Chipped, but don't let hackers target you

As more and more credit and bankcards and quick-payment methods come to rely on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag technology, experts are warning that cyber criminals can potentially access sensitive data and steal private information.

RFID technology uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags, which electronically store information. RFID technology has two separate components - the tag and a reader, which sends a signal that activates the tag and receives information.

While RFID technology is used for a variety of purposes across various industries, one of the most common is for "contactless" bankcards and other quick-pay methods, or in biometric identifications.

Some experts, however, are warning that - although technology has improved over the last several years - there are still security risks associated with RFID technology.

"Security is a critical issue when it comes to RFID, from a technical and business point of view," said Tabrez Surve, Regional Security Sales Manager for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa for F5, a US-based technology company. "It's as secure as it can get for the moment, but certain things are there that (remain) a concern."

"There are a lot of attacks, both on the back-end IT side, and on the front end, which are the tags and the readers," he added. "What people are able to do is produce clone RFID chips."

Surve also noted that sophisticated cyber criminals - provided they have the proper equipment - have the ability to potentially eavesdrop on transactions and radio-frequency communications between tags and readers.

"We call it a man-in-the-middle attack," he explained. "They can access the data and the passwords."

Among the potential consequences of an attack, Surve noted, are that the security of the authority itself (a bank or store, for example) can be breached, or that the cybercriminals can take one's username and password to access an individual's credentials, transact using one's bankcards, or publish the data for publicity's sake.

Despite the security concerns, Surve explained that RFID technology is becoming increasingly advanced, and new security features are being developed to make it more secure.

"MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has developed a new type of RFID chip they claim is impossible to hack," he noted. "Because of the unique structure, it becomes very difficult for hackers to take information out of the chips."

"The best practice is to have better encryption technologies utilized," he added. "It will be very hard to break into, as long as authorities are able to come up with better technologies and better encryption."

RFID protecting wallets?

Because of the security concerns, a number of companies have come up with innovative methods to protect one's RIFD chips.

Roderer, a Dubai-based luxury leather goods company, for example, has recently unveiled a range of RFID-blocking wallets designed to keep credit card and biometric information safe.

"I had the idea to research a little bit, to find something that would protect me when I'm traveling," Roderer CEO Olivier Birault told Khaleej Times.

"There are more and more credit cards and debit cards using the technology, and it's great, but comes with drawbacks."

While at first glance, the wallets might look ordinary, Birault explained that a purpose-built nickel and copper lining inside the wallet is able to block RFID signals up to 3000MHz.

"It looks like a normal wallet, and inside you have a layer made from a special metal that will protect the data," he said. "This is really quite simple technology. It's like a shield. It's a bit thicker than a similar wallet, but from outside you don't notice. It's just a bit more rigid."

Looking to the future, Birault said he believed that RFID-protecting wallets and other items will become increasingly common as people become more aware of the potential hazards.

"It's developing quite fast, and there is a need for more wallets with protection," he noted. "The market is doing this now, and people are more aware. It's becoming mainstream."

 Where RFID technology is used

. Contactless credit cards, debit cards
. Used to track cattle and pets
. In oil exploration
. To track goods in the supply chain
. Used in security systems
. No-swipe ticket passes
. Robbery-proof chips in casinos