(Credit:
MagnePrint)
The way the particles land on a given credit card's magnetic stripe are as unique as individual snowflakes or human fingerprints--or so says a Magtek, the company that developed, MagnePrint, which records the unique magnetic media signature for all credit and debit cards scanned through its readers. The first scan by a MagnePrint reader creates a template against which all subsequent scans are compared.
MagnePrint is designed to prevent "skimming." Online carders buy credit-card information from a black-market database, then copy that information onto a blank physical card using a machine that costs about $250. The skimmed card is then used in an ATM or a retail environment, as though it were the original card, until the credit or debit limits are maxed.
Using MagnePrint, faux cards are identified quickly. Even if you were to rerecord the magnetic stripe information onto your credit card a second time (say you damaged your first card and seek a replacement), the magnetic particles on the second card would not match the original and would be flagged. The results are given in percentages, with around 80% considered to be enough of a match. The bank always has the ability to accept or deny the recommendations.
(Credit:
Uncrate)
No sooner did we post an item about Jack Bauer's watch than we heard from our friends at Uncrate, who pointed out an entire lot of 24 gadgetry that they had diligently assembled.
In addition to the watch, Uncrate identified Jack's phone, weaponry, pocket scope, vest and even his (gasp) messenger bag, as well as other odds and ends. For Crave's purposes, we were most interested to see that he dumped his Treo 650 for a Motorola i880. But there's no word on what kind of roaming plan he has.
(And remember, repeat after us: No Lightsabers.)
(Credit:
Gearlog)
Months ago we mentioned the "Passport Stronghold," a reinforced pouch designed to protect your personal information from ID spies. It might work just fine, but it looks like a burlap sack with an amateurish logo slapped on it--hardly a fashion statement.
"Lifestyle gear" company Kena Kai may have a solution that bridges security and style for carrying the new RFID visas. Gearlog says its "DataSafe" passport wallets block radio signals that could be intercepted while featuring Italian leather finishes of various stains and colors for men and women.
But will anyone come up with a decently designed container for carry-on liquids? Plastic bags are so hoi polloi.
Air travel is starting to rank right up there with periodontal appointments and trips to the DMV. First it was the shoes, then the liquids--now, we have to worry about RFID spies stealing our passport data too.
That's where Paraben comes in. The forensics company has developed something called the Passport StrongHold, which is designed to shield your visa information from unauthorized eyes. The product is disarmingly simple: It's basically a nylon bag made with nickel, copper and silver that envelopes a passport to keep RFID signals from going awry.
TG Daily tested the bag recently and found that it appears to work, but it raised a question that occurred to us as well: Could it be used for some unintended consequences, such as helping shoplifters smuggle goods through store detectors? As the saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
(Photo: Paraben)
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