RFID Wallets vs. Aluminum Foil

Shannon picked up a few goodies at Defcon, including RFID blocking cases. We test them out and show off a more economical (and flashy!) alternative for protecting your RFID enabled items.

[@3113jp]

I recall a segment on the news that indicated carrying multiple chipped cards was a way to protect from the scanners. A single card provides just its information. Apparently when the scanner "excites" multiple chips, they would get multiple types of data responding, thereby providing jibberish. I plan on saving the old chips from my cards and trim them so they are easy to carry.

[@ijoey44]

Tin foil and duct tape: the two most invaluable items in your house.

[@Adam01w01]

And no.3 is toilet paper..

[@izhamsaad]

unbelievable you guys have covered this topic since 2014 :) good job Tekzilla!

[@billmurry7907]

It's definitely not more secure. For years I had the regular checking card without the chip. One month after receiving a replacement card with the chip installed, someone scanned my wallet and drained my account along with even the gift hard so had gotten a few months ago. Long story short, I was able to get my money back. But definitely not more secure. I will definitely be wrapping myself up in aluminum for foil.

[@johnsaxondale21]

No need to worry, the banks can always just print more pieces of green paper from absolutely nothing and with zero backing, its totally fine.

[@the_realist_John_Doe]

Funny how the RFID chips are supposed to make things "more secure"... yet this whole segment was about how to safeguard your RFID chip from thieves. Kinda weird how I don't have to worry about foil or novelty wallets with my older card w/out the chip.

[@noaidie]

+powerhousephg Can it read that far away?

[@gemaimapoole1005]

+powerhousephg Isn't that why we have PIN numbers in ordered to actually be able to use the card once you have the card number?

[@DrDennis]

30 feet I hear.

[@kayacanakin]

It's sad John Doe, you never heard mail order. Everything done with the card details is called mail-order and nothing saves you if you allow them publicly. And if you do not allow mail order, you can never (maybe some special type of companies excepted) make a purchase offline or online with the mail-order method. There was and there will always a way to steal your money and details for who wants it. There is no theftproof lock in the world.

[@mlhowe67]

Just returned from Mexico where my wife and I both had our cards compromised the same day. My card is an old one without the chip. Crooks are getting nastier, Neither one of us used our cards either prior to this.

[@algiersLee]

I took some sturdy scissors and cut out a dollar sized piece of metal out of a beer can (empty first!) and placed it where I place dollar bills in my wallet... it works. To test it I took my government chip enabled employee card and place in in the wallet, then waived it in front of a governent security door that is RFID enabled... it shielded the card !!!

[@noaidie]

+lee almasy What brand of beer can works? ;)

[@algiersLee]

+noaidie Coors Light

[@DrDennis]

aluminum foil works well too.

[@illuminatiagent7691]

I bet german brand will work better.

[@algiersLee]

go for it!

[@lohphat]

Just use a hard drive Mylar anti-static bag. $0.25

[@bridgetg1916]

Thanks. Where can you find these?

[@rickylee64]

Crap. Didn't even test an RFID credit card.

[@NSWMods]

We Had the bank chips on are cards in Australia a few years now Thank you for your video love them Take care

[@Vinhhotboii]

awesome video!!!

[@waltk4056]

i've seen the something similar in stores for about 10 years now another alternative for cards if yu can work with the tight fit could be an altoids case cant rember the service provider names but one of the cards was labled tap and go

[@Eclipce051]

jeje. very interesting to see that foil still works :D

[@stevenvaughn7159]

i just put a folded piece of aluminum foil in my billfold, works great

[@pratiksgole]

how does it ring if the other person isn't actually receiving the call ? Here in India we get a audio clip saying other person is unreachable .

[@ShannonMorse]

My service still tries to transfer the call but his phone is basically considered 'off'. When he takes it out of aluminum foil or the case, it'll tell him he's got a voicemail.

[@danielc3453]

Patrick I like the look.....a real chrome dome.

[@danc2014]

They mixed up a Smart chip with the RFID. One is read by a chip reader and the other one is wireless. But then this is 6 years old.

[@happytosing1]

If you have a wallet that has a billfold slot, the easiest thing you can do is to insert a sheet of foil there. Once the wallet is closed everything inside is protected by the foil.

[@frankieboyo1969]

+happytosing1 Yeah, just bond it to an old OHP slide

[@waitwhat5931]

The bags ground coffee comes in work also.

[@ipconfigearth102]

Should i sleep with aluminum foil or similar helmet? My hostel wifi is very close.just want to reduce wireless exposure.

[@LiEnby]

whats secure about grabbing ur card and waving it over a machine to pay

[@martinavaslovik3433]

Yup! I just wrapped two cards I never use in foil, and put them in the pockets on either side of my debit card. I've had 4 chipped debit cards hacked and fraudulent charges attempted on them in the last year. Fortunately my bank is very good at catching this and I was notified by text message immediately, and got the charge declined. This happened yesterday again, and I decided to do the aluminum foil thing. It's also worth considering that any company you buy from online may have insiders keeping your card information to sell to someone else down the road long after your purchase. That way you cannot know when your card was compromised.

[@tobiashenderson761]

The RFID chip cards was originally intended for law enforcement to have the ability to seize your asset's and to identify individuals within residential, commercial areas and vehicles without interacting! Soon you will have to have RFID access to everything from grocery stores two computers to even getting into a vehicle as well as purchasing anything whatsoever!

[@MultiMegaMaxx]

That chip is NOT rfid. It's EMV (europay master card visa). It enables safe payment without using the magnetic stripe. It's used worldwide, but not so much in the US. I believe by next year its being implemented...

[@crustyjuggleruk]

Yea the rf chip is smaller and will be inside the card itself. You can usually see the raised area where it hides

[@bchsd16]

Soon you'll just get the implant, coming next year

[@MultiMegaMaxx]

dieselscience *slow sarcastic clap*

[@twocsies]

3:50 The crazy brass things definitely look like they make electrical connections, so are not RFID. The cards may have both the EMV and the RFID (look for the logo).

[@celluskh6009]

EMV is RFID. The former is a standard, code ISO/IEC 14443

[@Zanzubaa]

I wonder if one of those anti-static bags would work. Those are essentially conductive Faraday cages I believe.

[@feniX0nE27]

Standard anti-static bags do not block RFID waves only electrostatic charge. It has to be specifically designed to block RFID. *You could wrap your device in foil and then place in anti-static bag. Pretty sure that'll be the easiest and cheapest way to accomplish both goals

[@Slarti]

25 years ago when I worked in a shop I demonstrated to a colleague how easy it was for customers to steal goods past our security entrance - I simply wrapped the security tag in aluminium foil and walked out of the shop without triggering the alarm... and then I of course returned the items.

[@pbsing]

I used to use Lay's potato chip bags to hide my company phone, when I wanted to play hooky from work.

[@sarriola18]

pbsing you're a genius

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Are you the guy who got caught then fired and sued for his employer?

[@michellecarty6943]

It doesn't work wrapping your phone with one layer of aluminium foil. It takes 2 layers. It depends on the thickness of foil. I live in Canada, you know what would be good to use for bank cards, the old fisherman's friends rectangle tin cough drop cans.

[@michellecampbell1115]

how do the chips prevent fraud yet they can be scanned for fraud? I never understood that.

[@twoblink]

Let me answer that. There are two chips; and they keep referrring to "chip" and so that's where you are confused. There is an RFID "chip" in there; that's what people are trying to steal. When a "challenge" signal is sent to it; it "responds" to the challenge. This is your credit card information and that's what they are trying to steal. The "other" chip on it; the one you can "see" that looks like a square with some squigglies on it; that's a private key chip. When you insert it into the chip reader; the credit card company's server looks up your card; issues a message packet; with a payload of a shared key. This package is signed with your chip's public key; and if the chip is genuine; the chip will then be able to decode it with an internalized private key. When that happens correctly; the shared key is then used to transmit from reader to server correctly. Sorry for the nerd talk; but I hope I haven't confused you more. Summary; there's an RFID "chip" that is unsecure and what people want to steal; and there's a private key "chip" that will secure your transactions and guarantee security of transaction.

[@noaidie]

$75 for an aluminum phone box . . . WTF??

[@alexanderkapsiotis8050]

golden profit

[@tobiashenderson761]

Recycles for about 1cent! Not even worth near as much as it sells

[@michaeljotoyajackson7294]

+noaideie : I know right.....SMH....l agree with you wholeheartedly. $75.00 my behind. I don't mind paying $32.00 to maybe $40.00 but $75.00 just greedy....!!!

[@Christosan88]

I miss this channel

[@maygcollins7534]

would this work wirth radio and ipod?

[@appleseedfanatic]

how is an RFID card safer than one without any chips? can't scan a non RFID card

[@mlhowe67]

@@drewdavis7244 Just returned from Mexico, my card does not have a chip, I didn't use it and it was compromised. Crooks are getting nastier.

[@keving52002]

was the phone analog or digital ?

[@koreyumaaka4412]

May I get links to the items you've show here?

[@springalingading]

Why aluminum on your head? Does it block emfs? I need to find something cheap to protect myself? I burn in my skin. Cheap recommendations.

[@gangstalkingsimulation1319]

Are u a target INDIVIDUAL

[@MrFree006]

What about the anti statistic bags ? Would that work?

[@smug8567]

From the looks of that skillet, former customers of his are walking around with a teaspoon of teflon in their blood.

[@redrock1963]

You ar ea very good presenter Shannon and as a viewer bonus you are smokin' hot.

[@ernestboaler265]

If anyone can help me I would be very greatfull to you'll as someone has put the RFID chip in my body and it is very disturbing as I am not able to do anything.kindly help me in detecting the RFID chip which I am not able to identify where it has been put in my body or let me no how to deactivate it.

[@pythiasibyls6269]

Does Aluminum Foil block GPS?

[@GlobalPath]

Forget about foreign countries.. I was RFID swiped at Newark Airport 2 weeks ago.

[@fisherman7633]

Did i hear the lady say that her credit cards has RFID and that it's more secured? If RFID can be scanned by hackers, how can it be more secured? Just asking. Thanks for the video.

[@Randorita]

The other reason we haven't embraced chipped credit cards is that it will require new POS machines for all the merchants and they do not want to pay for them. I am ready for them, though with my Zippo aluminum wallet. I got it to prevent breaking my debit card every year or two from sitting on it all the time.

[@C.P.C3719]

I tried wrapping aluminum foil all around my phone and tried calling my number. Suffice to say, the call went through and the foil did nothing to block the signal

[@bajajoes1]

Well, I did the same and it worked so I suggest a double wrap because it does work.

[@megazwatcher]

so heres what I didtook my credit cards, aded an extra old xard for space and folded a piece of paper around them, leaving one end open to slide cards in and out.like a cd sleave envelope.tape it up with packing or scotch tapenext add a layer of tin foil and tape thatnow remove cards, fold strips of foil over the open ends edges and tape.add another layer of foil outside and tape that up good, fully covering the exterior. now repeat these steps to make a cap about 1"-1.5" deep that slides on over the envelope. and your donetake out the spacer card and you now have an rfid proof sleeve pouch for your credit cards

[@Offensive_Username]

The magnetic stripe of U.S. American cards is unsafe too.

[@RunToEternity]

I wonder if a suit of chainmail would count as a faraday cage for your body, and thereby wallet?

[@SuperiorNo1]

Ask Scott Steiner 😂😭😈

[@beyondbeyond1965]

The 'crazy brass things' does not mean that the card is RFID based. All cards in the UK use the chip and pin technology alongside the magnetic strip, but not all of them are RFID.

[@elrico1364]

how about lead foiled pouch, wallet etc. seems lead worked for superman vs kryptonite so why not your cell phone.

[@TheDeadmous]

So if you wrap aluminum foil around RFID credit cards will it be safe from hands of hackers?

[@judithtiger3640]

Last year I read something about tin foil foiling the thief. I understand it works very well. Just cover your cards w/foil. Make a little tin foil pocket that you can slip your card into. The foil can get wrinkly but that's okay, doubt it matters at all.

[@MAXgiz2011]

people get them stolen by just scanning them

[@obsessed1965]

I'm buying extra aluminum foil now. Lol.....

[@reflectiverabiddetermined]

u guys going defqon next week bruv

[@thomasbleming678]

Aluminum foil works quite well.

[@marzemarcel9529]

Lol I had to check on the date of this video, now banks won't even protect you if you don't update your debit car with the new chip cards.

[@buick4013]

Airplane mode works just fine.

[@lawrencematos7493]

It creates a faraday cage ...with the Phoil..

[@moneymaker1223]

If only the box was waterproof. The 1 key element they forgot about when building this futuristic product that's post to b everywhere next year

[@jamesluckhurst4798]

Payless cards work on the fact you have to get to within an inch of a scanner or device but a uni found out a way to get up to 80cm to read a card so someone could just walk by you and clone your card... the real issue is if you used a card you would be on camera so in a way its not secure but secure enough to prevent ppl

[@szoszk]

This "Brass" Chip that is visible on the front is NOT an RFID chip. You can't wireless receive data from those chips. Most newer credit/debit cards though additionally have an RFID chip inside of it.

[@FeuerfaustGolDAce]

Guess what some cards only have one chip that does both.

[@scotyluv]

Why don't they call without anything over the phone. He may just have bad signal

[@HHh-ej4rl]

3:53 That gold is NOT an RFID symbol. The chip credit card and your videos are why RFID blocking wallets are so popular.

[@CALLIN799]

Bet you felt better with those on :P🥏

[@prorepair1263]

The call should go straight to voice mail. I dont think she called his number.

[@gregoryashton]

How did the phone ring if it was blocked?

[@topkatspride]

The phone you heard ringing was from the woman, whose phone wasn't covered by aluminum foil -and who had her phone on loud speaker, to the man, whose phone was covered by aluminum foil.

[@A___Way]

Rfid cards more secure? Didn't you meen less? The sim is more secure than magnetic stripe, but more secure that card info can be stolen without physical contact 🤔 great show anyway 😄

[@slimrudy2133]

Crazy people! I'm going to wear a silver foil hat!

[@acajudi100]

Put red construction paper around the cards etc.

[@Wyominite69]

She said Labtop?

[@xvhkgreen6297]

yes

[@TheErlinda2009]

...oh I just bought a bit bigger wallet from tk maxx cost me $19.95 aud and it's not even leather and so plain beige colour and it's made by Adrienne vittadini the cheapest I can find. I will use it to put my passport and mobile and also got a power bank with usb connected. I didn't realize an aluminum foil will work. Thank you sir. I will make a lot. :-) :-) :-)

[@mihael1492]

Faraday cage has to be grounded in order to be called "Faraday cage" otherwise it's just a cage :)

[@michellecampbell1115]

the foil just keeps ripping. It's a pain. I would rather just buy the wallet.

[@pijesz]

use duck tape or similar tape to keep it from getting ripped.

[@ucitymetalhead]

Michelle Campbell just make an aluminum foil insert with some duct tape to keep it together and keep it in your wallet.

[@MaiMai_Z]

Michelle Campbell or any pretty tape or glue pretty fabric.

[@JeepsCafe]

Liars! I just wrapped my phone in aluminum foil and it still rings !

[@alluringstar5910]

Did u use Reynolds aluminum foil or some other cheap brand?😄

[@SeekTruthinLight]

How is a RFID chip more secure for us, when it can be read from a distance with a high power scanner, having more information than just a number on it. Ya see how crooks do it at gas pumps.. It may be more secure for credit card co.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

I'll stick to tinfoil, because well... its fashionable.

[@hopefulmelancholy7514]

Tin foil hat jokes aside those few items they reviewe did seem helpful. .........their is also 🍎 pay😁

[@anthonyleedickinson3491]

Or even better do what I did refuse rfid card out right. I told the bank I don't agree with them and don't want it.

[@LeandroFTW]

Pretty much NFC cards and Android phones.

[@aminekhaldi2565]

في أحيان كسكاس يقيك من قصف صواريخ فرط صوتية 😊

[@MrGaleanthropy]

One day I went to my bank and asked them to add my picture to the card (this is when they just used a signature at point of sale. The bank refused and told me about a new secure technology call chip & pin. I asked why that is more secure than a picture but they didn't comment. I think it was about a month till some clever bod in Cambridge worked out how to bypass Chip & Pin security and could get any card payment to work with any pin they entered. www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/banking/nopin/oakland10chipbroken.pdf Now I get a card with RFID that I didn't ask to be enabled, that can be scanned with an app!

[@frankieboyo1969]

Shoplifter bags.

[@jonnypanteloni]

" 1:47 If you work for a Govt contractor and want to be more legit...." Right yeah cause govt contractors spend their spare time getting help from youtube tutorials for 15 year olds.

[@wherezthebeef]

Ah, ridiculous, silly $$ for these specialty , stylish RFID products, I'll just make my own at cost of about 1 cent's worth of well measure, but aluminum foil and it I want to make it more stylish, I'll just use Gold foil 🙂

[@ethanwasme4307]

So wouldn;t you test your own product to see if it's legit? We now know the off market phone case is...

[@feniX0nE27]

Don't spend crazy money to accomplish what aluminum foil does for next to nothing!

[@helloworld6160]

its a couple years later and they are everywhere. illuminati confirmed.

[@cecilcooper6210]

Yeah. and with the new nanobytes , we will soon be ingesting rfid chips with our foods.

[@rikovdonny]

1st comment :p

[@donaldmcgreggor3631]

Aluminum Foil is stupid thing to do, just get a new wallet, maybe you will like Cascade Wallet from Mani Wonders.

[@LCculater]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@yugmlif]

Just turn it off

[@chabouyamoreno5258]

False it doesn't work

[@almc.1288]

This is scrap..you notice they are NOT scanning the phones or cards.that's what people are doing

[@justinabilmona6564]

Just turn off ur phone, that works 100%, wow!

[@cullenmayes3370]

No it doesn't.

[@rattrapsupervisor4886]

boycott the jews