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RFID is a radio frequency identification technology that has recently gained great popularity and is widely used in various spheres of human activity. In particular, in bank cards with the possibility of contactless payment. The convenience of such "plastic" is obvious - to pay it is enough to bring it to the terminal, which allows you to significantly save time in queues, supermarkets, and gas stations. Unfortunately, RFID technology is not without its drawbacks, the main of which is the possibility of "hacking" tags and stealing data, and with them money from a bank account or card.
To protect cards from fraudsters, special RFID wallets and cardholders are used, which completely block access to the tag from the outside. Such goods are offered, in particular, by the company "Optexx", which specializes in the protection of bank cards and other media.
What is RFID? How does this technology work? Why is she vulnerable and needs special protection? Let's try to figure it out.
Fundamentals of RFID technology
The technology involves the use of radio waves of a certain frequency for reading, capturing and transmitting information. In this respect, RFID is somewhat reminiscent of friend or foe identification used in the military sphere. Actually, the technology originates from there. The first chips operating on the modern principle of radio frequency identification were presented and tested in 1973, and 15 years later the technology was already well developed and patented.
The essence of RFID systems is in the interaction of two main constituent elements - a tag and a receiver - a reader. A passive element - a tag (chip) - is designed to store information, and an active one - a reader (terminal) - is needed to read this data by means of radio frequency interaction. Thus, you can easily identify objects from a distance - without direct contact with them, which, for example, is necessary when reading a barcode or QR code.
The whole system works as follows - the reader (scanner) generates an electromagnetic field, and the tag receives these waves, converting them into a signal and into electricity used to power the chip itself. The received energy is necessary for performing certain actions, generating and sending a return signal, which is already received by the scanner. With an electromagnetic effect on the tag, it is possible not only to read information from it, but also to write data.
The interaction between the tag and the scanner can be carried out at different radio frequencies, one-time or multiple. The signal can also be encrypted - for additional protection of information from being read by fraudsters. The scope and performance of the system depend on the design features of the chip (tag) itself.
Design and types of RFID tags
Despite its small size, the RFID chip is quite complex. A standard label is a complex of several elements:
Some RFID tags (active type) also have a built-in miniature rechargeable battery, so they can operate autonomously, transmit signals over a longer distance and perform some other actions. Passive chips (that is, without a power source) use electromagnetic waves transmitted from the scanner as a source of energy.
The main difference between passive and active chips is their functionality. Active models are able to interact with the scanner at a 2-3 times greater distance than passive ones. Also, to interact with the scanner, they literally need a fraction of a second, while a card with a passive sensor must be brought close to the scanner and held in this position for some time - until the tag is activated and the information is read.
In addition to the division into passive and active chips, there is another classification of RFID devices. Depending on the design of the memory module and its functionality, identification marks are divided into several categories:
In addition, all tags are divided into groups according to the length of the radio waves used. The simplest and most affordable (for the price) chips operate at LF frequencies (125-134 kHz). The HF band (13.56 MHz) is mainly used for payment card chips and public transport payment systems. Such tags are reasonably good and easy to read at short distances, but at the same time they can be protected from information theft by shielding. The widespread use of models of this frequency is due to the convenience of the latter. Today, the HF band is well standardized, which allows various encryption algorithms to be used to protect information transmitted at 13.56 MHz.
The peculiarity of the UHF range (860-960 MHz) is that chips of this type are able to read at the maximum distance. This, as well as the low price of the UHF chips themselves, has contributed to their popularization and distribution in recent years. Also today, UHF tags are increasingly used, which are used for scanning and identification in harsh conditions of high humidity and the presence of a large amount of metal, where chips practically do not work at other frequencies.
Application area of RFID technologies
An important advantage of RFID tags is their compactness and the ability to scan not only with direct contact, but also at a short distance from the reader. In this case, the chip can store the amount of information up to 8 Kb. True, the simplest and most accessible tags usually contain only 1 KB of data. This is, for example, the personal information of the holder of a credit, payment or transport card. The larger the memory capacity of the device, the more information can be stored in the chip and the more reliably it can be protected using various encryption algorithms.
Today RFID systems are actively used in the following areas:
The wide capabilities of the technology allow it to be used almost everywhere where maximum automation of processes is required without compromising their safety. Some time ago, the development of technology was hampered by the high cost of the tags themselves and the reading equipment. Now the situation has changed due to new scientific discoveries that can significantly reduce the size of chips and reduce the cost of their production.
Advantages of RFID technology
Why is this type of technology so popular today? This is because of the advantages that RFID provides over, for example, standard barcode and label reading technologies.
Benefits of RFID:
However, it is the last point that raises more and more questions today. Due to the widespread use of RFID technologies in the banking sector, there are more and more fraudulent means and tools aimed at stealing data and, accordingly, finance. Therefore, the problem of the safe use of contactless payment tools has recently been of concern to chip manufacturers, cardholders, and banking organizations.
RFID vulnerability issues
The convenience of using payment cards with contactless payment technology (due to the use of an RFID module) can hardly be overestimated. But there is also a negative side to this. Payment and identification data of the cardholder are recorded in the memory of the chip and can be read by a special device - a scanner. In this case, a transaction can be carried out that does not require confirmation from the owner, if the amount of the transferred funds is less than $ 15.
Such transactions can be carried out without the knowledge of the cardholder, since modern scanning devices are capable of reading information from chips at a distance of several meters. This is fraught with both the danger of theft of funds from the owner's account and theft of his personal information, which in the future can also be used for fraudulent purposes.
For many cardholders, contactless technology creates a false sense of security. Indeed, in everyday life, bank terminals with a low-power signal are used. Therefore, when paying, the card must be brought almost to the screen itself and oriented in a certain way - so that the chip is located parallel to the scanner. You might think that by placing the card in your inner pocket or wallet - behind several layers of clothing and next to other chip credit cards - you will reliably protect it.
But, as mentioned above, reading can be carried out at much greater distances - up to several tens of meters, if specialized powerful scanners are used. In addition, such tools have no less powerful software capable of reading and separating information from several tags at the same time. So no one can consider themselves to be reliably protected from unauthorized theft of funds from the card. Unless, of course, you use specialized tools designed and created just to protect RFID tags from unauthorized reading.
How to protect contactless payment cards?
Manufacturers of contactless bank cards and other similar means of payment, as well as banking organizations themselves, are actively developing new technologies for encryption and data protection. Indeed, for them the vulnerability of RFID technology carries not only reputational risks, but also a direct danger. So recently, scientists from the Free University of Amsterdam managed to create a virus that can be recorded on a radio-identification chip, despite the small amount of internal memory of the latter. And this demonstrated the theoretical possibility of breaking not only the tag itself, but the entire system with which this tag interacts through a scanner.
As in almost any issue where two parties collide with opposite goals, the improvement of RFID security technologies entails the emergence of new tools for hacking it. Therefore, experts advise holders of contactless cards to take care of the safety of their finances on their own. Moreover, this can be done quite simply, without going into the essence of encryption algorithms and without studying new anti-virus protection technologies.
The simplest method of protecting against radio waves is shielding them. This method is not only simple, but also cheap, because such protection does not require the use of complex technical means and technologies. The essence of the shielding protection is in placing the contactless payment card in a wallet (wallet, cardholder, case) made of metallized material, which effectively prevents the passage of electromagnetic waves. Thus, the chip is protected from external scanning, and in order to pay, the card must be removed from the wallet and attached to the scanner.
Convenience and advantages of using protective accessories
The online store offers a wide range of protective screening equipment - wallets, wallets, card cases and cardholders. These accessories will not only become your fashionable "chip" and a convenient means of storing finances, but also provide reliable protection of RFID data from fraudsters.
How it works? As you know, even a layer of metallized foil is capable of creating radio interference and screening certain frequencies, but not all. We use a specialized innovative material that reliably protects content from radio waves of different frequencies, including the standard HF 13, 56 MHz used by scanners of payment systems.
What is this material? It is a metallized film made from an alloy of metals. The characteristics of each are selected individually to provide reliable protection against radio waves at different frequencies. Thus, the RFID tag is protected not only from standard scanning by payment terminals, but also from the effects of grabers - powerful electromagnetic devices used by fraudsters to hack and steal data.
There are various RFID protection devices with metallized inserts on sale:
The store's catalog contains male and female models of wallets, as well as cardholders and cases for cards in different designs and colors, which will allow everyone to choose a model according to their taste and preferences.
All RFID protected accessories are guaranteed and high performance. Your payment information and finances will be reliably protected from intruders.
To protect cards from fraudsters, special RFID wallets and cardholders are used, which completely block access to the tag from the outside. Such goods are offered, in particular, by the company "Optexx", which specializes in the protection of bank cards and other media.
What is RFID? How does this technology work? Why is she vulnerable and needs special protection? Let's try to figure it out.
Fundamentals of RFID technology
The technology involves the use of radio waves of a certain frequency for reading, capturing and transmitting information. In this respect, RFID is somewhat reminiscent of friend or foe identification used in the military sphere. Actually, the technology originates from there. The first chips operating on the modern principle of radio frequency identification were presented and tested in 1973, and 15 years later the technology was already well developed and patented.
The essence of RFID systems is in the interaction of two main constituent elements - a tag and a receiver - a reader. A passive element - a tag (chip) - is designed to store information, and an active one - a reader (terminal) - is needed to read this data by means of radio frequency interaction. Thus, you can easily identify objects from a distance - without direct contact with them, which, for example, is necessary when reading a barcode or QR code.
The whole system works as follows - the reader (scanner) generates an electromagnetic field, and the tag receives these waves, converting them into a signal and into electricity used to power the chip itself. The received energy is necessary for performing certain actions, generating and sending a return signal, which is already received by the scanner. With an electromagnetic effect on the tag, it is possible not only to read information from it, but also to write data.
The interaction between the tag and the scanner can be carried out at different radio frequencies, one-time or multiple. The signal can also be encrypted - for additional protection of information from being read by fraudsters. The scope and performance of the system depend on the design features of the chip (tag) itself.
Design and types of RFID tags
Despite its small size, the RFID chip is quite complex. A standard label is a complex of several elements:
- An antenna that receives signals from the scanner and transmits information or other data to the reader.
- A receiver that receives and recognizes information.
- A transmitter that generates a signal and transmits it via an antenna to the scanner.
- Memory module where the recorded information is stored.
Some RFID tags (active type) also have a built-in miniature rechargeable battery, so they can operate autonomously, transmit signals over a longer distance and perform some other actions. Passive chips (that is, without a power source) use electromagnetic waves transmitted from the scanner as a source of energy.
The main difference between passive and active chips is their functionality. Active models are able to interact with the scanner at a 2-3 times greater distance than passive ones. Also, to interact with the scanner, they literally need a fraction of a second, while a card with a passive sensor must be brought close to the scanner and held in this position for some time - until the tag is activated and the information is read.
In addition to the division into passive and active chips, there is another classification of RFID devices. Depending on the design of the memory module and its functionality, identification marks are divided into several categories:
- R / O - read-only models. Information in such chips is recorded once - during their manufacture, and in the process of further operation it is only read by scanning devices.
- WORM - chips for one-time write and multiple reading of information. The manufacturer does not enter data into such tags; this is done by the customer (client, owner) when receiving the chip. In the future, the information can be read by the scanning device an unlimited number of times.
- R / W - marks on which information can be written and read multiple times. It is these chips that are often used in payment systems, to identify the accounting of goods of a large number of goods and product groups (for example, in warehouses), as well as in other areas where it is necessary to store large amounts of information and regularly and promptly change it.
In addition, all tags are divided into groups according to the length of the radio waves used. The simplest and most affordable (for the price) chips operate at LF frequencies (125-134 kHz). The HF band (13.56 MHz) is mainly used for payment card chips and public transport payment systems. Such tags are reasonably good and easy to read at short distances, but at the same time they can be protected from information theft by shielding. The widespread use of models of this frequency is due to the convenience of the latter. Today, the HF band is well standardized, which allows various encryption algorithms to be used to protect information transmitted at 13.56 MHz.
The peculiarity of the UHF range (860-960 MHz) is that chips of this type are able to read at the maximum distance. This, as well as the low price of the UHF chips themselves, has contributed to their popularization and distribution in recent years. Also today, UHF tags are increasingly used, which are used for scanning and identification in harsh conditions of high humidity and the presence of a large amount of metal, where chips practically do not work at other frequencies.
Application area of RFID technologies
An important advantage of RFID tags is their compactness and the ability to scan not only with direct contact, but also at a short distance from the reader. In this case, the chip can store the amount of information up to 8 Kb. True, the simplest and most accessible tags usually contain only 1 KB of data. This is, for example, the personal information of the holder of a credit, payment or transport card. The larger the memory capacity of the device, the more information can be stored in the chip and the more reliably it can be protected using various encryption algorithms.
Today RFID systems are actively used in the following areas:
- contactless payment systems;
- identification of people and animals;
- documents used in international relations, tourism industry;
- security systems and access control;
- accounting and tracking of goods, product management;
- control and management of personal data of patients, employees, clients, etc.
The wide capabilities of the technology allow it to be used almost everywhere where maximum automation of processes is required without compromising their safety. Some time ago, the development of technology was hampered by the high cost of the tags themselves and the reading equipment. Now the situation has changed due to new scientific discoveries that can significantly reduce the size of chips and reduce the cost of their production.
Advantages of RFID technology
Why is this type of technology so popular today? This is because of the advantages that RFID provides over, for example, standard barcode and label reading technologies.
Benefits of RFID:
- The ability to change, supplement and rewrite data on an RFID tag, which cannot be done with a barcode, the information in which you write down once - right after printing. Not all chips have the ability to rewrite data, but in most areas today it is rewritable R / W models that are used.
- Reading from a distance. Although in the field of bank cards and contactless payment means, reading occurs at relatively short distances - a few centimeters, the possibilities of RFID technology are much wider. In this case, reading can be carried out even if the card with the tag is not in the line of sight and with a fairly short-term radio frequency interaction.
- The amount of data stored. Up to 8 KB of information can be stored in the memory of the tags, which is many times more than the data that contains the same barcode. Even the simplest chips with a memory capacity of 1-2 KB surpass the barcodes applied to labels and goods.
- High functionality. Thanks to the programming capabilities, the RFID tag can be used not only for storing data and reading it later, but also for performing certain actions, for example, calculations, as well as other target tasks.
- Resistant to environmental influences. The chips, due to their compactness and protection from external phenomena, can be used even in the most unfavorable conditions - with high humidity, for example. Thanks to the radio frequency penetration of most modern materials, the tag is also easy to protect from the weather and outside influence without losing its functionality.
- Security. To read information from the chip, you need to have specific equipment. In addition, the tag can contain not only open, but also encrypted data, which also protects information from theft.
However, it is the last point that raises more and more questions today. Due to the widespread use of RFID technologies in the banking sector, there are more and more fraudulent means and tools aimed at stealing data and, accordingly, finance. Therefore, the problem of the safe use of contactless payment tools has recently been of concern to chip manufacturers, cardholders, and banking organizations.
RFID vulnerability issues
The convenience of using payment cards with contactless payment technology (due to the use of an RFID module) can hardly be overestimated. But there is also a negative side to this. Payment and identification data of the cardholder are recorded in the memory of the chip and can be read by a special device - a scanner. In this case, a transaction can be carried out that does not require confirmation from the owner, if the amount of the transferred funds is less than $ 15.
Such transactions can be carried out without the knowledge of the cardholder, since modern scanning devices are capable of reading information from chips at a distance of several meters. This is fraught with both the danger of theft of funds from the owner's account and theft of his personal information, which in the future can also be used for fraudulent purposes.
For many cardholders, contactless technology creates a false sense of security. Indeed, in everyday life, bank terminals with a low-power signal are used. Therefore, when paying, the card must be brought almost to the screen itself and oriented in a certain way - so that the chip is located parallel to the scanner. You might think that by placing the card in your inner pocket or wallet - behind several layers of clothing and next to other chip credit cards - you will reliably protect it.
But, as mentioned above, reading can be carried out at much greater distances - up to several tens of meters, if specialized powerful scanners are used. In addition, such tools have no less powerful software capable of reading and separating information from several tags at the same time. So no one can consider themselves to be reliably protected from unauthorized theft of funds from the card. Unless, of course, you use specialized tools designed and created just to protect RFID tags from unauthorized reading.
How to protect contactless payment cards?
Manufacturers of contactless bank cards and other similar means of payment, as well as banking organizations themselves, are actively developing new technologies for encryption and data protection. Indeed, for them the vulnerability of RFID technology carries not only reputational risks, but also a direct danger. So recently, scientists from the Free University of Amsterdam managed to create a virus that can be recorded on a radio-identification chip, despite the small amount of internal memory of the latter. And this demonstrated the theoretical possibility of breaking not only the tag itself, but the entire system with which this tag interacts through a scanner.
As in almost any issue where two parties collide with opposite goals, the improvement of RFID security technologies entails the emergence of new tools for hacking it. Therefore, experts advise holders of contactless cards to take care of the safety of their finances on their own. Moreover, this can be done quite simply, without going into the essence of encryption algorithms and without studying new anti-virus protection technologies.
The simplest method of protecting against radio waves is shielding them. This method is not only simple, but also cheap, because such protection does not require the use of complex technical means and technologies. The essence of the shielding protection is in placing the contactless payment card in a wallet (wallet, cardholder, case) made of metallized material, which effectively prevents the passage of electromagnetic waves. Thus, the chip is protected from external scanning, and in order to pay, the card must be removed from the wallet and attached to the scanner.
Convenience and advantages of using protective accessories
The online store offers a wide range of protective screening equipment - wallets, wallets, card cases and cardholders. These accessories will not only become your fashionable "chip" and a convenient means of storing finances, but also provide reliable protection of RFID data from fraudsters.
How it works? As you know, even a layer of metallized foil is capable of creating radio interference and screening certain frequencies, but not all. We use a specialized innovative material that reliably protects content from radio waves of different frequencies, including the standard HF 13, 56 MHz used by scanners of payment systems.
What is this material? It is a metallized film made from an alloy of metals. The characteristics of each are selected individually to provide reliable protection against radio waves at different frequencies. Thus, the RFID tag is protected not only from standard scanning by payment terminals, but also from the effects of grabers - powerful electromagnetic devices used by fraudsters to hack and steal data.
There are various RFID protection devices with metallized inserts on sale:
- Wallets with externally located inserts that protect cards from being scanned when closed.
- Wallets with inserts on the outside and in the inner compartments - they provide protection for cards even when opened, if the card is in a special "pocket".
- Card cases with metallized material lining. Using them, you can carry cards in a regular wallet or wallet, as the cases are compact and provide reliable protection.
- Cardholders with metallized inserts designed to store several bank cards and other small documents, such as passes, driver's licenses, etc.
- Shielded document covers. Will protect modern passports and other chip documents from being scanned when closed.
The store's catalog contains male and female models of wallets, as well as cardholders and cases for cards in different designs and colors, which will allow everyone to choose a model according to their taste and preferences.
All RFID protected accessories are guaranteed and high performance. Your payment information and finances will be reliably protected from intruders.
