Mythbusters RFID episode banned - bit-tech.net Forums

CardJoe · 3rd Sep 2008, 09:00

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/09...isode-banned/1

Comments by Adam Savage at a conference tell the tale of a planned RFID-busting episode which was cancelled following legal leanings from credit card companies.

kennethsross · 3rd Sep 2008, 09:51

The way I see it, the guys who will exploit these vulnerabilities probably already know about it, and how to do it.

Showing this would not be a case of educating criminals, but informing potential victims

outlawaol · 3rd Sep 2008, 10:05

Pheshh... Heck yea they should air that, if these corporations know about the vulnerabilities then clearly it isnt ready for mainstream use. Dosnt mean that counterfeiters, scammers and credit card fraud dont exist, but obviously this needs to be looked at twice. Heck, if a silly show cant air its feeble attempts at hacking and cracking it, its not worthy of use!

Stupid corporate america, being irresponsible, again....

Arkanrais · 3rd Sep 2008, 10:16

I say, the myth busters should show some amateurs how to do a show about it and direct the whole thing, then spread it over the interblags and let the Streisand effect take hold.

NuTech · 3rd Sep 2008, 10:19

If anyone's interested, the conference was TheLastHope.

Did anyone watch the entire thing btw? The pizza clay oven woman was crazy...

Darkedge · 3rd Sep 2008, 10:45

I think it was probably dropped as it would be VERY BORING.

identikit · 3rd Sep 2008, 11:28

I did a lot of research into card systems such as charliecards and oysters an absolute age ago. All the information you need is out there, a little smart engineering later and you've got what you want. I don't get why people need to be told how to do this and why the people doing the telling need to be gagged.

Bluephoenix · 3rd Sep 2008, 13:41

hacking RFID systems is one of the easiest things in the world to do, all you need is a trip to your local electronics parts store, or if you're into miniaturization, then you might have to etch a circuit board or two.

after the appropriate device has been buitl the operation is pretty much automated.

one of the most vulnerable systems is actually exxon's speedpass system, because it doesn't contain system-unique info, but the actual credit-card info......

ZERO <ibis> · 3rd Sep 2008, 20:22

It needs to be run so that people can see how this technology works and the security risks involved. Not running a show with information like this should be a crime. It is informing the public of already known and highly documented facts. What is the difference between this and investigative journalism?

NeMoD · 3rd Sep 2008, 21:01

the whole video is here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...61638951440862

tranc3 · 3rd Sep 2008, 21:26

Eh wouldn't this follow under freedom of the press/speech? so much for that.

gpw111 · 3rd Sep 2008, 22:39

yeah its ridiculous that they can't show it. and it sounds like a bit of a cover up story on the part of the credit card companies.

Burdman27911 · 3rd Sep 2008, 22:39

Thanks for the video, that was actually a pretty interesting watch.

Neogumbercules · 3rd Sep 2008, 23:04

Eh wouldn't this follow under freedom of the press/speech? so much for that.

No, it wouldn't. The network decides whether or not they want to air something. If legal pressure from the credit card companies forced them to back down, then that was their choice. It's not worth a legal battle just to make one TV episode. However, they could have aired the episode. No one was actually stopping them.

leexgx · 3rd Sep 2008, 23:20

time index dead on play from 45 mins is about the RFID got banned bit

watched the all it very good shame about the banned part (guess every one knows now Not to ring the bank up now)

LordPyrinc · 4th Sep 2008, 00:19

The companies using RFID need to Step-TFU and admit that there is a problem with the technology. While pretty much any security tech seems to be hackable these days, broadcasting/transmitting transaction information via RF is just asking for trouble. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are practical applications for the technology, but how lazy have we gotten? Is it so taxing to swipe a magnetic strip in a machine? Let me just wave near it instead... ah... much easier.

sunsue · 4th Sep 2008, 06:16

[quote=CardJoe;1816238]http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/09...isode-banned/1

Comments by Adam Savage at a conference tell the tale of a planned RFID-busting episode which was cancelled following legal leanings from credit card companies.

:duh-Gee Whiz - No **** Dick Tracy. With identy theft on the rise and credit card debt on the rise, don't you think people would be interested in this episode of Mythbusters?

defacedlawngnome · 16th Sep 2009, 18:36

For anyone interested in further educating themselves on the vulnerabilities and future of RFID in our every day lives, I highly recommend reading Spychips by Katherine Albrecht > http://www.amazon.com/Spychips-Major...3122575&sr=8-1

thehippoz · 16th Sep 2009, 18:55

ratings

DianaK · 22nd Sep 2009, 19:18

Too bad this episode never aired. More information on the vulnerabilities and RFID Blocking Wallets and Passport Cases to protect against these vulnerabilities at www.difrwear.com.

3rd Sep 2008, 09:00	#1
CardJoe Player Character bit-tech Staff Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,940	Mythbusters RFID episode banned http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/09...isode-banned/1 Comments by Adam Savage at a conference tell the tale of a planned RFID-busting episode which was cancelled following legal leanings from credit card companies. __________________ this is joe's non-bit-tech blog

3rd Sep 2008, 10:05	#3
outlawaol ▲Operational Hazard Sticker▲ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Greenbay, WI Posts: 930	Pheshh... Heck yea they should air that, if these corporations know about the vulnerabilities then clearly it isnt ready for mainstream use. Dosnt mean that counterfeiters, scammers and credit card fraud dont exist, but obviously this needs to be looked at twice. Heck, if a silly show cant air its feeble attempts at hacking and cracking it, its not worthy of use! Stupid corporate america, being irresponsible, again.... __________________ 40D\| 350D \| 24-105 f/4L \| 24-70 f/2.8 Sigma \| 50mm f/1.8 \| 75-300 f/4-5.6 Sigma \| 420ex Speedlight 365 Daily Photograph \| Smugmug

3rd Sep 2008, 10:16	#4
Arkanrais Supermodder Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wangamadness, New Zealand Posts: 330	I say, the myth busters should show some amateurs how to do a show about it and direct the whole thing, then spread it over the interblags and let the Streisand effect take hold. __________________ Visit my DeviantArt page or I'll make you squeal like a piggy and throw a spatula at you. FEAR THE SPATULA! What the hell part of a chicken is the nugget?! goddamn McDonalds and their LIES!

3rd Sep 2008, 10:19	#5
NuTech Back again... Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: London Posts: 1,361	If anyone's interested, the conference was TheLastHope. Did anyone watch the entire thing btw? The pizza clay oven woman was crazy... __________________ NuTech

3rd Sep 2008, 11:28	#7
identikit Ultramodder Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: London Posts: 1,182	I did a lot of research into card systems such as charliecards and oysters an absolute age ago. All the information you need is out there, a little smart engineering later and you've got what you want. I don't get why people need to be told how to do this and why the people doing the telling need to be gagged. __________________ www.crushed-core.com \| Folding @ Home \| CPC & Bit-tech folding stats (team #35947) \| My Heatware

3rd Sep 2008, 09:51	#2
kennethsross Multimodder Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 118	The way I see it, the guys who will exploit these vulnerabilities probably already know about it, and how to do it. Showing this would not be a case of educating criminals, but informing potential victims

3rd Sep 2008, 10:45	#6
Darkedge Supermodder Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: UK Posts: 334	I think it was probably dropped as it would be VERY BORING.

3rd Sep 2008, 13:41	#8
Bluephoenix Spoon? What spoon? Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Daytona Beach, FL Posts: 936	hacking RFID systems is one of the easiest things in the world to do, all you need is a trip to your local electronics parts store, or if you're into miniaturization, then you might have to etch a circuit board or two. after the appropriate device has been buitl the operation is pretty much automated. one of the most vulnerable systems is actually exxon's speedpass system, because it doesn't contain system-unique info, but the actual credit-card info......

3rd Sep 2008, 20:22	#9
ZERO <ibis> Supermodder Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 263	It needs to be run so that people can see how this technology works and the security risks involved. Not running a show with information like this should be a crime. It is informing the public of already known and highly documented facts. What is the difference between this and investigative journalism? __________________ 965 @ 4.26GHz-P6T DELUXE-GTX 280@750&1307-DDR3 Triple Channel@1001 MHz-RAID 0 Cheta 15.6k SAS-All Water cooled IBIS GAMING

3rd Sep 2008, 21:01	#10
NeMoD What's a Dremel? Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 4	the whole video is here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...61638951440862

3rd Sep 2008, 21:26	#11
tranc3 It's a series of tubes!! Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,391	Eh wouldn't this follow under freedom of the press/speech? so much for that. __________________ Project: Cool Master Centurion 267 [AMD Kuma 7750 2.77 \|Asus M3N78-EM\|mushkin 4x1GB DDR800 \|WD Caviar 500GB\|GeForce EVGA GTS 250 512MB\|OCZ StealthXStream 600]

3rd Sep 2008, 22:39	#12
gpw111 Multimodder Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Posts: 92	yeah its ridiculous that they can't show it. and it sounds like a bit of a cover up story on the part of the credit card companies.

3rd Sep 2008, 22:39	#13
Burdman27911 What's a Dremel? Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 7	Thanks for the video, that was actually a pretty interesting watch.

3rd Sep 2008, 23:04	#14
Neogumbercules Ultramodder Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,494	Eh wouldn't this follow under freedom of the press/speech? so much for that. No, it wouldn't. The network decides whether or not they want to air something. If legal pressure from the credit card companies forced them to back down, then that was their choice. It's not worth a legal battle just to make one TV episode. However, they could have aired the episode. No one was actually stopping them. __________________ Abit AB9 Pro, Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 CPU, 2GB Corsair DDR2 6400, nVidia 8800GT, Seagate 160 GB HDD.

3rd Sep 2008, 23:20	#15
leexgx CPC hang out zone (i Fix pcs i do ) Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: uk Posts: 568	time index dead on play from 45 mins is about the RFID got banned bit watched the all it very good shame about the banned part (guess every one knows now Not to ring the bank up now) __________________ Qx6850 (OC 3.3Ghz) <> 120 extreme<> rampage forumla <> 9800GX2 <> 8gb 4x2gb (2x gell / 2x adata)<> SSD powered Corsair S128 / WD Black 1TB <> Crative X-fi FalTy FPS <> TK 1000w Toughpower <win7 x64> Click me for folding stats greenfrog.biz / 35947

4th Sep 2008, 00:19	#16
LordPyrinc Legomaniac Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: USA Posts: 254	The companies using RFID need to Step-TFU and admit that there is a problem with the technology. While pretty much any security tech seems to be hackable these days, broadcasting/transmitting transaction information via RF is just asking for trouble. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are practical applications for the technology, but how lazy have we gotten? Is it so taxing to swipe a magnetic strip in a machine? Let me just wave near it instead... ah... much easier. __________________ HP Pavilion Elite m9040n PC - Vista Home Premium Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 @ 2.40ghz - 3G of RAM - Dual 320G HDs Upgrades/Add-ons: 22" Widescreen LCD, 700W RocketFish PSU, BFG GeForce 9800 GT 160G Ext USB HD, Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers

4th Sep 2008, 06:16	#17
sunsue What's a Dremel? Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1	[quote=CardJoe;1816238]http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/09...isode-banned/1 Comments by Adam Savage at a conference tell the tale of a planned RFID-busting episode which was cancelled following legal leanings from credit card companies. :duh-Gee Whiz - No **** Dick Tracy. With identy theft on the rise and credit card debt on the rise, don't you think people would be interested in this episode of Mythbusters?

16th Sep 2009, 18:36	#18
defacedlawngnome What's a Dremel? Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1	For anyone interested in further educating themselves on the vulnerabilities and future of RFID in our every day lives, I highly recommend reading Spychips by Katherine Albrecht > http://www.amazon.com/Spychips-Major...3122575&sr=8-1

16th Sep 2009, 18:55	#19
thehippoz sea grogin Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 1,725	ratings __________________ He's the American ****head who makes tricks with bricks!

22nd Sep 2009, 19:18	#20
DianaK What's a Dremel? Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1	Too bad this episode never aired. More information on the vulnerabilities and RFID Blocking Wallets and Passport Cases to protect against these vulnerabilities at www.difrwear.com.