Why You Don’t Need to Worry About RFID Protection
You may have seen wallets or backpacks that advertise RFID protection, a protective coating designed to prevent attackers from scanning any items containing built-in wireless receivers, such as certain credit cards and passports. Sure, RFID protection does prevent unwanted wireless transmission, but with so little evidence of RFID-based theft coupled with the security measures present in today’s RFID technology, this doesn’t seem like a threat you need to worry too much about.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is found in a variety of products, from passive security tags pasted onto laundry detergent you bought from Target to a card reader that scanned your contactless credit card (also known as a contactless credit card or wave-to card). -pay) you used to pay for it. The keycard you use to enter your office every morning uses an RFID form to communicate with the door’s access point, read the information on the card, and unlock it for you.
But rumors that hackers are roaming around with RFID scanning equipment and scanning people’s cards for profit only instill fear. The entire RFID security industry has been built on a fear of people stealing your information from a distance, while evidence to support such claims is largely lacking. The Better Business Bureau does not collect RFID data used to steal contactless card information, and most examples of RFID-based theft come from security researchers trying to validate the concept of attacks. Videos of contactless card skimming are often old and exploit security flaws. Scanning also requires both close proximity and special equipment such as external RFID scanners.
When we asked Eva Velazquez, CEO and President of the Resource Center for the theft of personal data , the probability of theft by using the RFID, she said that the data to support this statement is not enough. “Plus, thieves have better (and faster) ways to get this information,” Velazquez said. “First, it’s cheaper for a criminal to buy credit card numbers on the Dark Web than it is to buy an RFID scanner. They could also hack and steal these numbers much faster than going from person to person with a scanner. ”
In fact, you probably don’t have many devices containing personally identifiable information along with an RFID transmitter or receiver. Your only RFID-enabled item, other than your smartphone or passport, might be your office key fob or public transit card.
Your newly purchased chip and pin card from your bank may be more hi-tech than your previous one, but it most likely lacks an RFID transmitter. Contactless payment cards such as Visa PayWave or Mastercard PayPass are not particularly popular in the US. Bank of America no longer issues contactless cards and Chase stopped issuing contactless cards in 2014, according to senior vice president Don Vecchiarello.
In addition, contactless cards now use one-time codes generated for each purchase, making it much more difficult to copy and use a scanned card. Additionally, if you want to start using the contactless payment option, iOS and Android support this feature in the form of Apple Pay and Android Pay, respectively. Since both payment methods use NFC, a specific version of RFID, and require additional authentication from the user, it is unlikely that hackers will get any valuable information from your phone.
If you’re still worried about someone stealing your personal information, there are ways to protect yourself without spending a ton of money on an RFID-blocked wallet. RFID blocking sleeves can protect individual items like credit cards and passports (which already have an RFID shield in the lid) while leaving the rest of your belongings as they were. They’re cheap and you can get packages that protect multiple cards as well as passports for under $ 10.
Now, there is one reason why you might want to consider using RFID security technology, or snag a secure RFID wallet. It would be helpful if only two contactless cards weren’t transmitting at the same time. In his review of the $ 69 Waterfield Finn Access RFID wallet , Vlad Savov of The Verge used his RFID security capabilities to secure his bank card transfer while allowing his Oyster card to sit in an unshielded external wallet pocket, making it easier for him to pay. … for transport without the tangle of ticket machines.
In short, save your money when it comes to RFID security. The threat is virtually non-existent, and hackers have better ways to gain access to your information, whether through card withdrawal ATMs or by buying information from database leaks if a recent Equifax violation is any indication.