![]() ![]() That strength of encryption is considered safe against "brute force" attacks, in which a hacker tries every possible combination. A crook would thus not be able to use the card number to go on a fraudulent Internet shopping spree, for example.Īmerican Express makes the RFID reader verify the card's authenticity with a "challenge-response" exchange that depends on 128-bit encryption encoded on the chip. However, the thief would have to get quite close to his target or have a very sensitive reader.Īlso, the account number on the contactless cards is useful only in the RFID system - it's not the same as a user's credit card number. That's because RFID transmissions themselves are not encrypted. In theory, the transaction could be intercepted without a consumer's knowledge by a technologically savvy thief intent on cloning a card. The transaction then proceeds through the credit card network just as if the card had been swiped. ![]() A small radio antenna in the cards instantly transmits account information to the reader. When they near a reader, they are jolted to life by the reader's electromagnetic waves. The contactless cards have no battery or power. ![]() ![]() in which the RFID chip is embedded in the plastic casing of a cell phone. MasterCard also has done tests in Dallas with Nokia Corp. MasterCard's PayPass comes on a regular-sized card that also has a magnetic stripe for swiping if need be. Now I wave it rather than get my card out. "I like that it's on your keychain and it's fast to use," said Kristie Beenau, 36, of Peoria, Ariz., who has used ExpressPay for about six months at a CVS Pharmacy and fast-food restaurants. While old-fashioned credit cards store account information on a magnetic stripe that has to be swiped, the contactless cards keep their data on chips inside the plastic.Īmerican Express' ExpressPay uses a keychain fob, like the ones used by ExxonMobil Speedpass and similar to the tags in supermarket discount programs. The new cards have chips imbued with radio-frequency identification, or RFID, the technology that Wal-Mart, the military and other institutions hope to begin using soon to precisely track inventory. Visa USA has developed contactless capabilities but is holding off on a launch because "consumers seem to be content using the cards they have in their wallet," Visa spokeswoman Camille Lepre said. ![]()
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