Comments | deathwire: Why I (sometimes) hate RFIDs

deathwire

Why I (sometimes) hate RFIDs

Jan 26, 2006 08:58

WARNING: I take no responsibility if this information is incorrect. Like most other humans, I can make assumptions that may not be 100% true, and I can make mistakes ( Read more... )

Comments 6

deathwire January 26 2006, 17:15:27 UTC

man, there went two hours of my life....

evike January 26 2006, 19:30:40 UTC

This post is hilarious!!

I think I'll stick to dollar bills.

quelrod January 27 2006, 03:35:16 UTC

Ya my company uses proximity cards which aren't RFID. The range is something like 2-3 inches. Overall RFID is coming and we can't really stop it :( I have one of those Exxon speed pass deals but you have to get within like 2-3 feet and they have a very small number of transactions you are allowed per 24 hour period. Honestly the thing is silly and I just use it because my dad gave me one. All it does is give a faster authentication time than a credit card and stores your receipt preference. Honestly I keep moving to cash as much as I can but at gas stations which are generally pre-pay it's a giant PITA. Ugh why do no emerging technologies care about security!? Did you see Microsoft earlier claim they have been working security since the early 90s in win nt. WTF ~15 years of "working on it" and they can't figure out a damn thing. Basically we're fucked and need to decrease our personal reliance on tech if we wish to remain secure and have any privacy.

mobile phone anonymous February 27 2006, 00:48:18 UTC

Integrate the card into the mobile phone. Then you already have the battery and lcd screen. you could communicate RFID (use Public/Private key pair for both ways of communication). during the challenge process.. the billing party sends a message to your phone displaying a random number on your phone's lcd screen that you must send back.. this number is typed in and encrypted by their private key then transferred to the billing party. The "only" way to send the number requested was to see the screen of your phone since you needed the private key to decrypt it. If they're trying to MITM you without your knowledge, it'll be hard for them to peek at your phone's LCD screen. Brute force is pointless because if the billing party receives the wrong reply, it asks for a new random number.

Mainly.. you have the security of knowing that someone cannot initiate a transaction IF the phone is in your possession and the screen is concealed. Being stuck with a big bill because someone took your phone isn't any more of an issue than it is ( ... )

Re: mobile phone deathwire March 1 2006, 13:29:15 UTC

I've heard of some countries that have vending machines where you can pay with your cellphone. Do they use a system like that? Sounds like a good idea except for the initial cost of the cellphone. Your cellphone would also have to show your the requested ammount of the charge otherwise they could overbill you without your knowledge.... and you would also want to have a passphrase to unlock your cellphone (probably a combination of biometrics and typed in passphrase) so no one can just steal your phone.) Hello. My name is Jacob Brown. My voice is my passport. Verify me.

PS: Is this the eli I think it is?

Re: mobile phone anonymous March 4 2006, 20:21:30 UTC

yah.. I was showing my girlfriend that livejournal was the next online buzz locale and she should go ahead and write the article before someone else got to. (Like My Space is cool now ( ... )