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BlueBean's DIY RFID: Don't Try This At Home, Kids

[February 18, 2006]

BlueBean's DIY RFID: Don't Try This At Home, Kids

TMCnet CRM Alert Columnist

BlueBean, LLC, is now offering what the company describes as “complete RFID development lab kits for anyone who needs a smaller-scale RFID portal product.”

The do-it-yourself RFID kits, company officials claim, “come complete with everything you need to set up your own RFID development lab including the portal, RFID reader, power supply, RFID antennas, cables and tags.”

It’s a way for companies to test RFID products on-site as well as for “colleges and universities that are setting up RFID labs for their students,” says BlueBean President Gregg Maggioli. “It’s also a great RFID product for sales presentations and trade shows.”

According to company claims, the RFID product kit arrives in a standard UPS package and needs only one simple hand tool to assemble. In a short period of time, users can have their RFID development lab kit set up and ready for use.

“The RFID portal requires no maintenance, is RFID hardware manufacturer agnostic, and uses T-slot technology for easy assembly and modifications,” adds Maggioli.

Now, friends, be careful when it comes to DIY RFID, okay? Heed the example of Annalee Newitz, who got "chipped" as research for an article she's writing for Wired magazine about RFID security, according to industry observer Susan Kuchinskas.

As part of the experiment, Jonathan Westhues hacked and copied its code. This means that the RFID tag made by VeriChip, which was implanted under her skin, wasn't really "hers" any more.

"Westhues was able to read and copy her chip in around two hours, using a simple reader about the size of an MP3 player, with an antenna about five inches long," Kuchinskas says. "Once Westhues cloned the chip, he'd be able to use it for anything Newitz used it for. If she were using the chip to unlock her front door -- or the door to the biohazard lab -- Westhues, if he was a bad guy instead of a hardware and software designer, would be able to do some damage."

Good thing Westhues is one of the white hats.

"What I wanted to do was show that while VeriChip claims that their chips can't be counterfeited, indeed they can be counterfeited as easily as any other chip, particularly ones that have no security at all, which this one doesn't," Newitz told Kuchinskas.

David Sims is contributing editor for TMCnet. For more articles please visit David Sims' columnist page.

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