Give you a detailed interpretation of the security and countermeasures of contactless smart cards

Technology itself is neutral, but people who use technology need to question it. We must realize that contactless smart card technology will not disappear, but will become more secure than traditional credit card technology, because there will be more and more better technology to ensure the security of your personal information and privacy.

Now more and more contactless smart cards are starting to enter people's daily lives, such as bus cards and bank credit cards. The IC chips in some cards are visible, but most contactless cards are not recognized by people, so that people may not be aware of the security risks caused by contactless cards.

This is no wonder, because the contactless card is different from the ordinary card only in the way of information transfer in the transaction. The traditional magnetic card is mainly operated by the magnetic stripe, and the "brain" of the non-contact card is a label. The tag consists of one or a group of semiconductor chips and an antenna, which relays and transmits the radio frequency signals entering and leaving the chip through the antenna. The working principle of this passive RFID technology is not known to the public, so the concerns about contactless cards are justified.

For contactless credit cards, letting the public understand these three issues will ease their concerns.

1. Information stored in the contactless card chip

2. Is the chip safe

3. Chip operating frequency and data transmission standards

The information stored in the contactless card is the same as the information stored in the traditional magnetic card, generally including the cardholder's name, address, card number and password. It may also include some other information, such as the cardholder ’s birthday, and some highly sensitive personal information. Contactless cards are very small, but their storage capacity is generally a few megabytes.

The chips used in contactless cards are usually secure. The storage of a chip can be changed by reading and writing instructions, and supports encryption. This means that the chip contains not only fixed information that can only be written once, such as personal information, but also encrypted information that can protect static data.

The chip antenna allows communication between the chip and the reader using radio frequency signals. The energy required for the RFID credit card is provided by the radio frequency field of the reader, and then accepts instructions and data, and performs corresponding operations. This communication method can prevent long-distance reading. The frequency used for RFID credit cards and readers is higher, and this frequency is also used to identify animals or for supply chain management systems. The working frequency of most credit cards is 13.56MHz, which complies with the ISO14443 standard.

Contactless smart card applications are becoming increasingly widespread

The 13.56MHz frequency of the reader works is lower than the ultra high frequency (800MHz-1800MHz) of the mobile phone. But in fact, the reading and writing distance of 13.56MHz depends on the label size and reader type, and it can generally reach 1 meter (3.28 feet).

The ISO14443 standard mainly includes four parts of standards for close-range contactless smart cards. The general reading and writing range is up to 10 cm (4 inches). The ISO14443 standard supports authentication mechanisms such as encryption.

The data transmission rate is affected by the material placed between the reader and the chip, such as the reflection of metal on the radio frequency signal. Based on this principle, there is a thin metal strip on the side of the electronic passport, which can prevent the passport from being read when the passport is not opened. But metal may also produce noise between the reader and the smart card or break the tuning of the reader and the tag, so it is likely to affect the frequency and data transmission standards.

Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to protect the security of contactless smart cards and stored information. As Texas Instruments, the world leader in RFID technology and the world's largest RFID tag chip manufacturer, said, the application of RFID will become larger and larger, but the final decision is in the hands of users.

   Here are five tips to help you use contactless credit cards more safely.

1. Unlike the passive technology used by credit cards, you must take a proactive attitude to protect your data. Call your credit card company and ask if your card is a "contactless" or traditional card. If it is a contactless card, you have requested to replace a traditional card because you refused to use RFID technology.

2. Ask the credit card company about the frequency and ISO. If these two items are consistent with the above (13.56MHz, ISO14443 standard), that's fine. If they are inconsistent, you have to ask why and ask for more detailed information.

3. Ask about the encryption method of the credit card. The password on the contactless card can be 32 to 128 digits.

4. Ask about fraud detection and other preventive measures by credit card companies.

5. Be careful when shopping. Technology is developing, but it is always a step too late for hackers. So you have to be extra careful when making electronic online transactions or during actual shopping.