Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Mobile

    RSA Keeps RFID Private

    Written by

    Dennis Fisher
    Published February 23, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      RSA Security Inc. will unveil a finished version of its RFID “Blocker Tag” technology that prevents radio-frequency identification tags from being read.

      The technology, which RSA plans to demonstrate at its namesake conference this week in San Francisco, is one of the industrys first attempts to secure the anticipated oceans of consumer tracking data to be gathered by the tiny radio-powered tags. As Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Gillette Co. press on with massive RFID rollouts, tags are expected to be attached, in increasing numbers, to all kinds of products, including manufactured goods, food and apparel.

      According to company researchers and security experts, RSA blocker technology could have a profound and positive effect on the budding RFID industry, which has been drawing intensifying criticism from civil libertarians and consumer advocates over privacy concerns.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifRead “RFID: Proceed With Caution.”

      “There is a huge privacy issue because you cant ever verify that the tag has been killed when [customers] leave the store,” said Randy Breault, manager of information security services at Hannaford Bros. Co., a grocery chain based in Portland, Maine, that is in the early stages of planning an RFID implementation in its warehouses. “Thats the reason that were starting slow with it and doing it at the pallet level. Youre dealing with a lot of negative potential at the item level.”

      /zimages/5/28571.gifLooking into RFID? Read “RFID: Hit or Myth?”

      RFID tags are little more than small, printed circuits containing a unique identifying number. Special readers query the tags, which respond with their numbers. The numbers can then be used to track the item.

      The blocker tag system is software-based and relies on technology developed by RSA researchers that prevents RFID readers from gathering data from other tags in their immediate vicinity. Without it, any RFID reader could query any tag, enabling retailers or other companies to read the tags on any merchandise a customer may be carrying.

      Essentially, the blocker tag system works by tricking readers that all the possible RFID tags are present at a given time. Because RFID readers can communicate with only one tag at a time, when multiple tags reply to a single query, the reader detects a collision.

      When that happens, the reader tries to communicate with each tag individually, asking each for its next bit, which identifies the portion of a binary tree the tag resides on. However, when queried in the presence of a blocker tag, the blocker tag also responds, but with a “0” and a “1” bit, confusing the reader and preventing it from getting valid responses.

      Next page: Broad range of apps for blocker tags.

      Page Two

      Researchers at RSAs Labs unit see a broad range of applications for the blocker tags. For example, a retail store could place RFID tags on merchandise for inventory management purposes. Upon checkout, however, the retailer would place RFID items in a blocker tag-equipped bag, ensuring customers that those items will go undetected when in the presence of RFID readers elsewhere.

      At the RSA Conference, the company will demonstrate an application using a prescription drug bottle equipped with an RFID tag that can be carried in a small paper bag that has a blocker tag.

      The company is talking to a variety of parties about licensing the technology, including manufacturers of RFID components, systems integrators and retailers.

      “Theres a great need for security and privacy expertise in this area. Security is an afterthought on the Internet, and we dont want to see the same thing happen with RFID,” said Burt Kaliski, chief scientist and director of RSA Labs, based in Bedford, Mass. “Theres no standard way to put security on the reader. This is a way to give customers confidence and enable honest companies to demonstrate respect for privacy.”

      Security experts praised RSAs innovation but also cautioned that privacy protection can be a tough sell.

      “Its a cool technology and I love seeing cool technologies pressed into service for privacy protection,” said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of Counterpane Internet Security Inc. and a well-known cryptographer, in Cupertino, Calif. “The privacy implications are considerable with RFID. But privacy protection technologies tend not to sell. I hope it does. Its a tough market but an important market.”

      Kaliski stressed that the blocker tag is just the beginning in terms of the companys research into RFID security and privacy technologies.

      “The tag is just the first fruit of the approach were taking to this,” he said. “Theres still a good amount of research to be done. We need security on the protocol, the readers and the back end, too. We need a full set of technologies on the table in order to know whats possible.”

      /zimages/5/28571.gifClick here to read why RFID may not pay real economic dividends for at least two years.

      Dennis Fisher
      Dennis Fisher

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×