How Do RFID Card Holders Improve Security for Membership Cards?
Are you sure your membership card is protected? Safeguard yourself from the risk of RFID skimming with a proper RFID card holder. In this blog, we will discuss how you can protect your information and personal data, stored in RFID cards, from unauthorised users.
You may have seen specialised RFID-blocking passport sleeves or RFID-blocking wallets. But do you know how they work? If you did not know, you are in for a surprise. Your membership card with an RFID chip is designed to react automatically to scanners in proximity.
Your RFID membership card is at risk when scammers use portable scanners to retrieve information from the card. However, with RFID card holders, you can prevent such skimming. The card holders are made of conductive materials that reflect radio waves from the RFID reader. As a result, the scammers cannot access the information in the RFID membership card.
Let’s talk about the efficiency of RFID card holders in improving security for membership cards.
1. Skimming Attack Prevention
During membership card printing, RFID technology is used to improve the user experience. With an RFID-enabled membership card, you can enjoy contactless use of the card and also tap-and-go access that replaces manual swiping.
On the other hand, skimmers try to misuse the technology by using a portable RFID reader and accessing information from the card. Imagine you have kept the card in your back pocket, and the skimmers can extract information from a distance of a few feet.
However, using RFID card holders with RFID blocking technology can make a difference. When you put the membership card inside such holders, scammers cannot use scanners to read information stored in the card. The radio frequency from the scanner gets either absorbed or reflected off the holder’s conductive materials, like aluminium, carbon fibre, or copper.
2. No Risk of Card Cloning
Card cloning is a way of copying data from an RFID-enabled card to another card, but the entire process is unauthorised. The copy of the card can be used illegally to gain access to areas restricted to members only. Imagine you are a premium member of a club and you have kept your RFID-enabled membership card unprotected. Now, someone with malicious intent clones your membership card and enters the premium zone in the club, using your credentials. This unauthorised entry does not even raise an alarm in the system.
You can prevent such cloning of your RFID card by keeping it in an RFID card holder. The holder can block the signal from the cloning device to read the card’s unique identifier number, thus preventing data theft from the membership card.
3. Preventing Signal Relay Attacks
Your RFID-enabled membership can also be subjected to relay attacks. In this type of attack, data and encrypted credentials in the card are not cloned into another card. In this case, the attackers use two devices that intercept and amplify the signals from the card and the legitimate reader. For example, you are away from the club entrance, but you have the membership card with you. A scammer comes with a device to read your card’s credentials and relay them to another device that is close to the club entrance.
The security system at the club door reads your card credentials and allows entrance to the scammer. The RFID technology used at the time of membership card printing can be safely used with an RFID card holder. Travel anywhere, but keep your card in the RFID-blocking holder to safeguard it from possible scammers.
4. Increased Privacy Protection
With an RFID card holder, you can enjoy more privacy whenever you go or wherever you go. You can travel along the busy street of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, or walk along the busy footpath of New York, and an RFID-blocker card holder can keep your card protected all the time.
Naturally, the RFID-enabled membership card contains personal information. If it gets cloned or is subject to a relay attack, the holder will prevent the devices from accessing information from the card.
Importance of RFID-Blocking Technology Used in RFID Card Holders
The RFID card holders use RFID-blocking technology. This technology not only keeps your membership card safe, but also other cards that use the same technology. The convenience of RFID technology increased its application across different areas – from access cards to inventory tags or passports.
To keep personal and sensitive information protected, RFID-blocking technology is used widely. Moreover, you must be aware of how you keep and use your member card to ensure 100% protection of personal data. Even if you forget to keep the card inside an RFID card holder, your awareness will keep you safe.
Stay Aware, Be Safe with RFID-blocking
If you are using an RFID-enabled membership card, you should know how it works. You should be aware that, besides convenience, the card also brings some security loopholes. Keep the card inside the holder and be aware of when and where you use the card.
