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General Cool Stuff
by Andrew Garrett on May 25, 2005
I4U News - RFID Digital Door Locks.
Hopefully the folks making these have given *some* thought to the security implications of these... As I understand it (and please, correct me if I'm wrong), RFID tags broadcast their information all the time - so, anyone who gets close enough can copy the 'key' to your house.
Not the sort of security I like to protect a household of gadgets with, no matter how cool it is in other ways.
Permalink: Solution in search of a problem.
Trackback: http://publish.creative-weblogging.com/publish/mt-tb.pl/6698
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Vote for Solution in search of a problem.:
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Rating: 8.00 out of 3 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Nerdone
(05/26/05 9:17am)
Response from:
Andrew
(05/26/05 12:01pm)
So, is the reader keyed to the tag in any way? Can any reader read any tag?
i.e., in this case, could I wander around with a portable reader, and read peoples key-code from their RFID key?
It still strikes me as a key you can copy, without the owner of it knowing that you've copied it - which, if that's the case, is rather a security flaw.
i.e., in this case, could I wander around with a portable reader, and read peoples key-code from their RFID key?
It still strikes me as a key you can copy, without the owner of it knowing that you've copied it - which, if that's the case, is rather a security flaw.
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"Inductive RFID tags are powered by the magnetic field generated by the reader. The tag's antenna picks up the magnetic energy, and the tag communicates with the reader. The tag then modulates the magnetic field in order to retrieve and transmit data back to the reader. Data is transmitted back to the reader, which directs it to the host computer."
In other words, an RFID key sends out no signal unless it's "energized" by a reader.
(There ARE powered RFID tags, too. Highway systems such as New York's E-ZPass system is one such device, but it doesn't fit on a keyring. It would look like bling on a heavy gold chain, dawg.)