RFID Guardian Protects Your Privacy 65
An anonymous reader writes "A new device devised by Amsterdam graduate student Melanie Rieback is designed to serve as a portable firewall for RFID tags. The portable battery-powered RFID Guardian uses an access control list to filter RFID queries, blocking queries that aren't approved. Rieback, who is also known for being the first researcher to develop a proof of concept RFID virus, hopes to offer version 3.0 of the RFID Guardian to the public at cost."
why? (Score:2, Insightful)
The advance of technology. (Score:4, Insightful)
One of these days, someone should invent something that can convey information like RFID, but not anyone can read it. In fact, make it so that it can be only read when I take it out and present it to the reader, rather than readable by anyone without be uncovering it. That makes sure only those I want can read it, and keeps it safe from being read without my knowledge, much less consent.
I think I have an idea! I'm gonna go patent it now. I'll call it a "barcode"! Yeah, that's the ticket!
Re:The advance of technology. (Score:3, Insightful)
You've just hit on the essential limitation of cryptography. Make up your damned mind, do you want people to read it, or not?
If _someone_ (ie the GOOD guy) can read it, then AUTOMATICALLY the BAD guy also can read it - IF he manages to figure out the algorithm. QED. There is no more. Everyone who tries to sell you an idea where ONLY the "GOOD guy" can read it is talking out of his ass. Look at DRM, etc.
Re:Already insecure? (Score:3, Insightful)
You want RFID security? Ok that's simple. DON'T USE IT. Otherwise, it's not secure - by its very nature.
Genius! (Score:5, Insightful)
Fantastic business model.
Interesting (and not so legal) uses for this... (Score:4, Insightful)
Could you use this device to assist shoplifting by having it in your pocket when you walk past the RFID readers at the store entrance? This would effectively block the readers from being able to "see" the RFID security tags on the merchandise.
Depending on how low-cost these devices are (they are planning to sell them at cost, after all), could someone attach one surreptitiously to the bottom of a modern car preventing the RFID tag built into the ignition key from being read, thereby disabling the car?
Here in New Zealand, they recently passed a law requiring that all pet dogs have RFID chips implanted in them. It would be laughable if a small version of this were made which would could be attached to the collar of the dog to effectively disable the RFID chip implanted in them (admittedly I can't see this particular usage being helpful the the dog or the owner in any way, but it is funny to think about).
Other issues:
Since this is a powered transmitting device, it might not be legal to have it turned on while on board an airplane in flight. Since it can't be effective while turned off, it would still be possible to read passports of people in-flight unless protected by some other means (aluminum foil, farraday cage).
Re:Like encryption (Score:3, Insightful)
There are plenty of legitimate uses for RFID. But I would agree it should always be used transparently, and once an item is yours, you should be able/allowed to remove the tag. (Note that passports, I beleive remain property of the US and are just issued to you for your use. The only reason I can figure the RFID is more desirable is perhaps it is harder to forge, since any fool can print a barcode)
Re:why? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The advance of technology. (Score:2, Insightful)
An ancient theft attack vector is photography. Your bar code would be even easier to steal than a credit card number.
Don't underestimate the thieves.
Re:Like encryption (Score:3, Insightful)
Another big retail selling point is to set up scanners at doors and set off an alarm if an item passes through that is allegedly still in the store's inventory. You can bet retail chains will lobby against Guardian and similar technologies.
...not that the FCC would ever approve the device to start with.
Re:The advance of technology. (Score:3, Insightful)
Imagine two barcodes that look like this:
| || |l| || |11| | |||
12345
and this:
| || || |l| |11| | |||
12345
Both look like barcodes (please forgive the characters used to dodge the lameness filter.) Both have HRIs (human readable interfaces) beneath them. But one is a forgery, and actually scans to the value 13245. Unless the person with the barcode scanner is actively verifying the numbers match (or is verifying other aspects of the document) the forgery is just as good to the laser beam as the original.
The RFID tags are at least harder to forge, but provide weaker security in that they can be intercepted or surreptitiously read. Contact-based chips (a la Smartcards) would have been the best choice in terms of security, but probably much more costly in terms of hardware maintenance of the readers (cleaning, static electricity, etc.)
That's all I had to say, but the lameness filter is making me add extra lines to make up for the junk characters. Perhaps I should have switched more bytes to exclamation points or ones or lower case Ls, that probably would have helped make up the difference. I suppose the wonderful ascii artists of the past few years have frightened Slash code into assuming that any graphic is too graphic.
Web of trust for passports? (Score:2, Insightful)