John Ray
How to Counter RFIDs (IMPORTANT)
Tue Mar 2 18:02:54 2004
64.140.158.141

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fw: How to Counter RFIDs
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:17:20 -0600
From: John Ray - john.ray.1776@comcast.net

Can an RFID be destroyed by microwaving it?

Probably, but if you value the thing it is attached to, you may want to find a better way.

Thin metals (like an RFID antenna) tend to accept the microwave energy and produce a voltage. The voltage would kill any circuits in an RFID, unless it was super-well shielded. The heat generated in a fire or arching could also damage it.

The way to increase likelihood of destruction of the RFID chip in a microwave is to create an arching voltage across/through it. Try putting another piece of metal (foil) near it to increase arcing potential. This will also increase the potential for burning.

"To prevent sparking, make sure the container is not touching any metallic surface. Cook or heat food to desired temperature." http://www.foil.alcan.com/foil/alcansite.nsf/Public/Chefpierreleblancmicrowavecookingwithfoil

"Make sure the foil container does not touch any other metal (such as the sides, door or floor of the oven cavity, or any metal accessories provided by the manufacturer) to avoid arcing and possible damage to your oven." http://www.prosco.com.sa/guideline.htm

But, not too much metal: "Remember, food completely encased in aluminum foil will receive NO microwave energy) " http://www.prosco.com.sa/guideline.htm

"aluminum foil tends to give off sparks that might start a fire. Here's why. As its name implies, a microwave oven uses intense microwaves to heat and cook food. Like any electromagnetic wave, a microwave consists of electric and magnetic fields. When the strong microwaves produced by a microwave oven interact with a sheet of aluminum foil, their electric fields cause the mobile electrons in the foil to accumulate at the sheet's sharp, pointed tips. This build-up of electrons creates a strong electric field in the surrounding air. When the electric field becomes strong enough it causes free electrons in the air to accelerate and jar loose more electrons from gas molecules in the air, which then go on to jar even more electrons loose. This chain reaction creates an electrical charge in the air, which shows itself as sparks. Although rounded metal objects such as spoons are less likely to create sparks, the safest bet is to avoid putting any kind of metal in the microwave."

A SAFER way to destroy an RFID in money (if they existed in US money, which is doubtful at this time, but "Euro banknotes could be RFID tagged as early as 2005." http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,2135074,00.htm ) might be by using pure magnetic waves, such as would be generated by a transformer coil. The higher the frequency of the current oscillation in the coil the better. This is how "eddy current" heating is performed in industry. You are trying to simulate a high-intensity EMP. I know how to make EMPs on a larger scale, but its tough to make them on a small (tiny) scale, although I know how to do this also. I think I could build a cheap home-made device capable of "disinfecting" a whole roll of RFID-infected dollars at a time using the EMP approach based on.....

Alternatively, try hitting the RFID directly with the output of several cell-phone antennas (during transmitting) at once. They are powerful enough to confuse my computer mouse when I set the phone next to the mouse wire. Should be strong enough to mess with the RFID circuit, but maybe not. worth a try.

I also found this: http://www.spychips.com/faqs.htm

"Q: What do I do if I find an RFID chip? Can I kill or disable it?

A: You can disable a chip for all practical purposes by disconnecting it from its antenna. It is usually pretty obvious where the chip is located in an RFID tag (all the antennas will run to it). Once you find the tiny black square you can use a pair of scissors or a knife to cut it off.

To ensure that the tiny chip cannot later be read (assuming anyone could even find a device so small), you can puncture it with a straight pin, crush it, or pulverize it. (Note: While burning or microwaving can destroy a chip, we do not recommend these methods because of fire risk. See the Q & A below.) Do not try to "drown" it, since water does not generally destroy RFID chips. Running a magnet over the chip will not work, either."
http://www.spychips.com/faqs.htm

Q: Can I microwave products to kill any hidden RFID tags they might contain?

A: While microwaving an RFID tag will destroy it (a microwave emits high frequency electromagnetic energy that overloads the antenna, eventually blowing out the chip), there is a good chance the tag will burst into flames first. The difficulty of destroying a hidden RFID chip is one reason we need legislation making it illegal to hide a chip in an item in the first place.
http://www.spychips.com/faqs.htm

February 25, 2004
A Baby Step For RFID Privacy
By Susan Kuchinskas
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3317501

RSA Security (Quote, Chart) has announced that it's working on RSA Blocker Tag, an anti-radio frequency identification technology. The proposed tag is designed to prevent readers from accurately scanning tags on goods and reading their electronic product codes, or EPCs.

When development is complete, the blocker tags will work by "spamming" RFID readers that attempt to scan tags. Blocker tags will be active in the same short range as RFID tags, and must be in close proximity to a tag in order to block it. RSA demonstrated a software-based version of the blocker at its RSA Security conference.

The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly moving toward item-level RFID tagging of products, while consumer packaged goods manufacturers are testing pallet- or case-level tagging as they evaluate the advantages of tracking individual high-priced items such as Gillette's Mach 2 razor blades.

"In a naive, RFID-enabled world without technical forethought, there is risk that sensitive information could be visible in secret to anyone with an RFID reader," Burt Kaliski, director and chief scientist of RSA Laboratories, said in a statement. RSA is a founding member of EPCglobal, an industry consortium developing standards for the commercial use of RFID. It's the first technology company to openly admit that RFID could be used to invade consumers' privacy.

"Whereas retailers think about tracking inventory," Kaliski said, "privacy advocates worry about what happens when the RFIDs leave the store. It's up to companies like RSA Security to help bridge that gap."

Also on Tuesday, California State Senator Debra Bowen introduced SB 1834, the first national bill to propose privacy standards for the use of RFID. The activist Democratic senator from Redondo Beach wants legislators to require businesses or government agencies to inform people when they use an RFID system, get express consent before tracking and collecting information and detach or destroy RFID tags that are attached to a product before it leaves the store. Bowen chairs the Senate Subcommittee on New Technologies, which held two hearings on RFID technology and privacy.

Privacy activists say that neither killing tags when a product leaves the store nor the availability of blocker tags is enough. A recent position statement issued by Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) and seven other organizations including the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation said that killing tags at the store exit doesn't solve the problem of tracking consumer behavior inside the store. The group fears the availability of blocker tags might encourage the proliferation of RFID by giving consumers a false sense of security.

• The global RFID chippers are running scared — Katherine Albrecht, Tue Mar 2 18:43