SMU Associate Professor of Information Systems Li Yingjiu said that a security breach in radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology used in passports, credit cards and mobile transactions applications would leak valuable information to unauthorised parties. The technology, which allows fast, automated identification of physical objects, is also a staple for many industries – factories and warehouses use it to track inventory and manage supply chains, pharmaceutical companies deploy it to track drugs, and courier services use it to tag deliveries. Mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet use a specialised form of the technology. Given our increasing reliance on smartphones for everyday functions – banking transactions and contactless payments, for example – mobile security has become an area of critical importance. Prof Li and his team are developing better ways to prevent RFID technology from being hacked.
[Image Source: PC Quest Online]