[geeks] RFID-based credit cards

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: "Sheldon T. Hall" <shel at tandem.artell.net>
>Date: 2006/10/27 Fri PM 12:57:51 CDT
>To: 'The Geeks List' <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: [geeks] RFID-based credit cards

>Folks-
>
>I assume the new Visa card I just got is RFID-based, all the more so because
>the issuer is adamant about switching to that card even though the old one
>is still valid for a couple of years.
>
>However, http://prisms.cs.umass.edu/~kevinfu/papers/RFID-CC-manuscript.pdf
>makes me wonder.  Yeah, there are a zillion ways to get someone's cradit
>card information and use it for fraudulent purposes, but it looks like the
>RFID scheme isn't that much better than the stuff we already have.
>
>Ah, well.  Easy come, easy go.

Is the card made of one piece of plastic or two laminated pieces of plastic? My local bank has replaced my credit card twice in the past year due to compromises in security. The first one was told to the bank by Visa Corp, the second one was caught by my local bank, when I bought gas in NJ and a cellphone in Italy on the same day ;^)

CC companies thing RFID is a benefit and would advertise the fact, in my opinion... If you're still concerned, you could take some tin foil out of your hat and wrap it around the card in your pocket 8^)

Lionel