Chip and pin not so safe?

qqg3 · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:29

Cambridge Uni boffins have said they found some flaws in the system. Looks a bit sketchy to me and if it really is as effective as they make out how come this is only surfacing now?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8511710.stm

Apparently we're safe because the criminals will still need to have a card as such. O really, because hundreds of cards don't get stolen every year.

Opinions please.

I think we're pretty sound for now so I'm not going to panic.

Raymond Lin · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:30

No system is safe, unless they start using bio-metrics, but then again, that is still not 100% safe, just safer than plastics.

bledd · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:31

The chips always fall out of my Lloyds bank cards

So I concure, the chip is not safe!

Cosimo · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:35

bledd. said:
The chips always fall out of my Lloyds bank cards

So I concure, the chip is not safe!

I have to pin my chips to the card.

tntcoder · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:36

I've had a lecture from one of the main guys behind this before, its quite scary what they can do to smartcards!

MikeHunt79 · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:38

tntcoder said:
I've had a lecture from one of the main guys behind this before, its quite scary what they can do to smartcards!

Can people clone them yet?

Dave M · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:38

if the shop inserted the card it would breach this - but it could bt done wirelessly with sufficnilnty advanced technology.

The only secure system is 100% online verification with OTP build into your card for all purchases (including websites.

Anything the banks have done other than that is a complete waste of money.

Paypal have worked it out - the only reason banks haven't is cost and the belief that bank customers can't pay for cards.

Dave M · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:39

MikeHunt79 said:
Can people clone them yet?

no

ReeVo.uK · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:39

As long as technology and encryption can be made, it can always be broken or exploited.

tntcoder · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:40

MikeHunt79 said:
Can people clone them yet?

The Oyster card is cloneable, ive not heard of it being possible with credit/debit cards yet though.

qqg3 · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:40

Telescopi said:
if the shop inserted the card it would breach this

True.

It annoys me actually when some places take my card, put it in the machine for me and then give me the machine to put my pin in.

ReeVo.uK said:
As long as technology and encryption can be made, it can always be broken or exploited.

I suppose so. "Laws are made to be broken" and all that.

Dogoid · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:41

in the future, you will have your eye balls cut out for the hole in the wall eye scanner

Dave M · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:41

ReeVo.uK said:
As long as technology and encryption can be made, it can always be broken or exploited.

Once true. These days though not so, encryption is safe for thousands of years unless bug are found.

Maniacfest · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:42

Raymond Lin said:
No system is safe, unless they start using bio-metrics, but then again, that is still not 100% safe, just safer than plastics.

My thoughts exactly. However hard they try to create new methods there will always be people who get round them.

tntcoder · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:42

Telescopi said:
Once true. These days though not so, encryption is safe for thousands of years unless bug are found.

True, the encryption is top notch, it's the implementations that are not so hot

Settleddown · 11 Feb 2010 at 23:44

Telescopi said:
if the shop inserted the card it would breach this - but it could bt done wirelessly with sufficnilnty advanced technology.

The only secure system is 100% online verification with OTP build into your card for all purchases (including websites.

Anything the banks have done other than that is a complete waste of money.

Paypal have worked it out - the only reason banks haven't is cost and the belief that bank customers can't pay for cards.

How do you mean PayPal have it worked out?

Having had my card cloned I really hope we do away with cards and have some sort of chip in our thumb or finger and scan those when we buy things like a fingerprint reader, im sure we are not far away from this kind of technology? Online transactions would be difficult without a card of somesort though??

jpmonkey69 · 12 Feb 2010 at 00:01

it's fish and cushion I feel sorry for!

qqg3 · 12 Feb 2010 at 00:01

jpmonkey69 said:
it's fish and cushion I feel sorry for!

jpmonkey69 · 12 Feb 2010 at 00:22

qqg3 said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B80SyRmtbdI

digipeep · 12 Feb 2010 at 00:26

Chip and Pin has one huge flaw.

You can see the person in front of you typing in their pin. Follow them out of WHSmith, punch them on the nose, take card, hey presto empty their bank account.

I don't recommend doing it but it has been done.