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RSA Security Developing RFID Spoofers
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 21:13:08 -0400
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 *********************************************************************************The information contained in this e-mail message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail or any attached files is unauthorised. This e-mail is subject to copyright. No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the written consent of the copyright owner. If you have received this e-mail in error, please advise the sender immediately by return e-mail, or telephone and delete all copies. Fairfax does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. Internet communications are not secure, therefore Fairfax does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files.*********************************************************************************
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- RSA Security Developing RFID Spoofers Dave Farber (Aug 28)