NXP RFID Cracked

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday April 1, 2008 @01:18PM from the that-was-easy dept.

kamlapati sends us to EETimes for news that the Chaos Computer Club in Germany and researchers from the University of Virginia have cracked the encryption scheme used in a common RFID chip, NXP's Mifare Classic. According to the article the device is used in many contactless smartcard applications including fare collection, loyalty cards, and access control cards. NXP downplays the significance of the hack, saying that that model of RFID card uses old technology and they do a much better job these days.

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Re:Frustrating, but not really... by click2005 · 2008-04-01 15:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

Don't worry, NXP sells a new improved RFID chip with better encryption. I'm sure they'll make lots more money as a result of this as all these places using the older chips rush to upgrade.

I guess making the encryption barely good enough is a nice way to ensure you get future orders. Their customers can upgrade for a moderate fee or spend a hell of a lot more to go elsewhere.

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