Is your pet infected with a computer virus

Short Description
Has your dog or cat contracted a computer virus? It’s not impossible. … placing a computer virus onto a RFID tag. This was previously considered …

Website: www.rfidvirus.org | Filesize: 38kb

Content
Press release
Digital vermin poses a real threat to RFID tags
Is your pet infected with a computer virus?
Has your dog or cat contracted a computer virus? It’s not impossible. These days, large
numbers of pets and livestock have a small chip implanted under the skin so that they
can be identified if they stray or turn out to be infected with a disease. As these chips
only have a limited memory capacity, it was widely assumed that they could not
become infected with a computer virus. However, researchers at VU Amsterdam have
now discovered that this is a real possibility. Fortunately they have also come up with a
number of adequate countermeasures.
The chips in question are called Radio Frequency Identification Tags, or RFID tags.
These are small, relatively cheap microchips, which can be used to tag supermarket
products, for example. They can also be implanted into pets or livestock. The same
chips are used in public transport chip cards, ski passes or on baggage labels at
airports.
Thanks to these tags, we will soon be able to do our shopping without having to queue
at the tills. An RFID scanner placed at the exit will transmit a…