RFID Security [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Frank Thornton (Author), Chris Lanthem (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1597490474 | ISBN-13: 978-1597490474 | Publication Date: July 7, 2005 | Edition: 1

RFID is a method of remotely storing and receiving data using devices called RFID tags. RFID tags can be small adhesive stickers containing antennas that receive and respond to transmissions from RFID transmitters. RFID tags are used to identify and track everything from food, dogs, beer kegs to library books.

RFID tags use a standard that has already been hacked by several researchers. RFID Security discusses the motives for someone wanting to hack an RFID system and shows how to protect systems.

Coverage includes: security breaches for monetary gain (hacking a shops RFID system would allow a hacker to lower the pricing on any product products). How to protect the supply chain (malicous/mischievous hackers can delete/alter/modify all identifying information for an entire shipment of products). How to protect personal privacy (privacy advocates fear that RFID tags embedded in products, which continue to transmit information after leaving a store, will be used to track consumer habits).

The purpose of an RFID system is to enable data to be transmitted by a portable device, called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed according to the needs of a particular application. The data transmitted by the tag may provide identification or location information, or specifics about the product tagged, such as price, colour, date of purchase, etc. .

* Deloitte & Touche expects over 10 billion RFID tags to be in circulation by the end of 2005
* Parties debating the security issue of RFID need information on the pros and cons of the technology and this is that information
* Little competition in a market desperate for information

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Thornton runs his own technology consulting firm, Blackthorn Systems, which specializes in information security and wireless networks. His specialties include wireless network architecture, design, and implementation, as well as network troubleshooting and optimization. An interest in amateur radio helped him bridge the gap between computers and wireless networks. Having learned at a young age which end of the soldering iron was hot, he has even been known to repair hardware on occasion. In addition to his computer and wireless interests, Frank was a law enforcement officer for many years. As a detective and forensics expert he has investigated approximately one hundred homicides and thousands of other crime scenes. Combining both professional interests, he was a member of the workgroup that established ANSI Standard "ANSI/NIST-CSL 1-1993 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint Information."

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 1 edition (July 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597490474
• ISBN-13: 978-1597490474
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brad Haines (RenderMan) is a Canadian born and raised hacker and computer security consultant who spends way too much time figuring out ways of inserting electronics into treasured childhood toys. Consultant by trade, hacker by birth, fedora by fashion.

As co-refounder of the Church of Wifi and member of the NMRC, he spends his time adding to his expansive collection of con badges and thinking of new ways to subvert wireless networks and childhood memories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and Informative, December 17, 2006

By 

Stephen D. Hunt "SecurityDreamer" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RFID Security (Paperback)

The remarkable thing about his book is its accessibility. The authors have done a good job illustrating technical concepts with straightforward explanations and everyday examples. By the end of the first chapter, I felt like an expert in the inner workings of RFID, even though I started with only the foggiest notions of how it all worked.

The reader will quickly understand the differences in RFID technologies used for various purposes like access cards for entering buildings, The SpeedPass keys at Shell stations, automated toll systems on the highways, or the electronic merchandise tags at Wal-Mart.

Just differentiating those technologies makes the book worthwhile. Then the second half takes the reader on the adventure of breaking and enhancing the security of RFID systems. RFID is fundamentally susceptible to min-in-the-middle attacks and cloning. In the information security world, those threats gave rise to technologies like firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and intrusion detection systems (IDS). However in most of today's RFID deployments security is downright ignored. Even systems like door access controls - themselves designed for security purposes - suffer basic security flaws.

The last section of the book explores ways to secure RFID systems. This section gets a bit technical and may only be interesting to the most devoted security professional, but if you make it through to the end you'll have a solid understanding of when to use RFID, when to avoid it, and how to ensure the greatest value. (See full review at [...])

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of an Important Topic, May 29, 2006

By 

Thunderon2weelz (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RFID Security (Paperback)

Security is a growing concern in RFID. Businesses are learning the vulnerabilities inherent in writable tags; skimming and eavesdropping of RFID signals at RFID readers is a concern inside the corporation; and hacking of databases associated with RFID is a concern, as with any database.

RFID holds huge promise and is in wide use today, being used by millions of consumers as toll-payment solutions; credit cards; and key entry systems for cars. Up to now much of the focus has been on consumer privacy, i.e., on whether RFID tags will reveal too much information about items in consumers' possession.

Attention is just now being placed on the security issues that businesses deploying RFID face.

The book addresses these issues and brings to the forefront the challenges facing businesses.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More like a white paper....not enough text/material for a book., May 18, 2006

By 

A. K. (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: RFID Security (Paperback)

Misses the Gen 2 security topic.

This book would not even have be 200 pages if large fonts were not used, it is good for a white paper. There is only one chapter in the book which I found interesting as it talked about RFIDdump. Final chapters are decdicated to Middleware application security realted to EPCglobal network, which I would be considered as general IT security and nothing specific to RFID.