THREATS and SOLUTIONS – DATA THEFT IN PRACTICE
Through the dissemination of wireless identification (RFID) data theft has become easier by far. Instead of physically coming into the possession of the card to copy them illegally or use directly, RFID reading of information is possible with quite simple means without contact from a distance of up to several meters. Problem compared to conventional theft: cardholder might not realize that he is the victim of a data thief. This keeps the unauthorized ample time to make any number of duplicate keys and gain access to your premises.
Common use:
access to premises or offices is managed by wireless RFID tags
Especially critical is the situation when the badges of your employees may also contain personal information such as name and date of birth, which may additionally be otherwise misused. Here are much greater danger potentials in space, which extend well into the privacy of the employee and may result in civil consequences.
Small and inconspiciuous:
RFID-Tags, so-called transponders, are available in many different shapes and sized and also work with car theft protection systems
However, even if the company IDs only a simple number is stored and the actual data are housed in a central database, there is still a great danger: the unauthorized reading of this number only takes a fraction of a second, copied onto a blank card will result in a spare key wich your system will recognize as original key. Encryption methods offer some protection, but not for long. Finally, the data thief is usually plenty of time to decipher with a powerful computer and brute-force attack the data. For just just making a duplicate key, there is no need to decrypt the data, information is just copied to blank card.
Data theft old fashioned:
The card will be read by a magnet-stripe reader/writer device and then copied to an empty (blank) card. For this action, thief has to get physical access to the card – at least for a short time.
The scenarios for data theft are versatile: from the next table in the restaurant where you are having lunch, on the escalator or the elevator, the unassuming passenger next to you on public transport, the queue at the supermarket checkout, or even the visitors in your own house. For technical reasons, the RFID chip on your card is communicating his data to anyone who asks him about it. To counteract this situation, Kryptronic Technologies developed the material “Cryptalloy”. This complex alloy of aluminum and other specialty metals suppresses highly effective communication between your card and any unauthorized reader. The trick: in order to achieve an effective shield, the RFID card does not have to be surrounded by Cryptalloy (Faraday cage), the mere presence of the material in the immediate vicinity (quasi-contact) is already sufficient..
Data theft 2.0: Already small sized RFID /NFC readers gain a reading range up to 50 cm. Devices with larger antennas easily can be used up to several meters for unauthorized access to RFID/NFC cards.
This property of Cryptalloy allows a variety of applications such as semi-transparent card holder, in which the information printed on the card remains visible. Unlike other materials such as aluminum foil and copper-or zinc-coated films Cryptalloy provides reliable protection over the full range of RFID frequencies, so your data is always safe really. A choice of products, carefully designed, produced and tested, is at your for the privacy of your employees, your customers, and for the safety of your company on the following pages. However, technology is developing continuously on both sides. So a full, 100 percent safety can never be obtained.
