Security implementation during the early stages of the tech boom entailed using software no more complicated than Notepad, with the real heavy lifting done by the coding skills of the engineer in question. As we've evolved from that period, however, software now propels machines that allow those with duplicitous intent to steal credit cards simply by brushing by you. It's scary, and it's got everyone's undivided attention.
Electronic pickpocketing has grown tremendously in just a few short years, and the forecast for tomorrow doesn't look much better. Security companies have dropped the ball into credit card issuers' courts, and it's time they looked at the following areas to help secure your purchasing power.
How it's done
Imagine walking into a convenience store, buying your daily bottle of Fiji water and granola bars. Total comes up on screen, you tap your Visa card against the PayPass machine, and off you go. Well, not too far away is some twerp sitting on his Alien PC jerking your numbers out of thin air because, of course, RFID technology operates off old school radio waves with a twinge of Wi-Fi. You head off to work, and some schmuck heads off to some Canadian gambling site to play baccarat with your $30,000 credit limit.
Chase, Bank of America and other large credit card issuers embed RFID chips to make your life convenient. I don't know about everyone else, but I find their attempts at making my life convenient are actually putting my credit in danger.
Chip & PIN cards in the UK and Europe have not seen this kind of threat because of the heightened security in needing both the chip and a PIN number, which most UK merchants rely on. It seems the reason the States is adopting Chip and PIN cards next year is because of the rising threat posed by current cards.
Uniquely identify trends
Frequent studying of data security may help IT developers stave off RFID theft, albeit temporarily. Sounds like the wrong end of the steak to cut fat from, but think about it: security is merely nothing more than clusters of numbers and letters which are sent to satellites, which are then sent down to a 'source'. It's data.
Trends are often modeled after sets of real-time data yet inevitably are tested with random sets of data strings. If security centers would simply deploy simple data management techniques which helps engineers identify natural clusters within their data sets and find backdoors where thieves are entering, perhaps much quicker patching and future security breaching would be the end result.
Sure, it's likely that data is the guilty party here. Credit card companies are embedding smarter technology that rotates a security code after each use to help slow these thieves down, but I cannot fathom such a cheesy method as code rotation as the 'cure-all' for RFID theft.
Not even iPhone 6 is immune
The tech world waited in breathless anticipation for the announcement of the new Apple iPhone. Geeks, reporters and tech enthusiasts gathered in Cupertino and watched carefully as Tim Cook finally revealed the new devices. Now that the dust has settled and all the rumors have been put to rest, how does the radio frequency compare to earlier iterations of the iconic smartphone? Honestly, not much better.
Don't be too quick to blame current technology for age old heists; data theft is nothing new. In fact, the concept has been around for several centuries (you may know the perpetrators as 'ninjas', 'thieves' and so forth) with commanders sending individuals to steal battle plans, drawings or whatnot. What we do need to blame is the lackadaisical approach credit card issuers are taking in remediation of said threats.
Electronic pickpocketing has grown tremendously in just a few short years, and the forecast for tomorrow doesn't look much better. Security companies have dropped the ball into credit card issuers' courts, and it's time they looked at the following areas to help secure your purchasing power.
How it's done
Imagine walking into a convenience store, buying your daily bottle of Fiji water and granola bars. Total comes up on screen, you tap your Visa card against the PayPass machine, and off you go. Well, not too far away is some twerp sitting on his Alien PC jerking your numbers out of thin air because, of course, RFID technology operates off old school radio waves with a twinge of Wi-Fi. You head off to work, and some schmuck heads off to some Canadian gambling site to play baccarat with your $30,000 credit limit.
Chase, Bank of America and other large credit card issuers embed RFID chips to make your life convenient. I don't know about everyone else, but I find their attempts at making my life convenient are actually putting my credit in danger.
Chip & PIN cards in the UK and Europe have not seen this kind of threat because of the heightened security in needing both the chip and a PIN number, which most UK merchants rely on. It seems the reason the States is adopting Chip and PIN cards next year is because of the rising threat posed by current cards.
Uniquely identify trends
Frequent studying of data security may help IT developers stave off RFID theft, albeit temporarily. Sounds like the wrong end of the steak to cut fat from, but think about it: security is merely nothing more than clusters of numbers and letters which are sent to satellites, which are then sent down to a 'source'. It's data.
Trends are often modeled after sets of real-time data yet inevitably are tested with random sets of data strings. If security centers would simply deploy simple data management techniques which helps engineers identify natural clusters within their data sets and find backdoors where thieves are entering, perhaps much quicker patching and future security breaching would be the end result.
Sure, it's likely that data is the guilty party here. Credit card companies are embedding smarter technology that rotates a security code after each use to help slow these thieves down, but I cannot fathom such a cheesy method as code rotation as the 'cure-all' for RFID theft.
Not even iPhone 6 is immune
The tech world waited in breathless anticipation for the announcement of the new Apple iPhone. Geeks, reporters and tech enthusiasts gathered in Cupertino and watched carefully as Tim Cook finally revealed the new devices. Now that the dust has settled and all the rumors have been put to rest, how does the radio frequency compare to earlier iterations of the iconic smartphone? Honestly, not much better.
Don't be too quick to blame current technology for age old heists; data theft is nothing new. In fact, the concept has been around for several centuries (you may know the perpetrators as 'ninjas', 'thieves' and so forth) with commanders sending individuals to steal battle plans, drawings or whatnot. What we do need to blame is the lackadaisical approach credit card issuers are taking in remediation of said threats.