RSA Security Developing RFID Spoofers

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 11:04:23 +1000
> From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochrane () theage fairfax com au>
> Subject: RSA Security Developing RFID Spoofers
> To: "Dave Farber (E-mail)" <dave () farber net>
>
> Hi Dave
>
> It appears RSA Security is listening to the concerns of citizens and is
> developing technology to thwart the privacy invaders at the AutoID Center in
> the US and here in Australia who are spruiking radio frequency
> identification (RFID) tags to spy on us.
>
> >From CNet:
> "Researchers at a major security firm have developed a blocking technique to
> ease privacy concerns surrounding controversial radio frequency
> identification technology.
>
> "The labs at RSA Security on Wednesday outlined plans for a technology they
> call blocker tags, which are similar in size and cost to radio frequency
> identification (RFID) tags but disrupt the transmission of information to
> scanning devices and thwart the collection of data.
>
> "The technique, one of few RFID-blocking technologies being worked on by
> researchers, is still a concept in the labs. But the next step is to develop
> prototype chips and see if manufacturers are interested in making the
> processors, according to Ari Juels, a principal research scientist with RSA
> Laboratories. Blocker and RFID tags are about the size of a grain of sand
> and cost around 10 cents."
>
> It doesn't surprise me.
>
> I have had several meetings with RSA Security's Chief executive, Art
> Coviello, and I have found him to be an honourable man. He told me in an
> earlier interview that if police or security services came to RSA Security
> demanding the keys to unlock a customer's private data, he would politely
> decline.
>
> "If I sold you a filing cabinet that had keys I would probably give you
> multiple sets of keys," Coviello says.
>
> "Once I've done that, I'm essentially done. If there was criminal activity
> hidden in that filing cabinet, there's a thing called a search warrant to
> demand of the end user the keys to that filing cabinet. So in all of our
> products we have the ability to create keys because if someone left your
> organisation you would want a key to get into the cabinet."
>
> If you want to find out more about the AutoID Center's plans, plus how much
> it costs to be a member, download the Powerpoint presentation (at the
> address below) from one of its Australian members, Visyflow.
>
> MORE:
> http://bilskirnir.blogspot.com/2003_08_01_bilskirnir_archive.html#1062118268
> 50590767
>
>
> -
> Nathan Cochrane
> Deputy IT Editor
> :Next:
> The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
> http://www.next.theage.com.au
>
>
>
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