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RFID Personal Firewall

Posted by samzenpus on from the just-for-you dept.

JanMark writes "Prof. Andrew Tanenbaum and his student Melanie Rieback (who published the RFID virus paper in March) and 3 coauthors have now published a paper on a personal RFID firewall called the RFID Guardian. This device protects its owner from hostile RFID tags and scans in his or her vicinity, while letting friendly ones through. Their work has won the Best Paper award at the USENIX LISA Conference."

3 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Faraday Cage by ParaphiliaNOS · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How much of this RFID traffic is good?  Why not market faraday cage coats and just leave the cellphone in an external pocket?  (Enumerate the GOOD and just ignore the BAD.)

  2. KISS by khafre · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If people are worried about others reading RFID tags at will, why not add a mechanical switch to the tag that must be pressed for the tag to power up? Just insist on it. If it doesn't have it, it goes in the microwave. Sheesh, add a cheap membrane switch, not a firewall.

    1. Re:KISS by BeBoxer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Um, cause by design RFID tags have no power source, they rely on an induction current from the reader for power?

      They have circuits in them, and wires. The fact that the power source is external is irrelevant. By your logic, a lamp can't have a switch because it relies on current from the wall for power. DOH!