RFID Explained

SecurityFocus has a nice column summarizing the last year's worth of stories about RFID. Of course, you, diligent Slashdot reader, have read about many of these already. But for your slacker friends that need an RFID education in one easy-to-digest article, here you go.

Comments

learning by RF-ID in Linux...

[MosesJones]

For anyone who is interested in looking more at this area and has a Linux box....

For more info and then Download it here

If you want to build an RF-ID lab you need some cash to get tags and readers but this would help with the theory.

So then what IS the point?

[mekkab]

Okay, pretend I just robbed a bank (or people robbed a bank who were associated with the RFIDs on the car I was driving), THEN went driving in the country side, THEN broke down.
(your faith in cellphones is disturbing! Or maybe you get better service than I do. ;)

So Johnny law is hot to get their hands on me, but RFIDs don't do them any good.

What they CAN do is build up over a long perioud of time a limited account of where I go- if my car passes through a Toll Booth, that is. However if I travel the backroads, the would have to trace my credit card purchases. But what if I use cash? They have RFIDs in the bills. But HOW fine grain can they trace that cash? Some random guy cashes his friday paycheck, then gives a waitress a $5 tip (Cheap bastid!), which she then uses to get into a punk rock show, which is then used to pay back a local heavy for a loan, which is then given to the Church collection plate, which is then used to pay me back for the supplies I got for the church picnic (assuming they'd even want to be associated with me)... So I've got this bill that can't really be traced to me, per se.

From the RFID "trace" that's left, there was some money cashed on a friday, spent next week three states away, and the guy who cashed it never left.

SO my conjecture is that Credit Cards and ATM withdrawls are a far more effective means of tracking someone's habits. I understand my example doesn't mean using RFIDs won't be effective, but I think the privacy concerns are a little out of proportion. I welcome any better examples.

Re:Interesting technology

[MatthewB79]

I'm not trying to discount the dangers of abuse of RFID. Anyone who values privacy and security should be aware of the potential dangers. If some guy on the bus decides he going to snatch my CD player, it's not as if having an RFID tag in it was going to be a huge factor in tempting him.

somebody could come upto your home, maybe scan your burglar alarm to find out what type it is and check up on the 'net to see if it can be easily disabled? Somebody could scan through your window (or wall?) and see what type of computer, tv, vcr, dvd player you have? see what type of clothes you have in your cupboards? what dvds/cds in your collections?

This is interesting to me because I thought about this myself. The sticker on my window tells a burglar exactly what security system I use and who administers it.
Additionally, it has been said many times that the range of the RFID transmitter unit is not more than 3-5 feet. It's not like the drug-addict burglars are going to be picky and choosy over what model and brand name DVD player I have. "Oh wow, my RFID scan-o-matic says this guys got a brand new Mac G5, we better stop here and pick this thing up before we head to the next place!" Why can't my home security system be programmed with the contents of my living room and automatically set off an alarm if any of those tags leave the premises? We might see a shift in the way we look at home security. Instead of just trying to keep people out, there can be ways of keep our valuables in.