How do I know if I have a chipped passport?
An electronic, or chipped passport, looks just like the traditional passport issued to travelers for years, except for the symbol on the front cover. If your passport has a small icon near the bottom that resembles a little camera, it’s an ePassport. An ePassport contains an electronic chip with RFID functionality. In other words, it has a tiny computer chip inside that works with RFID scanners.
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, also called the Border Security Act, requires all ports of entry into the U.S. to incorporate biometric scanners. In addition, the act mandates that travelers without visas must have electronic passports to enter the country. Because of these stipulations, all United States passports have been ePassports since the end of 2007. If you’ve received a new passport anytime in the last 12 years, it certainly has an electronic chip. All traditional United States passports without a chip have now expired. So if you apply for a passport or renew yours, you’ll get an ePassport.
How do electronic passports work?
Electronic passports allow officials to quickly verify your identity and travel authorization. They can simply scan the document with an RFID reader and use the embedded data to ensure that you are who you say you are.
What information is on my passport?
The chip in your ePassport contains all of the standard passport information: your name, address, nationality, gender, expiration date, and so on. It also includes a digital copy of your passport photograph. The digital photo enables facial recognition technology used in ports of entry. Facial recognition is a type of security based on a biometric—a unique biological trait that can be used to verify a person’s identity. The retina scanner in just about every spy movie is an example of biometric security. The fingerprint scanner on the back of your smartphone is another example of biometrics.
Your ePassport also contains an identification number and a digital signature that attempts to secure the electronic chip against modification. Unfortunately, it appears that the digital signature has been ignored for more than a decade rendering it useless in preventing passport hacking and fraud. See this article for more information https://www.wired.com/story/us-border-patrol-hasnt-validated-e-passport-data-for-years/
Can I get a passport that doesn’t have the electronic chip?
Biometrics and RFID technology aren’t going away, and the United States government is no longer issuing traditional passports (those without chips). If you’re concerned that traveling with electronic identification, such as an ePassport, exposes your private information to digital theft, you’re not alone. The ACLU voiced similar concerns in a formal opposition when ePassports were first launched. The additional protection of an RFID-blocking passport holder ensures the safety of your personal data, and is recommended by the U.S. Department of State.
Visa/passport—what’s the difference?
A passport is a form of identification for international travel. But a visa is a special authorization that allows someone to visit a foreign country for a specific period of time to study, work, or tour. If you’re traveling from the U.S. for vacation or a short business function, you simply need a passport. And make sure to get some RFID protection, like a passport wallet or sleeve from ID Stronghold, before you go.
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RFID is an abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification. It’s a type of technology that uses small computer chips, called tags, which can store tiny amounts of information. Certain electronic devices can read the info on these tags, but they have to be nearby. You’ve probably seen and used RFID technology. Contactless payment cards are an example of RFID that’s increasing in popularity at a rapid pace. If you’ve ever paid for something by holding your debit or credit card over a credit card terminal, you’ve used RFID. The blank cards that get you into your office, or a hotel room, also use RFID. Your driver’s license and passport might too.
An RFID tag is essentially a small computer chip that stores a few kilobytes of data. It doesn’t really do anything on its own because it doesn’t have a power source. But when it’s held up to an RFID reader, it gets just enough power to operate through radio waves. The reader works like a battery, but it supplies power wirelessly while scanning the contents of the tag.
To keep your credit cards, social security number, and identity safe, an RFID wallet is a smart investment. An RFID wallet is a shield that prevents any nearby reader from scanning the information on your credit cards and other RFID-enabled identification. It’s essentially a portable fortress for your most valuable info, as well as your money.
Using a homemade RFID scanner, thieves can steal your credit card numbers and personal information anytime you’re in a public place. Airports, movie theaters, and other crowded venues offer plenty of opportunities for crooks to quickly scan and grab your data. They don’t even need to touch you, so the theft is almost impossible to detect until long after it happens.
An RFID wallet keeps your contactless payment cards and IDs safe inside an electromagnetic shield. Signals from RFID readers can’t get through to the tags inside the wallet, so they can’t read the information on those tags. You’ve probably seen that old black-and-white video of a man sitting at a typewriter inside of a metal cage. While he types, bolts of electricity constantly strike the cage, but the man is completely unharmed and continues his typing. That’s the gist of what an RFID wallet does for its contents. ID Stronghold wallets offer even more security. Each card slot has its own RFID shield or layer of protection, so your cards are secure even when your wallet is open. When you’re taking out cash or removing your driver’s license, you can be sure that everything still in the wallet is safe.
An RFID wallet looks like any other wallet and is comparable in price. Wallets from ID Stronghold come in a variety of materials such as leather and canvas. There’s a large selection of men’s, women’s, bifolds, trifolds, and passport wallets. They’re available with money clips, zippers, bottle openers, and best of all—peace of mind.
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How do I know what to look for in a badge holder?
An RFID-blocking badge holder is a good idea if you carry any kind of access card to get into your workplace. But how do you know whether a certain product really protects your identification, and which badge holder is best? One simple way to ensure you get proper protection is to look for products that meet the GSA’s FIPS 201 standards. The GSA, or General Services Administration, is a government agency that provides support to a variety of other federal agencies. Their FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) standards outline requirements for government IDs, such as badges, to maintain the security of government information and property. If your badge holder meets FIPS requirements, it’s safe enough for government employees who have secret security clearances. So you can be confident that it’s adequate for your workplace access card.
What badge holders meet the GSA’s FIPS standards?
All ID Stronghold badge holders are FIPS 201 approved. In fact, no other manufacturer provides more RFID-blocking badge holders to the U.S. government than ID Stronghold.
What other qualities should I look for in an RFID badge holder?
Security is the main concern with RFID-blocking technology, but it’s not the only thing that matters. A good badge holder also ensures that your access card works when you need it, and does so in a way that’s convenient. It’s impractical to take your card out whenever you want to enter your workplace. To solve this problem ID Stronghold created the Classic Badge Holder that features a squeeze-to-read mechanism. This feature allows you to scan your card by opening the holder with a quick pinch, then release, and your ID is protected once again.
A major security quality to look for is to make sure your ID badge holder is blocking the correct frequency of your ID badge. If you are using a 125Khz ID badge, our Blox Prox ID Holders are what you are looking for. But say your ID badge is on the 13.56Mhz frequency, then any one of our badge holders will block your signal.
An open face is another must-have. With some products, your badge/identification is inside or behind a clear plastic covering. This can be problematic in a couple of ways. First, dust and dirt can coat the plastic, obscuring the face of the card. An RFID scanner will still be able to read your badge, but security officers won’t be. If your employer needs to verify your identity with a visual inspection, you’ll have to take the badge out of the holder. An open face prevents this kind of hassle. The second reason to get an open face holder is that some organizations actually don’t permit you to enter their facilities unless they can see your badge directly. That means no plastic cover of any kind between a security officer’s eyes and your identification. It’s similar to state laws that require you to remove your driver’s license so a cashier can look at it directly before selling you alcohol. It might seem silly, but it allows security personnel to closely scrutinize IDs and more easily spot fakes.
You may want to consider a few other features when shopping for an RFID badge holder. The first is material. A strong plastic is best. ID Stronghold badge holders are made of durable polycarbonate. Cheap products use polystyrene, which is thinner and much more brittle. Also, look for a top-loading badge holder vs bottom-loading, this will prevent your ID from falling out whenever you need to open the holder. Finally, a good product has a strong attachment point. Breaking the lanyard away from the badge holder should require a lot of force—more than you’ll put on it during everyday use.
ID Stronghold badge holders have you covered.
Like many of the best products, ID Stronghold badge holders are designed and assembled in the U.S.A. Excellent materials, convenient card access, an open face design, and FIPS approval mean that an ID Stronghold badge holder is a great choice.
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With the increasing threat of electronic pickpocketing (also called RFID skimming) and the rising possibilities of card clash, protection for your RFID cards is certainly a good idea. Although you’ve probably carried RFID-enabled payment cards and identification for quite some time, the risks have never been greater. Safeguarding your money and information is easy and inexpensive, and a bit like opting for the extra insurance on a rental car. You may not need it, but you don’t want to be without it if and when you do.
Pickpocketing is risky, and any thief has to be highly skilled just to attempt it. When traveling or visiting a busy place, people are generally aware of the threat of pickpockets and take steps to protect themselves. But electronic pickpocketing is hard to detect and easy for a thief to execute with some simple gadgetry. In addition, the risk is minimal. With a homemade RFID reader, a thief can scan the cards in your wallet or purse from a short distance. If your wallet is in your back pocket, it’s in a particularly vulnerable spot. There’s a good chance you’d never even see a person who was stealing your credit cards. Search for “RFID skimming” on YouTube and you’ll see several videos demonstrating the ease with which someone can steal a credit card number in just about any public space.
Most people probably carry several RFID cards in their wallets or purses. Credit and debit cards, driver’s licenses, passports, and access cards often have RFID tags. So, the odds are good that you have more than one of these with you wherever you go. And that can create problems at public transit gates and other places where you need to scan a card to board the bus, get on a train, or enter a restricted area. Card clash occurs when the RFID reader scans more than one tag. When that happens, the results can vary, but they’re never good. If you’re trying to pay with a credit card and have several in your wallet, the charge may go through on the wrong card. Also if the scanner at the metro scans one card boarding and another card leaving the station, you can end up getting charged for two maximum distance rides as the system doesn't know if you were boarding or departing.
One way to prevent card clash is to keep RFID cards separated. This is a surefire method, but it’s not practical to carry each one of your cards in a different place. A better option is to use an RFID wallet with independent shielding for each card, which is a feature of every ID Stronghold wallet. Individual RFID-blocking card sleeves are also available.
RFID skimming and card clash are serious problems, but there’s an easy solution. An RFID-blocking product effectively shields your cards from electronic pickpocketing and prevents card clash. RFID wallets and purses don’t look different or cost any more than regular products, but they aren’t vulnerable to digital theft. Securing your money and identity is a no-brainer.
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What is cloning?
Cloning is a type of forgery that involves copying the information on someone’s RFID badge and using it to gain access to a secure area. It’s easy to do if the badge is unprotected, and requires minimal equipment. Cloning is difficult to detect, and a thief can pull it off in a few seconds just by coming close enough to someone with an unprotected badge. In addition, there’s no limit to the number of clones a person can create once the original badge information has been copied.
Where does RFID cloning happen?
Cloning can occur almost anywhere, at just about any time. As long as an electronic scanner can read the contents of an RFID card, that card is susceptible to a cloning attack. A short video from TechInsider shows just how easy it is to copy an RFID card. In it, a member of the RedTeam Security company demonstrates that simply by walking next to someone who is carrying an RFID card, a thief can grab the necessary info. The equipment needed to clone cards is small enough to fit in a tote bag or briefcase and operates discreetly. There’s no indication that anything is happening while the scanner is doing its work. It’s also capable of reading RFID cards from as far as 6 feet away. Once the original card is scanned, unlimited clones can be made from it.
What are the dangers of RFID cloning?
Without the proper precautions, sensitive information is always in danger of falling into the wrong hands. Identity theft and financial fraud are obvious dangers, but safety is another big concern for many organizations. Employers use RFID badges to get people in and out of their facilities. But they also want to keep bad actors out. Nobody wants to deal with unexpected solicitors, but there are more serious dangers. In recent years, active-shooter scenarios have become all too common. Many companies have even developed escape plans—much like those designed for tornadoes, earthquakes, or fires—to deal with these situations.
How can I prevent cloning?
Like other types of RFID theft, cloning is easy to prevent. Safeguarding against this threat is also inexpensive. Providing employees with RFID-blocking badge holders helps to ensure that only the people who should have access to a facility can get in. These badge holders block the electromagnetic signals used in RFID cards. As long as the cards are kept inside the holders, cloning isn’t a concern. Special RFID-blocking sleeves and bags also work. But among these, badge holders are certainly the most convenient. ID Stronghold’s products meet the strictest government standards for RFID-blocking devices and don’t require users to completely remove their cards when scanning.
ID Stronghold has your RFID security needs covered.
Access control cards and RFID badge holders are excellent security measures for just about any kind of organization, public or private. When looking for the right products to protect your organization's access cards, look to ID Stronghold. Many government contractors who are required to use RFID-blocking badge holders already do.
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What are the different types of RFID cards?
RFID cards communicate through radio waves using one of three frequencies. A frequency is like any of the numbers on your radio dial. You tune into a specific frequency to listen to your favorite station. For example, you might listen to 93.3 or 101.5 FM. RFID cards work in a similar manner, using 13.56 Mhz (megahertz),125 Khz (kilohertz), or UHF 860-960 Mhz frequencies. A scanner tuned to 13.56 Mhz can read the contents of an RFID card that’s designed to use that frequency, but it can’t read cards that use 125 Khz or UHF 860-960 Mhz. However, there are dual-frequency cards that work with both 13.56 Mhz and 125 Khz frequencies.
What kinds of cards use the 13.56 Mhz frequency?
RFID tags that use the 13.56 Mhz frequency need to be close to a scanner to work correctly. One foot is the greatest distance at which a tag of this type will typically work. For this reason, 13.56 Mhz is appropriate for things like contactless payment cards, library cards, and bus passes. The close range provides security since it wouldn’t be wise to have your credit card scanned from across a room.
Why does the access card to my office still work inside an RFID-blocking wallet?
Many of the access cards provided by employers use the 125 Khz frequency, and RFID-blocking wallets typically protect tags that use 13.56 Mhz and UHF 860-960 Mhz. If you hold your wallet up to an RFID scanner, your 125 Khz access card will still work. Your payment cards won’t get scanned because the reader is tuned to a different frequency—just like a radio won’t play music from one station when it’s tuned to another. But the ideal scenario is one in which all of your RFID cards are safe from digital theft. Fortunately, separate RFID-blocking technology is available for 125 Khz cards.
What if I have RFID cards that use 125 Khz?
ID cards that use 125 Khz tags have a slightly larger range, but it’s not more than a few feet. If you have one of these cards, a reader can scan it even when inside of an RFID-blocking wallet. To protect 125 Khz cards, ID Stronghold makes the BloxProx line of badge holders. These RFID-blocking sheaths protect both 13.56 Mhz and 125 Khz cards. A clip at the top makes it easy to open the badge holder long enough to scan a card for entry into your workplace.
What kind of wallet or badge-holder do I need for my UHF 860-960 Mhz cards?
October 1st, 2020, you’ll need a real ID compliant identification card such as an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or a passport to fly within the United States and to enter some federal buildings. EDLs contain UHF 860-960 Mhz RFID tags, (they’re actually called UHF EPC Gen 2 860-960 Mhz) and some states are already issuing them. Passport cards also use this kind of RFID tag. The good news is that all of ID Stronghold’s wallets and ID badge holders protect EDLs.
How do I keep all of my RFID cards safe?
Most of the RFID-enabled payment and ID cards you carry use 13.56 Mhz or UHF 860-960 Mhz tags, so any ID Stronghold Men's or Women's wallet will keep them safe. If you also have a 125 Khz access card for work, adding a BloxProx badge holder will ensure that every card in your possession is secure against RFID theft.
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