Nickname: ?

Review: What about human chipping? Any concerns on that one? Anyone thinking where do we draw the line?

Date reviewed: Oct 21, 2007 1:38 AM

Nickname: John Frangella

Review: if that was the case, the hacker would need the encryption code to get into the system. It's not the RFID system that is the problem, it's the I.T dept that didn't do their job in securing the tag. www.fortknoxis.com

Date reviewed: Sep 30, 2007 11:43 PM

Nickname: k9

Review: Whether one can or cannot reprogram a particular RFID chip is irrelevant. What is to stop a hacker from programing his own chip, inserting it into/onto the item, and causing the virus download when it is read by the scanner?

Date reviewed: Mar 25, 2006 5:40 PM

Nickname: Specialist My A#$e

Review: RFID Specialist: When CDRs were first introduced they cost $50 (per CDR). They now cost $.20. It's not too hard to see in the not too distant future, your 20-cent tag costing 1 cent or less.

Date reviewed: Mar 18, 2006 11:37 AM

Nickname: John

Review: I have many friends who I deem to be technological masterminds, who can do anything with anything even remotely related to a computer. If they can't do it yet, they will soon learn how. That's how this technological race works, and hackers are very determined individuals. They will find a way. This is a good warning that businesses should take seriously. Rather than facing the problem when it becomes a problem, they can make plans now and be ready for it. It is a lot cheaper and efficient to prepare for a problem before it happens than having to fix it when it does happen. A side thought that amused me, I pictured a hacker sitting at his computer reading this article thinking, "Cool, I never thought of that, but it sounds great."

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 8:19 PM

Nickname: RFIDman

Review: George Orwell was wrong! Here we are 32 years later still worrying about the negative effects of a new technology. With respect to the comments about everything costing more: less retail loss means lower prices. Plus RFID has been proven to increase the availity of products (they'll have your pickles in stock!) As to the security, the Dutch effort is crude and unusable in the real world. It sounded more like an effort to get the professor hired as a security consultant! Most tags are read-only and have no way to change them. Even if a read/write tag were overwritten, the other technical postings about a security virus debunk the possibility and effects. If you are reading data, and it is outside the accepted range, it will most likely be ignored. Change is the only constant in the world. If problems ever should develop, I'm sure they'll be addressed faster than we are currently addressing identity theft today. As Shakespeare would say, "Much ado about nothing."

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 7:13 PM

Nickname: Steff

Review: Previously, I had been a big fan of the potential of the RFID chip. This hasn't changed and I'm certain that prior to widespread usage the bugs and security issues will be worked out. Hackers determined to disrupt a system have done so with great frequency in the past. Fortunately, we have been able to detect and correct these intrusions on a fairly rapid basis. There are always going to be "bugs" in any new technology. We just have to persevere.

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 7:03 PM

Nickname: BZ

Review: RE: increased cost. RFID will help prevent cost increases, primarily through reduced product loss, improved inventory management and accurate pricing at checkout. It should speed delivery of critical items for manufacturing, help hospitals improve overall patient outcomes. Many things that we are able to manage for ourselves, like track shipments online, will be improved. And for travelers it should go a long way to reducing the amount of lost luggage as airlines adapt the technology. If you have ever been to a store and looked for an item that the store's inventory system shows there are 5 items in stock but can't be found you will come to appreciate the benefits that RFID contributes to reducing this problem. There are many phases of our lives that RFID will significantly improve. Active RFID in my home to track the tools I can't find. The pantry could tell me if I'm out of my favorite food. Seems like a penny or two an item would be very cheap for this benefit.

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 5:51 PM

Nickname: anonymous

Review: EPCglobal (the leader in development of industry-driven standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification) released the following statement on 3/15: "A recent study has been released suggesting that RFID tags can be infected with computer viruses. This was a staged experiment in a lab environment which did not include EPC-certified technology. By the admission of the study's authors, their research did not include or impact any commercially available software." Basically, the environment and scenario these researchers used for their study in no way replicates what is actually used out in the real world (at Wal-Mart or the Department of Defense, etc). So while this study created headlines to warn people about RFID, there really isn't much impact.

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 5:08 PM

Nickname: Steve

Review: Dear Jinn, With sand up to your neck, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you would even consider reading Technology Insider.

Date reviewed: Mar 17, 2006 3:10 PM