked at a Banana Republic part-time. One of the most common problems was running out of a certain article of clothing and having to direct customers to other stores, which in turn lost us business, which in turn meant less hours to work. Dillard’s is looking to change all that though (or at least the whole running out of stock thing) by testing out a new RFID pilot program in stores this month. Certain styles of clothing will have a special RFID tag that contains garment and inventory information. When the clothes are purchased, the tags are removed and the store’s inventory system is automatically updated to reflect the purchase. This way, Dillard’s can keep better track of its inventory and always have what customers want, thus resulting in improved sales and more revenue. No word on which locations will be participating in the pilot. Dillard’s to begin RFID pilot program [RD Design] → Read More
I swear, I have to get one of these if it kills me. For months now I’ve been watching those Visa and MasterCard commercials that showcase the RFID technology that’s in PayPass. You know, the one where the dude is running late and buys a pack of gum and a banana or something just by waving his credit card at a machine. Well now if you want to take it one step further, you should get a Visa. The new Micro Tag is a small key chain with a Visa logo that acts just like PayPass. Although you can only use this device on purchases $25 or less, it’s still a lifesaver when you’re in a pinch for time. I could definitely see this being handy when grabbing a last-minute snack at the airport. “M&Ms and a rum and Coke, please.” Visa unveils Visa Micro Tag contactless payment device [Geekzone] → Read More
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