Shielding Methods to Combat RFID Skimming Attempts

Different types of cyber crimes are on the rise. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) skimming is one of the dreaded cyber frauds today. It refers to a kind of digital theft, which involves stealing information from RFID-based smart cards. These types of crimes may take several forms – wireless identity theft, credit card theft and more. How does it work? Well, the con-artists use RFID reader device to remotely download card information and read RFID chips. This information is then transferred to a new blank card. This card is then used in the same manner as the original card. You cannot stop these crimes simply by encrypting the data on the original card. With RFIDs becoming more and more prevalent in credit cards, the hackers are innovating more sophisticated techniques to steal identity information. Under this circumstance it has become important to device more RFID shielding techniques to outsmart these identity thefts. Here are a few methods to deal with this menace:

Shielding

This method involves the use of an enclosed container called the Faraday cage. These specially designed enclosures are made of materials that are adept at blocking electromagnetic signals in the RFID spectrum. This system helps prevent radio signals from reaching the hacker's device.

Metal Foil

Effective blocking can also be achieved by simply wrapping a tagged object in aluminum foil. Although this method is not foolproof, informal tests have shown that covering with metal foil can significantly reduce the maximum range of criminal activities.

Permanent Disabling of RFID Functionality

One of the ways to stop your card from being misused is to disable its RFID functionality permanently. If you find out that your credit card has been hacked, you can cut internal wires to disable it. Heating it in a microwave oven also affects its functionalities. When the original card is damaged, the duplicate will also be rejected as a payment method when presented to a store.

Temporarily Disabling of RFID Functionality

In many places a credit card-sized security device is kept in close vicinity of payment counters. These devices are designed to provide protection to the vulnerable cards by detuning RFID signal coming from them, so that hackers cannot capture those signals through a separate device. However, this technology has only limited effectiveness in dealing with RFID skimming crimes.

RFID Alarms

These devices offer a more practical solution to fraud attempts through the interception of RFID signal. They are capable of detecting any attempt to hack an RFID device and accordingly generate an alarm. However, they cannot tell a legitimate attempt from an illegitimate one and as a result raise alarm for both.

One of the dangerous aspects of RFID data theft is that victims typically fail to notice that their card data has been compromised until it's too late. However, with the rise of sophisticated RFI shielding technologies, the numbers of RFID skimming incidences have dropped significantly in the recent years. That of course does not mean we should be too complacent and do nothing. Only a constant brushing up on newer shielding technologies can help us stay protected against these frauds.

Elvis Moore is an active blogger with an extensive industry experience in the field of electronics and technology.