Got a ID embedded with an RFID chip?
by Jim on Jul.28, 2010,under Everything Else
If so, you better hide it!
I'm attending the Black Hat security conference this week in Las Vegas, and one of the seminars happened to be from Chris Paget who demonstrated how to read RFID chips. The common thought is that they are only readable from approximately 3 feet away. If this was the case, then no one would have too much to worry about as you would have to be awful close to a person to be able to get a good read on their chip. Seeing as though the new chips in passports and enhanced drivers licenses carry personal information, a short range is a good thing.
Well, it seems that the new generation of chips works differently and is now powered by radio waves. What this means is that the more powerful the radio signal to the RFID tag, the further away it will work. By use of an amplifier, a few high-gain antenas, and a receiver, he was able to read an RFID tag from over 217 feet away! This was just using commercially available, inexpensive, and easy to obtain equipment. He also stayed within the guidlines of HAM radio laws. He predicted that he could reach as far as 1000 feet given the right conditions and environment.
Maybe you should go get an RFID shield for your passport?
