Cellphones can crack RFID tags
2006-02-15
Crypographer Adi Shamir, professor of computer science at the Weizmann Institute, has explained how a cellphone could be used to attack and compromise all RFID tags in a given area.
The information, disclosed during a panel discussion at the RSA conference in San Jose and first reported by the EE Times, is based on research Shamir has conducted over the past few weeks. Shamir suggests that market pressure by vendors to bring down the cost of RFID tags has resulted in them eliminating many of the security features available in the tags.
RFID tags are becoming more and more commonplace as vendors embed them in everything from jeans to passports and paper money - however, privacy and security issues for the tags remain widespread.