RDIF sleeve/pouch for passports??

[grover]

Had to renew & now we have the new version, hadn't even thought about the rfid until costco gave us rdif sleeves with the passport pics.
I'm wondering where i can find a nicer version?
Any ideas?

(sorry about the typo in the thread title)

 

[NARM Forever]

Just got an Air Canada one in Walmart the other day, there were several different types. CAA also had some but were more expensive.

NARM

 

[grover]

thx..will check walmart

 

[Donald - my hero]

Shoppers Drug Mart has one for about 10.00. It's in the section with all the travel sized stuff

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just curious what are the RFID sleeves for?

 

[grover]

It is a electronic chip with some of your info on it that is embedded in the passport.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

It is a electronic chip with some of your info on it that is embedded in the passport.

I know what an RFID chip is i'm just wondering what the sleeves are for?

 

[grover]

Apparently those chips can be read/copied if not protected. Not sure if that is still the case-I'm going off of a news article I read last year. The sleeve prevents anyone else from reading the info on the chip.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Apparently those chips can be read/copied if not protected. Not sure if that is still the case-I'm going off of a news article I read last year. The sleeve prevents anyone else from reading the info on the chip.

It's probably about as likely as someone reading one on your credit or debit card. Yeah someone may try to do it but the thing is the sleeves also may do nothing as well.

 

[grover]

Looks like I should do some research then, have you read something recently that indicates the sleeves don't really serve their purpose?

 

[bdoyledimou]

even the encrypted information is useless if they managed to decrypt it. your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph of you.

4 of those items someone could get from looking at you. you wuold probably give up your name in 30 seconds of "mistaken identity" conversation and your place of birth wont help with many things.

most of the "need" for rfid blankets is to line the pockets of the scaremongers selling foil lined products.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Looks like I should do some research then, have you read something recently that indicates the sleeves don't really serve their purpose?

No I just think it's an unnecessary expenses like getting a wallet that shields your credit cards from RFID readers. The thing is the type of RFID that is in a passport or in an credit card/ bank card is what's called near field it actually has to touch the device reading it like the magic bands at the parks for entry, payment, and the door locks etc. The other type that can be red from a distance needs a power source in the chip itself which is what the battery in the magic band is for WDW use that function to link your pictures on rides like splash mountain to your memory maker account.

 

[grover]

lol..so you really knew what i was talking about when you asked me what the sleeve was for..you were just testing me!

well maybe I have saved myself a few bucks then if it is something I don't need to be concerned about

 

[grover]

even the encrypted information is useless if they managed to decrypt it. your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph of you.

4 of those items someone could get from looking at you. you wuold probably give up your name in 30 seconds of "mistaken identity" conversation and your place of birth wont help with many things.

most of the "need" for rfid blankets is to line the pockets of the scaremongers selling foil lined products.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

lol..so you really knew what i was talking about when you asked me what the sleeve was for..you were just testing me!

well maybe I have saved myself a few bucks then if it is something I don't need to be concerned about

Kind of I was just wondering how much other people really know about RFID.

 

[ccudmore]

even the encrypted information is useless if they managed to decrypt it.

Early versions of ePassports weren't protected well (c2005). That's where all of the scare mongering came from. With the existing ePassports, the cryptography would take years on a super-computer to break.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Since i know someone who is dealing with the aftermath of Identity theft, I'm spending the 10.00 @ Shopper's ... rather be safe then sorry. Not buying into the "fear-monging" mentality surrounding this but then again, our Income Tax system was compromised, so saying a super-computer will take years ... perhaps if we put a teenager in front of it .... Must admit I'm more concerned about how being able to vote from home for our up-coming Municipal election will play out

 

[minnie mum]

even the encrypted information is useless if they managed to decrypt it. your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph of you.

4 of those items someone could get from looking at you. you wuold probably give up your name in 30 seconds of "mistaken identity" conversation and your place of birth wont help with many things.

most of the "need" for rfid blankets is to line the pockets of the scaremongers selling foil lined products.

So are you saying that the articles in newspapers and travel sites about RFID cards being skimmed by portable readers are lies?

 

[bankr63]

So are you saying that the articles in newspapers and travel sites about RFID cards being skimmed by portable readers are lies?

Lies? No. Gross exaggerations? Yes.

There are many millions of these RFIDs in circulation now, and the incidence of fraud has been greatly reduced by their use. (I worked several years in IT in banking during the years when these were just being developed - there's a reason that MC and Visa invested in these). Can they be hacked, yes. Is it worth the effort, absolutely not. Will a sleeve help, probably not.

If someone wanted to skim RFIDs they would mount the device very near to a spot where everyone would have the device out, including you (at a POS terminal, or at the airline kiosk where you insert your passport to get your boarding pass). Walking through a crowd with a "scanner" while theoretically possible, would require someone to "ping pong" through the crowd bumping into people. Then they would need a lot of computing horsepower to decrypt the information.

The fact is, there are so many infinitely easier ways to get this information that it just isn't worth it to do it profitably. They would rather hack into Home Depot or Target so they can skim millions of numbers and private information, not try to grab it one card or passport at a time.

Keep your $10 in your wallet, or on your credit card. That way you can't be skimmed while you are being fleeced for this silly sleeve.

 

[grover]

I will spend the 10 bucks i saved on a couple of dole whips