Credit card question
 

We just received an E-mail from American Express stating we would be getting new cards with CHIP TECHNOLOGY. They say it increases security.
A few months ago I remember seeing a report on TV about crooks using available technology being able to read the chips with the card in your pocket or purse and you have no clue that it happened. The report said to wrap your cards in foil or keep them in a metal container. I don't think so.
Anyone know anything good or bad about these chips in the credit cards.

Thanks PaulM

Canadians and Europeans have been using chip cards for years. At most Canadian gas stations a US credit card can't be used at the pump since it lacks a chip. The US is way behind. Chip cards still have to be put in a card reader. Not sure how easy it is to read them outside of a card reader.

Perhaps you need this:
Video: This pair of jeans can protect you from identity theft - Telegraph

Thanks BobK. That's just what I need but I will try to find another company besides Norton.


Had a BAD virus (like wipe out everything) in a network with 15 PCs for production and one as a print server/backup/misc PC, and a UNIX server. The 15 PCs had Norton antivirus. The other one had AVG Free. All 15 PC's with Norton were wiped out so bad that the network had to be completely disconnected, except the UNIX Server and the PC with AVG which was protected and still clean. It ended up that the 15 PCs had to have the hard drives reformatted and rebuilt from the ground up. Most destructive Virus I have ever seen. Got NO help from Norton.

Haven't used Norton since and probably never will.

PaulM

we are a McAFee site. Not fantastic, but fairly good if users take some care. WE got away from Norton years ago when the program became a bloated pig. December seems to have been a bad month for bugs. Guess the bug writers were looking to make some Christmas cash.
When my son went to Spain/Portugal back in '09, he had a shield that went over his passport and he kept his credit cards in their too. He knows quite a bit about RFID (he was working on hacking the ID cards in high school) and was quite concerned even then. Chipped credit cards make me nervous.

I'm not 100% on this but...
I believe that 'chipped' credit cards and "RFID capable" credit cards are two different technologies. RFID is made to be interropgated wirelessly.

The 'chipped' cards are part of a system that creates a unique transaction id that is encrypted from the cc machine to the cc company servers - decreasing the likelihood that card numbers/payment info/your data can be stolen in transit (say, by hacking the network that services the card reader).

(I think the chipped cards required a user PIN to start a transaction...a big security increase from the current US credit card system

I'm sure that a chipped card can be RFID capable at the same time, but I would imagine that there are non-RFID cards that are chipped. Theoretically, even an RFID capable card could be 'chipped' - which would present the same challenges to hackers as a magentic striped chipped card.

Like I said, I'm not 100% on this, nor am I going to use an RFID card if I can help it, but I think that the chip-encryption and RFID technologies are 2 different animals.

-John

Ar these cards RFID or "smart card" ?

RFID ( Radio Frequency IDentification ) works by beaming a signal to the chip, this signal powers the chip causing it to send a signal back to the receiver. The transmitter can also send information to the chip.

A remote RFID attack is possible however they must get close as the signal or use a large antenna as these cards are pretty weak. Farther away one gets the weaker the signal gets. If you see someone walking around with a 2 ft square antenna, run.

There are long distance RFID chips but the chip must be designed for that function.

If smart card, there are contacts and a gold rectangle on the card that must engage to read the card making remote reading impossible. ( Satellite TV receivers use a smart card to validate. )

Try this for RFID cards

MIFARE - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bingo. The new cards are not contactless. And they're harder to skim using a device illegally attached to a credit card slot.

My primary card has all three, mag stripe, chip and RFID. I am not to worried, the account has zero liability for un authorized purchases. Before getting the chip card I had to carry cash in some countries. I felt uneasy about it. I knew that as an American I could not get the chip card, so me and any other American there must be carrying cash.

Aw, poor BABY, you had to carry CASH. The HORROR!

Got news for you -- apart from maybe Scandinavia and Japan, most places use cash more than the US so you probably weren't that unusual.

Personally, I prefer to pay in cash anyway. One can sometimes negotiate a "discount", plus it makes for better privacy.

"Chipped" VS RFID VS PIN VS Signature
 

If you're dealing with a U.S. issuer:

"Chipped" with Signature is the best that's currently available.

"Chipped" with Pin is the most secure. (Only available overseas issuers)

"Chipped" and RFID are totally separate technologies. A Card can have both.

I'm with everybody else, "RFID" Can/Could/Might be a Security risk."
It's a sales tool for the merchants and issuers,NOT a Security FEATURE !!!

U.S. issuers are behind ONLY because NOBODY has made them upgrade security.
What do they care about the Trillions of dollars of C.C. Fraud worldwide ?
The costs are just passed on to the banks and issuers CUSTOMERS !
That would be you and me.

So the Banks and Issuers Ballyhoooing "Zero Fraud Liability" are lying
through their teeth as always.
It Might be "Zero Fraud Liability" MOMENTARILY (For You).
BUT as sure as the Sun comes up each 'Morn,YOU SHALL PAY for it in the end!

Who did you think was paying for all this Thievery ? The Banks? The Issuers?
Insurance companies ? Or a real Insurance Risk carrier like Loyds of London ?
Banks Do Not "PAY" for anything ! Even when "FINED".
YOU (The Banks "Customers") DO !!!

Thanks everyone, I think I feel better about the security. I have 2 master cards (one Sam's club membership card, one Shell card for gas discounts) that have chips. We don't use either of them very much but keep them for emergencys. They are easy to monitor. The American Express card is used for everything we can use it for. Again, because of discounts and/or rebates. It is a lot harder to monitor. I check all three every day.
I am familiar with RFID technology as a lot of the newer cars have chips in the keys. It didn't take the crooks long to come up with a device to fool the onboard computers.
Now, how can I tell of the cards are also RFID? Is there a tell-tail mark on the card?

Again, thanks for the information.

PaulM

Which countries don't accept magnetic strip credit cards?

From personal experience - Malaysia.