RFID Blocking Solutions

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

Another great way to prevent RFID theft is to stay 2 meters away from strangers, and also to not leave your home at all, unless making an essential journey to the supermarket (not more than once per day) to buy wine.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

(sorry @deviant I went to the supermarket but I bought Talisker. I already have enough boxes of wine.)

[@walkingcontradiction223]

@@fluke196c I say if I saw you do that, I'd be at a low ready until you moved to give me a clean background. Intentional spreading a known deadly (to some) infection is manslaughter.

[@frodothehobo9581]

You think i drive a huge semi that i only make one trip a day for wine?!

[@NeptunesOrca]

Interestingly enough, the solution also works for preventing contracting lipid-enveloped viral infection.

[@lofasz_joska]

@@RoamingAdhocrat or get one of those human-sized hamster balls, and line it with tinfoil :P (we're watching a physpen presentation after all....)

[@j.a.4360]

So, I could put a dollar bill size piece of foil in my wallet? Seems totally legit. At least I'll have something in there. Thanks Dev.

[@lockpickingparamedic2136]

I did it this way while I was waiting für the sleeve for my Debit Card. I used Scotch Tape to stabelize the edges and it worked for several month.

[@allstarwoo4]

I'm going to do it with copper or aluminum tape. I'm not willing to carry another chunk of metal in my pocket but a card sized piece of foil I don't mind.

[@ShugoAWay]

Yeah something that helps 99% is better than just letting your cards fart freely

[@Benabik]

“One should always be drunk. That's all that matters...But with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you chose. But get drunk.” ― Charles Baudelaire, Paris Spleen

[@Falcrist]

Honestly sounds like something Kieth Floyd said. Better yet "Life is too short for bad wine"

[@PeregrineBF]

The slightly more technical explanation is that RFID cards are LC tank circuits, and the foil acts as a parasitic capacitance with the coil, changing the resonant frequency enough to prevent the read. That's why the Dangerous Things card didn't work as well, since it's resonant at the same frequencies. So it just reduced the power, instead of de-tuning the circuit.

[@sketchyAnalogies]

Thank you for this!

[@lespacecowboy]

I did a project on this back in seventh grade. I found that something as simple as a small sheet (about card sized) of copper mesh was sufficient to prevent a card from being read, but something like chicken wire wasn't enough

[@DeviantOllam]

That's really cool! I like that you experimented with finding the limits

[@gjdunga]

@@DeviantOllam the holes in the metal can be calculated, and tuned for the frequency you want to pass OR block. An example is the holes in the Microwave oven front screen. The holes are smaller than the width of the full wave so they are blocked and the water in your eye's doesn't try to boil.

[@gjdunga]

Also, where did I put my Wine?

[@anullhandle]

@@gjdunga the holes are 100x ish smaller than the microwave wavelength to provide the necessary attenuation. You also have to consider the thickness of the mesh. Anyway stay safe.

[@gjdunga]

@@anullhandle Good sir, the only thing I stated, clearly, was that it could be calculated. I did not whip out my Texas Instruments Nspire CX CAS to do the calculations on how much smaller or what size mesh would need! I do appreciate your clarification, It is something to be considered by the home gamer.

[@thekrautist]

I want that red card holder thing. Not that I *need* it. It just looks like a Doom keycard and I want it.

[@ashtonhoward5582]

@@chaos.corner better yet, make your door *be* a door from Doom.

[@Squirrelking4395]

And now I need to order one. And a UAC decal.

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

I use a wallet that's basically a stainless steel core wrapped in a leather body. You slip cards on one side of the core, and the other side has a money clip with a leather fold over it. The manufacturer advertised that the wallet would protect from RFID scanning, but I've always wondered how that would work when the cards rest on only one side of the metal core. Now I know. Thanks Deviant.

[@stephendalliard464]

7:18 *raises hand* Years ago they encouraged people to buy these in our office. Then the agency switched to two-factor authentication for system access, which involves inserting the card into the reader, so back to the sliding. Those can also be awkward to use when you're wearing the lanyard and the reader isn't a convenient distance away. Two-factor always seemed dodgy to me. In a large office at least some people leave their cards in their machines for extended periods, or even forget them over night. I'm sure every once in a while one of those people also has their PIN conveniently recorded on a note stuck to the monitor. It also means if you have an empty lanyard and no badge you can just claim you left it in your computer.

[@uponthelevel]

man that dev is a smooth operator. he knows how to wine , dine and , entertain me on youtube. Thanks for the great content!

[@crowley357]

Double-0 type.

[@DeviantOllam]

You're most welcome :-)

[@robert-rv8lo]

I just wanna be wined and dined and 69ed.

[@jaredneaves7007]

My dad being overly concerned about his bank cards uses mylar sleeves for his cards... I noticed an unexpected funny side effect where all his card details emboss themselves into the sleeve

[@GigsVT]

At least the newest cards aren't embossed anymore, in the US at least.

[@coler154]

@@GigsVT they feel like cheap toys now

[@Rodmccullagh]

Are you saying that unused condom packet that's been in my wallet for years has been protecting my bank cards? Well done Trojan, well done. Have a sip of wine on me.

[@KimTaura]

Now I actually want him to test it!

[@DeviantOllam]

Hah, it might be :)

[@eliasbouhout1]

Unfortunately the condom needs to be big enough to cover the banks cards correctly

[@MrSonny6155]

@@eliasbouhout1 So you are saying that if you order a mega sized one...

[@eliasbouhout1]

@@MrSonny6155 Then you can't use it ;)

[@alabamathunder2891]

OOH an RFID piezo warning beeper! Warn when someone is trying to swipe your creds! :P

[@cracklingvoice]

I'll take three.

[@WChrisbell]

Instructions not clear I put my card in wine.

[@mrs.hershots8606]

I'm real hyped for more of these testing videos, it gives me a break from trying to get games to work under WINE.

[@joeb3300]

The same company that makes the badge holder also makes a wallet. I have been using it since my employer switched to the RFID-blocking holder - and after 2 years of daily use it still does the job. Love your videos - they opened my eyes to issues that had been completely off my radar. Thanks!

[@inkdup13]

I have a federal CAC and the copper sheath that they put your card in at issue before they hand it over to you works well. I use 2 of the sleeves, and sandwich all of my cards (credit, ID, etc) in a stack in my wallet and it works wonders. Cool video! Thanks and keep up the great work! Wine! Lol

[@vrzn]

paused on 8:30, as an amateur radio operator i think it has to do with the proximity of the foil next to the antenna in the card, if it is less than x amount of the wavelength, the antenna is not able to receive enough to function properly. i don't know the precise numbers, but in amateur radio land there is already interference when you have metal objects close to antennas. lets watch the rest of the video

[@TintagelEmrys]

my idea was that the foil was forcefully elongating the antenna, throwing off the SWR. I thought it would just be increasing the reflected signal

[@AnomadAlaska]

My agency issued those "Pac Man" card holders when we adopted PIV cards. Interesting to know the science behind it.

[@gp_fabrication]

We have been using the Stronghold DuoLites for many years since we have to multiple credentials. I prefer the slide 1 inch out to the bulkier hinged version. We have switched over to SkimSafe holders cause the cost is a little cheaper.

[@L3001USPSA]

Not a wine drinker. Interesting info. I like your style. Found you through LPL. The light is cool.

[@Der_Arathok]

Great Video! The electrical terms for this setup would be low/high/band- pass filters. Its a combination of inductors and/or capacitors or inductive and/or capacitive traits of certain materials which then let only a band of frequencies pass, which then the 13,56 MHz is hopefully NOT a part of. Basically blocking out the RFsignals around them

[@osiris5432]

Wow I've used the stronghold card holder for years and loved. I never knew how for granted I was taking it.

[@raisage]

That was a really cool video, Deviant, thanks a lot!

[@DeviantOllam]

You are most welcome!

[@ekummel]

When I worked for the "Government", the FAA supplied all workers with that RFID blocker. We were not allowed to keep our badges outside the blocker. wine

[@jts.97]

Really glad you posted this! I was just messing around with my work badge and thinking back to all those stories you told about grabbing rf credentials from over a foot away with that backpack reader, and I started to wonder if a simple solution existed that didn't involve one of those sleeves that are such a pain. I actually opened up your channel to look for your twitter link to tweet at you asking if you had any easy solutions to that, and lo and behold you already answered my question nearly a month before I asked it! Still wonder if there isn't maybe an even cleverer solution that doesn't require you to squeeze it at all, maybe a retractible sleeve that hangs the card next to an interfering foil sheet when it's on your belt, but when you pull it away to present it leaves the foil on your belt? Will have to do some tinkering later.

[@kinser655]

I love watching these security related videos. It shows the common person about security theatre, and what goes good with theatre. Wine.

[@ajaxjay]

I never would’ve thought that a finely tuned piece of foil could fuckulate a signal enough to make it unusable. Fascinating!

[@craft-o-matic2377]

Your crystal goblet is divine. I think I'll have a glass of wine! Great vid! Great channel! Take care dear.

[@notanimposter]

Is anyone doing RFID cards that have a momentary switch built in, so it'll only read while you're pressing the button? That way you could even squeeze the button through your wallet for convenience. With compliant mechanisms, I bet a pushbutton could be designed right into the plastic of the card.

[@KristoffDoe]

Neat idea! Would be even easier to implement with a fob!

[@Chirael]

The perfect complement for a tinfoil hat: a tinfoil wallet

[@georgechizz9847]

Shelter in place 2020 with lots of wine and whiskey!

[@tylerm124]

I wonder the foil in a cig. Pack if enough to make it difficult to get reads

[@justinyoung5125]

Wine wine wonderful wine! Love that light and dangerous things card. One more thing for my list!

[@tubad182]

Identify Stonghold makes some great products. We use those badge holders for work and they are very simple. Great video! Keep the videos coming and thanks for what you do! “In vino veritas” (In wine there is truth)

[@packered]

This was a super interesting and useful video. I'm too tired to think of anything clever, but that flashlight seems neat. Wine

[@zachelliston643]

I am glad I watched this. Recently my ID badge has not been working to get into work when I put my wallet up against the reader. Well now I know its because of the chase card I got which has a metal insert inside it. I sat these two cards next to each other when I got a new wallet. So that card has to be acting like this piece of foil/ID holder does. Because if i separate my wallet it works fine but if its closed all rfid fails to read.

[@cGeeked]

How could I... wine... about this video? It was really interesting how simple it is to prevent RFID theft. Thanks Deviant!

[@straphyr]

That identifier card is absolutely on my wishlist. Too bad going out in public is highly frowned upon and a bit dangerous atm. Wine is a great pastime for now though

[@ShannonMcDowell71]

Thank you for this informative video, and... wine! Please take care, stay well!

[@ericmallory3050]

Nice to see these examples... The 9v light was a really cool idea as well... Wine.

[@BoogieMan2718]

Great demonstration. Gotta love some good wine too! Try 1000 Stories wine, it is bourbon barrel-aged and it is delicious.

[@cavaliersrus]

like watching your stuff with the guys over at scam stuff with brian brushwood ... and also watching your various lock picking stuff on youtube man ... have a glass of wine and have a good day

[@artiem5262]

very cool! I slipped some thin pieces of mu metal into my wallet years ago, blocks pretty much everything. Our Quaranteen Dinner Friday was rack of lamb, veggies, and red wine -- a pinot. Stay safe!

[@clemenswalter1984]

what about multiple cards stacked behind each other? shouldn't that block it as they will work as a sink too, or just cause collisions up to a state where it's barely readable.

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

It does work sometimes. But not always and it's not reliable. How did I test this? Having two access cards (office building and parking) in my cardholder and using it to get into the building. Same setup as my colleague. I would never have any problems getting in to the building, but it wouldn't work at the parking facility. My colleague always had to take his card out to get into either. More cards might make it more likely to fair on read, but we also has people with a wallet full of cards that still read as the tapped in at work....so no guaranties.

[@DonzLockz]

Excellent video. Being an ex PM in electronic security, I thoroughly enjoyed it. You really enjoyed your wine today. 👍🍺😎

[@iblackfeathers]

the stronghold rfid blockers come in a few different models. note that the plastic lanyard hole can break off if used often so it’s good to have more than one. i like the spring loaded open one you have although their 2-card holder that has you slide it out partially is also nifty. the rdv4 comes with different antenna accessories. the default antenna you were using (that comes in that kit) has two switches that can help hone in on hf or lf. so that test basically shows what it’s like out of the box. tested real id drivers licenses and not sure about certain states but no rfid was detected. passports, you need the bigger antenna attachment and press down on the open cover to have it read something...

[@RobertBeckk]

Man that dangerous things card is neat as hell. I would take that over wine.

[@jjparkrocks]

Beer dulls a memory, brand sets it burning, but wine is perfect for a heart set burning.

[@interstellar10]

Enjoyed the video & info. People don't have to whine anymore about stolen credentials while they're out having wine (or preferably Booker's Bourbon, neat) with friends. Keep yourselves & your credentials safe!

[@derekbroestler7687]

Great video... I'll be suggesting that product to my customers. (once this quarantine is over with of course)

[@Arrowed_Sparrow]

I figured out a little while ago that you can just lay down a piece of box tape, then place tin foil over it and you're good to go. That way the box tape adds more strength to the foil so it doesn't rip. Plus you can make a little sleeve out of it. Kind of like a duct tape wallet if you're into that sort of thing..

[@chrispyk4456]

I'd like to nominate Deviant for the Bill Nye Of The Week Award. Great talk! Science and wine is always a solid combination.

[@Cemi_Mhikku]

Thank you for this video, I've been wondering about this kind of stuff for quite a while now. This answered pretty much all of my questions on the matter! Also, ice wine is one of the most delicious things ever, and you will not change my mind!

[@TheInsaneTD]

It's good to know how easy it is to protect these cards. Thank you for sharing this knowledge. As for wine, I'm partial to my local wineries fortified chardonnay. It's from Uleybury Wines in South Australia. I would recommend if you ever come to Adelaide.

[@Scout-Gpsy-Wagn]

Wine is definitely good for your health. I carry a couple pieces of aluminum can in my wallet. One on each outer layer of the wallet. It servers two purposes, one is the RFID blocking and the other is to cut into a shim if I want to open a cheap padlock.

[@RyanDuffy]

After high school and before college I worked as a bartender at a steakhouse. One a man in a fancy pinstriped suit and custom pins sat down to order dinner. He placed a meticulous order and then asked for a glass of merlot. But he pronounced it M-er-l-aw-t. Awt!!!! I said “Right away sir”. A few minutes later I retold the story to a co worker who said I should have suggested an order of fa-gee-tas with galapenos beforehand. But I think he just wanted the wine

[@michael040990]

There is never a bad time to have a nice glass of wine, especially during a zombie apocalypse.

[@bam5275]

Extremely informative. Thank you. Nice choice of wine.

[@maxwell_edison]

I would not wine about having this neat little flashlight.

[@theleva7]

At first I thought they managed to make destructive interference work, but actual mechanism is even more simple and ingenious. I believe the physics behind this blocker is the reason why transformer cores are laminated-solid cores can suck a lot more energy out of the system.

[@aurachanneler8396]

It’s been a loooong time since I last saw a ThinkPad!

[@wesbloyd]

Never been a big fan of wine, But I've enjoyed your videos.

[@Khorsathedark]

Wine, I hear it is good with fava beans and human liver. Thanks for the vid, this explained a lot to me.

[@um5785]

A couple of nice sterling silver cards sound interesting

[@mandc20022]

I whine when I miss deviant ollams video but when I watch them it's always with wine

[@terminalbanana8151]

I'm sure that that light pairs nicely with radioactive wine in the apocalypse, and I should quite like to be ready for that. Great video.

[@greghowell8684]

I'm just starting my own experimentation with RFID cards, so this was very helpful. Sadly, wine always gives me a headache, so I'll stick to a nice brown ale.

[@nate2894]

A deep part of me was upset to see you doing this on a windows machine. Linux for Life! (love your videos either way man, keep up the great work)

[@JackDanielRaps]

I just wanted to point out that these leather wallets that say they have RFID protection simply have glued single layer of Reynolds Aluminum Foil inside the wallet. Over time, because it is glued in place there are cracks caused in it and all the places where it wrinkles from sitting on it or being in your pocket. So RFID protective wallets may be safe when you initially purchase them, without being able to visibly see the foil lining you can't be sure whether or not it's cracked and compromised at any point in time after you purchase the wallet. Theoretically it could already be compromised before you purchase it because you can't actually see where it is in there. That's why I suggest lining the billfold part of your wallet with tin foil instead. That way you can see if it is compromised oh, you can use any wallet you want and unlike generic RFID wallet it will have a double lining if you line the entire inside. Also, when you close the wallet that double lining will protect all the cards inside as well. The reality is the people aren't getting their prox card stolen from their wallet or whatever, people love to wear their stupid name tag and wander around town like anyone give the crap where they work. You should see these Rubes from the United launch Alliance. This one guy gets on the train with his proxcard clipped on the back of his backpack all you have to do is get behind him in line to get off the train with an NFC phone and pwned

[@wtfronsson]

That card thing that lights up to indicate something is probing it. That's really cool. And I'm guessing it would still work if you made that to also serve as the code blocking metal thing? Now you have your clone protection but also an alarm that can come in handy if you work with this stuff, but also reveal an attempt if someone tries something discrete. I'd pay 10-15 bucks for that.

[@henrygberg]

A good video to watch with a glass of wine.

[@spike_spencer]

I'm actually making three different wines currently, a Malbec, an Old Vine Zin and a Port wine made with Old Vine Zin and fortified with high proof brandy which is currently aging since it only took a couple of weeks to make.

[@danieljaworski1294]

Could you have used a RFID reader that's built into a laptop to do this testing? PS Wine is not an emulator.

[@DeviantOllam]

I've never seen an RFID reader in any consumer electronic device like a tablet or laptop that does low frequency... Only NFC which is a subset of high frequency

[@danieljaworski1294]

@@DeviantOllam right thank you I was mixing those up

[@devicemodder]

@@DeviantOllam I have a motion computing C5 wacom tablet PC. it's a surplus medical tablet that reads 13.56 MHz RFID and has a barcode reader.

[@MatthewCowan]

@DeviantOllam Do you recommend any of the RFID readers you have in the video?

[@EddieHart]

wine is not an emulator

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

These clamp style card holders are actually standard issue in some Dutch government offices. I have mine from when I used to work in one such building. That's over 10 years ago....so these have been around for a while now :)

[@Oleg-oe1rc]

Great video, had a pretty good idea of how things worked from my own experience, but I definately learned a thing or two and learned about some cool products. I'm more of a beer guy, but I won't wine

[@cranderson2a]

I have found that when I have used the train a couple times and I am still carrying the tickets in my wallet, it will screw up the read of my proxy card. That mini flashlight is pretty cool. So, I guess I will write wine.

[@WAEviltechie]

Take a look at anti-metal tags. I believe they are designed with a layer of ferrite so they aren't blocked by being attached to metal surfaces.

[@codyblea3638]

Your buddy that wired up a LED to his blocker, makes me think of the potential of a sniffer alarm.

[@feeish]

If you haven't tried Madeira wine you should. It is fortified, great to sip or cook with, and it has a lot of American history. Its taxation, like tea, was a core frustration with the American founding fathers; Madeira wine was used to toast both the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.

[@Mondegreen0]

Wine volt flashlights are cool!

[@hateeternalmaver]

I loved the bit you showed once where your colleague (Bobick?) had this giant antenna in his backpack as well as the story where the one Security Guard hugged your team member at the end... ;D Funny thing this RFID, we even have it in our passports here...

[@DeviantOllam]

Yeap, that's Babak... He was the fellow in the recent Modern Rogue videos with me

[@garyanvil2354]

I don't want to wine .... But I could use one of those... Great video 👍

[@ckbhack]

There is a company that makes RFID cards with an embedded bio sensor. You have to use your print to unlock the card before it can be read.

[@LockpickingsGal]

What about using some wine? Of course sometimes wine make people whine. Thank goodness that’s not me. Great video!!

[@VeraTR909]

It's nice to see this experimentation, these are things I've always wondered about but I lacked the gear to test it, thanks! super interesting ;)

[@lancer2204]

200 micron SS mesh works well. I made some credit/debit card holders for friends traveling OS with a SS mesh lining, tested it on an EFTPOS terminal, 19/20 read attempts failed in ideal read conditions (cards in holder placed directly against the read antenna).

[@Tutorp]

I wouldn't mind a glass of wine. Or that nifty little flashlight.

[@mrslim0112000]

Nothing like a romantic evening of sipping wine under the subtle glow of a 9 volt flashlight.

[@The_Mr._Biscuit]

I keep my RFID entry card in my Apache Pine shielded wallet. So I've gotta poke it out halfway every time I need to go through a door, but it works just fine.

[@vincentwolfe]

Thanks for the primer on RFID blocking. Also wine.

[@dfvhswrjjrefvyht4110]

I was hoping you would do this this when I was watching The Modern Rogue. Thanks

[@sgchatterjee]

"Definitely fuckulating the process". I approve of wine infused DeviantOllam.

[@RealUnimportant]

What a funky little torch, i hope i can make it wine... er, mine.

[@JayLooney]

Gotta be honest, I had my whiskey ready and you not having any is one of the most shocking things I've ever seen

[@JayLooney]

Oh also, what if you stack 5 cards on top of each other, and put the foil on the card closest to you? as-in, the wallet scenario a ton of people are about to try?

[@Kevy_G]

I just place multiple RFID cards right next to each other in my wallet. Presenting the wallet to any reader would then fail as the reader tried to wake up multiple cards at once. The most used card in my wallet is placed in a flip out section of my wallet (without the other RFID cards) so that i can use it by itself for that reader but i should probably add some foil to that mix after seeing this! just to be sure

[@alirezafirouzi1117]

Hey dude grate trick there I loved it but you forgot to test the better RFID readers with stronger antenna. This trick was amazing tho thanks a lot

[@ssaladino1998]

I like wine. I like whiskey. It's 930 am and I'm having a drinky. Shelter in place 2020

[@sendy.santiago]

All you need for the apocalypse is: Wine, aluminum foil, a 9 volt flashlight, and most importantly toilet paper.

[@gjdunga]

For a second there, I thought you said Imported Toilet Paper and was laughing...

[@sendy.santiago]

@@gjdunga Ah the imported toilet paper Derriere

[@hetrnaansdeizo]

I love wine. And wine loves me. That light is pretty cool.