CBS video: Cybersecurity at the Olympics

At the Beijing Olympics, which officially got under way Friday, athletes from around the world will be striving to run faster, jump higher, and score more goals than their opponents. At the same time, warns the U.S. government, cybercriminals will be on the prowl for credit card information to steal, and security forces could well direct snooping efforts at unsuspecting travelers.

Just ahead of the games, Joel Brenner, the U.S. national counterintelligence executive, talked with Bob Orr of CBS News about the threats that travelers to China could be facing and offered advice on how travelers can protect themselves. The worrisome backdrop, according to Brenner, is a pattern of "relentless and ongoing" identity theft.

"Somebody with a wireless device in China should expect it to be compromised," Brenner said. For more of the interview, see the video here from the CBS Evening News. (And watch for us to be bringing you more such video on CNET News, which is now published by CBS Interactive.)

U.S. officials are offering a blunt reminder that any electronic transmission--from PDA, fax, computer, or phone--can be intercepted. Their travel tips include the following: change your passwords frequently; update antivirus and spyware programs; and avoid wireless networks whenever possible.

Click here for more stories on tech and the Beijing Olympics.

[Travis Ernst]

The cards (credit/debit) with RF transmitters that are out there, can be "grabbed" out of air within about 6 inches using a specific device unless you have a "shielded" wallet. The recent hacker con made a note of this. it does not take direct contact of a card to a swipe to make a copy anymore. Be careful at any mass gathering like the olympics, concerts, conventions.

[everwanted2]

That same hacker also said that if he had a stronger antenna, he would be able to gra their info from a longer distance. However, even though this will only stop the lazy hackers, they will attempt to set up an encryption system that requires the user to input in a machine similar to bluetooth pairing a code that will allow the machine to see the card's information, but like I said, if you have a dedicated hacker, this could be very possible with rainbowcrack, an RFID reader and a UMPC...

[benjaminstraight]

Too much lock down.