How to “TARGET” 40 million credit and debit cards with a Target Breach

The large retail chain Target (USA)  announced last week that about 40 million credit and debit cards may have been affected in a Target data breach from Nov. 27 to Dec. 15. Stolen information related to Target store cards and major credit cards, The Associated Press reported.

This breach was for in-store purchases not online according to Target.

This leads me to the reason for this post today.

Now you may or may not have been affected by this breach, but what is about to happen to the US credit cards & debit cards over the next 2 years you should be aware of.

The US plans to have all credit cards issued with the chip by 2015, many if not all as we have here in Australia will be RFID enabled.

The global roll-out of RFID (radio frequency identification) technologies used in the ‘Tap&Go’ credit cards or ePassports increases the chance of your personal data getting skimmed will be even greater.

The frightening thing is you will be not aware of it as no contact is needed to skim you nor will it be a breach of millions of credit cards, it will be yours and you will not find out until it’s too late.

As mentioned in the video, even with this know widespread breach the hassle at the very least to you as a cardholder is very real and could take some time to try and rectify the issues it has created for you.

I thought ‘chip’ or EMV cards are safer?

The financial institutions & card issuing companies tell us they are more secure than the mag stripe, which in many ways they may be, however, they have replaced one vulnerable technology with another. (yes a mag stripe card can be copied, but the criminal has to actually have the card in their possession to clone it even if for just a few seconds it takes to swipe the mag stripe, with the new RFID, enabled cards the criminal can electronically skim your card data without you ever knowing it)

This opens up an entirely new security issue as RFID enabled cards just by the nature of the technology are always open to transmitting your personal data over open airwaves & that means anyone & I mean anyone can skim it. In-fact many smartphones now come with NFC (near field communication) technology-enabled, which means they can in effect be used to skim your cards easy, just do a search in the google play store for credit card skimming apps and there are FREE ones to download.

Although NFC means you have to me ‘Nearer’ the mark (person your skimming) that usually is not an issue, think being in a shopping mall on an escalator in close proximity to others, bang a perfect way to use your NFC phone to skim the person wallet in there back pocket. Pretty scary when you think of how many smartphones are out there & how now not even harden ID thieves but opportunistic persons could skim your data that easy.

Now back to RFID technology (which allows you skim from a greater distance) you can buy a RFID off say eBay or Amazon for under $100, then its pretty easy to find a way to dial up the power on the reader and antenna strength (just google search how to do it) and now you can skim people from further away & if they are using ‘passive’ protection lets say like an RFID wallet or wrapping your credit cards in sleeves they can often still be penetrated by these hi powered reader (at the best they may limit the distance you get skimmed but you still could be skimmed)

The best defence is active defence.

1. Don’t just believe it will never happen to you

2. Don’t just blindly believe the institutions who issue these cards have your security interests in the best interest.

3. The time has come for you to be responsible for protecting your personal data, clearly, these breaches and the new wave of electronic skimming shows you that your personal data needs to be protected by you first. Gone are the days of working to have your data public when needed (PR) now you have to work to keep your personal data private.

It starts with ARMOURCARD the #1 Active RFID & NFC Protective device.

BUY ARMOURCARD NOW!

Debunking Identity Theft Myths – A guide to opening your eyes!

Really interesting article written by Neal O’Farrell from Identity Theft Council Blog that answers some of the common myths surrounding iD theft. Well done Neal & the IDTC.

Identity Theft Myth #1

• IDENTITY THEFT IS MORE HYPE THAN REAL

Truth

Identity theft may be the single greatest crime epidemic in the history of America. According to research firm Javelin Strategy and Research, identity theft claimed an average of more than a million victims a month in 2012. The Department of Justice recently put the total number of victims at more than 16 million last year.

That means there were more victims of identity theft last year that there were burglaries, attempted burglaries, assaults, robberies, arsons, vehicles thefts, purse snatchings, pickpocketings, check fraud, and shoplifting combined.

Identity Theft Myth #2

• IDENTITY THEFT VICTIMS ARE NOT REALLY VICTIMS BECAUSE THEY GET THEIR MONEY BACK, SO IT’S NO BIG DEAL

Truth

The biggest cost for victims of identity theft is the long-term emotional harm. If a thief has your Social Security Number, or a grudge, as a victim you can be fighting for your identity for years. Victims often talk about the emotional harm being the worst the worry, the harm to their credit, their lack of trust, their feelings of betrayal, wondering when the next shoe will drop, if it will impact their credit worthiness, their job, etc.

Identity Theft Myth #3

• ZERO LIABILITY MEANS I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE EVEN IF I AM A VICTIM

Truth

If you lose a small amount, say a few hundred dollars, your bank, credit union, or credit card companies is likely to reimburse you. But if it’s more than that, or you can?t explain how the money was removed from your bank account, banks will often either deny your claim outright or tell you they will need to launch an investigation which can take months.

And you may be in even bigger trouble if your debit card is copied through skimming. The thieves will have your card and pin, without your knowledge, and banks will often us that as an excuse to blame you, the victim.

Identity Theft Myth #4

• I FROZE MY CREDIT SO MY IDENTITY IS SAFE.

Truth

A freeze is helpful but only protects against new account creation. It doesn’t?t stop a thief misusing an existing account or credit card, prevent skimming, emptying a bank account, check fraud, using your identity to file fraudulent tax refunds, Social Security fraud, employment fraud and many other types of identity theft. And in a troubling trend, identity thieves are turning to payday lenders as a way to get around freezes, fraud alerts, and monitoring, because payday lenders often don’t run credit checks.

Identity Theft Myth #5

• I SHOULD BE MORE WORRIED ABOUT MORE COMMON CRIMES LIKE BURGLARY, PURSE SNATCHINGS AND PICK POCKETS

Truth

You are 6 more times more likely to be a victim of identity theft than burglary, and 500 times more likely to be a victim of identity theft than purse snatching.

Identity Theft Myth #6

• I CAN JUST GET A POLICE REPORT TO PROVE I’M A VICTIM.

Truth

A police report is vital if you need to defend yourself against claims from debt collectors or victimized businesses. But they’re not always easy to get, in spite of the fact the victims are entitled by Federal law to a police report.

Common excuses victims receive when they try to file a police report are: You need to file the report in the jurisdiction where the crime was committed and you’ll need hard evidence before a police report can be filed. Neither is true but you may still have to be patient when trying to get a police report.

Identity Theft Myth #7

• I TEND TO SHOP ON SMALL BUSINESS WEBSITES BECAUSE THEY’RE TOO SMALL FOR HACKERS.

Truth

Most security experts believe that small businesses are now the number one target for hackers, mainly because of lax security. Web security firm SiteLock reports finding up to 5,000 new small business websites every single day that has already been comprised with malware waiting to infect visitors and shoppers.

Identity Theft Myth #8

• I USUALLY USE A DEBIT CARD BECAUSE IT’S MUCH SAFER.

Truth

A credit card is a much safer bet than a debit card. A debit card connects directly to your bank account. If it?s compromised, the thief is stealing your money. If your credit card is compromised, the thief is stealing the bank?s money. Which would you prefer?

Identity Theft Myth #9

• I HAVE GOOD ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE THAT?S ALWAYS UPDATED, SO I DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CYBER THREATS.

Truth

Antivirus software is very important but it’s only one layer of protection. A study by the University of Alabama found that most of the popular antivirus programs in use today only catch about 25% of malware. A test in December 2013 by security firm OPSWAT found that out of 44 of the most popular antivirus products on the market, only one could detect a keylogger.

Identity Theft Myth #10

• I GUARD MY PERSONAL DATA BETTER THAN FORT KNOX ?

Truth

It’s not you, it’s them. No matter how well you guard your personal information, others will betray you. For example, there has been an average of one reported data breach in the U.S. every single day for the last five years, exposing more than 500 million personal records. Up to 80% of those records may have included Social Security Numbers. Could yours have been one of them?

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Credit Card Offers – Does Tap and Go really encourage criminals?

Armourcard was asked to be featured in an article on the website Credit Card Offers following up from the Victorian Police concerns over the roll-out of ‘contact-less’ cards & payment terminals in the last week. Making it even easier for opportunistic criminals to skim your credit card details or even worse your personal identity details. Armourcard is featured as the only ‘Active’ solution to this growing problem. Within the article, they show a demonstration of how AC works in jamming out the unwanted RFID signals and how AC protects your credits within its proximity forcefield.

Read full article here

To Catch an ID Thief part 2

To catch an ID thief is a telling report on how these criminals obtain your personal details.

This is frightening to see how fast your identity details can be purchased and used all over the world.  It’s now even easier with the global roll-out of RFID & NFC technologies found in your tap&go credit cards, passports & smartphones.

Watch this to catch an ID thief report below and be prepared how easy it is to get your personal data.

Start protecting yourself today with ARMOURCARD!

Smartphone users still unaware of identity theft threats

Four in ten (40%) smartphone users in the United States agree that they don’t understand cybersecurity well enough to know how to protect themselves, according to LifeLock.

The online survey, conducted in August by Harris Interactive, asked more than 2,000 smartphone users about their smartphone security habits and assessed their knowledge of and participation in potentially risky behaviour.

Many smartphone users reported sharing data that can leave them susceptible to identity theft and other identity fraud dangers. Users are engaging in several compromising behaviours that may leave them at risk to fraudulent activity:

• 44% of smartphone users have a personal banking or finance app on their smartphone.
• 35% of those who have a social networking app on their smartphone allow the app to know the GPS location of their phone when downloading the app.
• 36% of those surveyed have not utilized protection such as a PIN, tracking software, and/or remote wiping capabilities for their smartphone.

It’s clear that the majority of those surveyed don’t take simple steps to secure their devices,? said Neil Chase, Vice President of Education with LifeLock. ?And it varies with age. The survey found that people ages 18-34 are significantly more likely to use the same password for every app than those who are 35-54, and people 55 and over are even more careful.

Despite the prevalence of identity theft, users don’t see their smartphones as the biggest risk. Seventy-one per cent of users agrees that losing their wallet is a bigger risk for identity theft than losing a smartphone. Further, 36% of participants believe they are more likely to have their car stolen than their identity stolen. However, based on an annual survey published by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud affected 12.6 million adult consumers in 2012, while, according to the FBI, fewer than one million cars were stolen in 2012.

LifeLock recommends the following actions to secure a smartphone:
Protect the device with a strong password. Do not use a date of birth or banking PIN as a password.
Do not allow downloaded apps to access GPS location.
Ensure all apps use different usernames and passwords.
Wipe all personal information from the device before replacing or upgrading.

ARMOURCARD also recommends the following actions to secure a smartphone:
If your phone is NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled to be sure to watch what apps you download as if a Trojan is embedded in a ‘FREE app’ that activates your NFC your smartphone could become a remote credit card skimmer.
To protect yourself you can use Armourcard alongside your phone and it will jam the NFC signal.

Buy ARMOURCARD now

2GB Radio Interview on ARMOURCARD

On Saturday 5th October, CEO of ARMOURCARD, Tyler Harris was interviewed by 2GB radio’s technology and lifestyle reporter and host Charlie Brown. What was discussed was the vulnerabilities surrounding your ‘Tap&Go’ credit cards and ePassports.

Charlie asked about ARMOURCARD and how we are the first company to provide ‘Active RFID & NFC’ protection with our patented technology found inside every ARMOURCARD.

Get protected today. Buy ARMOURCARD now

If you were unable to listen on the weekend you can listen to the ARMOURCARD interview podcast here, the time the interview starts is 0:29:25

Listen to radio interview now

MEDIA RELEASE – 19.09.13

For immediate distribution 

Australian Invention Blazes a Trail in Identity Protection Technology

Media Release – A Sydney-based and owned company ARMOURCARD has developed the first active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) protection device for people who are serious about securing their identity.

The ARMOURCARD device actively blocks RFID signals, preventing personal data found on items such as credit cards and ePassports from being poached and used by identity thieves.

Differing from other more passive forms of protection such as credit card wallets or sleeves ARMOURCARD is a card that sits in one’s wallet and actively jams the RFID signals when a reader tries to interrogate cards or ePassports – making it impossible for hackers to obtain personal information.

Founded in 2012, ARMOURCARD is the brainchild of CEO Tyler Harris.

Tyler says in today’s technologically evolved world, we can’t be too careful.

No longer can we assume our personal data is private like in days gone by, now we have to actively work hard to keep private our personal data in this open airwaves information age, he said.

In this day and age it is imperative that personally, we are at the forefront when it comes to protecting and securing our own identity.

We live in a world where technological advancements have made it possible for personal information to be easily seized over open airwaves and used by identity thieves.

Devices such as credit cards, ePassports, drivers licenses, loyalty cards and even library cards, all contain sensitive personal identity data stored within a micro-chip. This leaves regular people extremely vulnerable to professional criminals and hackers who can intercept your data using the same RFID technologies.

The CEO said the idea for an active RFID protection device came out of a basic need to secure my own personal data from this growing crime.

We felt extremely sceptical and concerned about the level of security currently on the market surrounding these technologies, Tyler said.

No longer are we dealing with risks linked purely to the criminally minded – there are even apps being created, for example, that can be downloaded to Smartphones, transforming a regular phone into a credit card skimming device.

And if relative novices like ourselves were able to access personal data off credit cards so easily, imagine what the professional criminals and hackers can achieve it’s pretty frightening stuff, he said.

ARMOURCARD costs $59.99 Australian Dollars. To purchase ARMOURCARD or to learn more about it visit

The CEO contact details are below. Tyler can both be contacted for interviews or to answer questions.

 CEO & Founder: Tyler Harris

Email: [email protected]

Linkedin: Tyler Harris on Linkedin

Postal: P.O.Box 284, AVALON BEACH 2107

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Armourcard

Download Media Release here

Test your credit cards with FREE skimming APP.

Following up from a recent blog post about FREE smartphone Apps  and skimming app that can read your credit cards. We have found an app that will show you how vulnerable you are now.

If you own a smartphone that has NFC on it, you can download this app & turn your phone into a skimmer to see if your credit cards can be skimmed.

If you have an ARMOURCARD in your wallet you are safe, perhaps its time to test it out yourself on your own credit cards, then come back a buy an ARMOURCARD to get protected.

I want to get protected now! BUY ARMOURCARD

Is your Privacy a myth? – Hollywood finally helps to put it out there.

Hot on the heals from the fall out in the US of the NSA’s privacy scandal, Hollywood has timed this movie release beautifully, with everyone asking the question of how private is your personal data these days. The movie tackles privacy issues we face daily in this age.

 The tag line for the movie is

 “Privacy is a myth”

and

“information is the most dangerous weapon”

It seems that Hollywood is catching on to what we have always been saying and that is….

“In days gone past we assumed our personal data was private, now in todays world we have to assume that our personal data is in the public domain and NOW we have to work hard at keeping it private”

This is a total 180 degree change, with the internet, social media channels, wireless technologies like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC) our personal data is more open than ever before and easy for an organised criminal to use your personal data to clone your identity or know when your away from home so they can rob you.

At ARMOURCARD we believe that you have a right to privacy. That is why we developed and patented the first ‘Active RFID & NFC protection device’ on the market.  We are concerned, just like you, of managing your privacy and keeping things private.

It is time to start taking back some of that power that has been relinquished through technological advances and social platforms.

ARMOURCARD can help you! With our Active Protection Technology (APT), you can now jam out unwanted RFID & NFC tag interrogations of your credit cards, ePassports, enhanced drivers licenses and iD cards so no skimmer can read your personal data. (or credit card number etc) You can now be protected from this growing cyber crime of electronic skimming or pickpocketing.

Start to take back your privacy – BUY ARMOURCARD TODAY!

View movie trailer here
 

Aluma Wallet – PLUS a FREE set of Steak Knives

There are many RFID wallets on the market and none are as aggressive in their advertising as the Aluma Wallet.

We applaud Aluma Wallet for helping educate the public on the issue of needing RFID protection, as most people either didn’t even know there was an issue or just never thought it would happen to them.

So first up…

well done for getting it out there.

Aluma Wallet quite rightly states several very real statistics on their infomercials and they believe that a hard aluminium cased wallet offers some level of protection against electronic pickpocketing.

We at ARMOURCARD have done our own research and we were not satisfied that the level of protection these aluminium wallets like Aluma Wallet give actually prevents a dialled up power RFID reader from penetrating their metal cases.

To us, they seem a little ‘analog’ and at the very best may limit the distance an RFID reader can interrogate your credit cards from, apart from the fact that they are ugly, bulky and can easily slip out of your pocket (so you may actually lose your wallet)

No that wasn’t just why we developed ARMOURCARD which offers our latest ‘patented Active RFID Protection’

Plus the fact that with ARMOURCARD you can own any wallet you like and not be forced to buy any ugly RFID protection claiming wallet to get at least what is perceived to be some ‘passive’ protection.

No we developed ARMOURCARD and patented our new ‘Active RFID Protection’ that actually jams the RFID & NFC signals so no queries from a reader regardless how powerful the reader is dialled up or how big the antenna is, will no circumvent ARMOURCARD’s jammng technology.

Now ask yourself this…

Do you want to be told to buy an ugly, bulky aluminium wallet that may or may not protect your personal data from electronic skimming

or

Do you want the latest ‘Active RFID Protection’ that actively tackles the problem differently and in better more secure way

NOT from passively, maybe, hopefully trying to block a signal?..

BUT actively jams all RFID & NFC signals using the most common bandwidth used for contact-less devices of 13.56Mhz.

We asked that same question and that is why we developed ARMOURCARD, to protect our own personal data,

Now you can protect yours.

Video: America Now News Report putting Aluma Wallets claims to the test