The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Search Engine podcast, has posted part one of an interview with Ann Cavoukian about the risks associated with RFID-enabled identity cards and other personal objects and devices.
Browsing Posts tagged RFID
As mentioned before, RFID is not a good technology to use when dealing with people’s sensitive information. Beating a dead horse is Chris Paget, director of research and development at Seattle-based IOActive. Paget drove around San Francisco, filmed himself, and easily sniffed the details of US passport cards. The cost: a $250 Motorola RFID reader.
Paget is known for not giving a speech about RFID in 2007, because an RFID company threatened him with legal action if he did.
There are many stories out there covering Paget’s 20 minute drive around San Francisco.
RFID has many good uses. Unfortunately, governments around the world still think one of them is in passports and people still believe these governments when they say their passports and passport cards are secure.
RFID is great for controlling inventory and Foxwoods is capitalizing on this new technology to promote better inventory handling of their chips and help to prevent counterfeiting. Each chip will also have its own serial number, allowing the casino to better track where their chips have been.
The 2 million new computerized chips have been implemented since the opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods last May. They have a similar design: Foxwoods on one side, and either MGM or the WPT World Poker Room logo on the other.
For people who’ve held on to the old gaming chips, the next few weeks will be the last opportunity to cash them in. After Jan. 31, the old discs will lose their value and become little more than collector’s items.
The old chips will be destroyed after the 31st, but you can still mail them in or exchange them in person before the deadline.
While reading reddit, and its ever-entertaining comments, I came across this tidbit that just made my day:
When Bruce Schneier stares at an RFID chip, it disables itself out of fear.
