But despite the fact that attendees know they should take precautions to protect their data, federal agents at the conference got a scare on Friday when they were told they might have been caught in the sights of an RFID reader.

The reader, connected to a web camera, sniffed data from RFID-enabled ID cards and other documents carried by attendees in pockets and backpacks as they passed a table where the equipment was stationed in full view.

via Feds at DefCon Alarmed After RFIDs Scanned | Threat Level | Wired.com.

Think about this. You probably are carrying an RFID card with personal information stored on it. It can be hacked by anyone with a backpack and $50 for a reader. The Feds attending Defcon forgot they had these cards. Read what hackers could get off the typical RFID cards.

Note there are wallets that can shield your info. Better yet, write your elected officials and tell them to use a better RFID standard. The one used in the US comes to us from Walmart…it is for products, not people.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Hacking, Lock-Picking, Booze and Bacon: DefCon 17 In Review (wired.com)

http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js