iCache emulates credit cards so that you can sleep soundly -- or can you?

If you've got too many credit cards, debit cards and loyalty cards eating up your precious wallet space that could otherwise be put to better use storing gum wrappers and Bazooka Joe comics, and you don't mind adding another gadget to your accessory-toting bag of choice, then this iCache thing might be just the thing for you. The device can emulate pretty much anything with a magnetic strip, storing the info inside the device and allowing you access with a simple swipe of your finger and a menu selection. To read back the info, the device can display a barcode, communicate wirelessly with one of those contactless terminals, or print the data out onto a universal magnetic card that will store the info for 10 minutes, allowing for a quick shopping spree. While in the right hands, this sounds quite promising -- if a tad self-defeating due to the fact that the gadget is most likely larger than your stack of cards -- and the security seems commendable, we shudder to think what a hacked-up version of this thing, lacking that arbitrary thumb-based security, could pull off, so for now we'll stick with burying all our cash in the backyard and guarding it with a one-eyed dog and our trusty shotgun.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[treetrunk @ Jan 17th 2007 7:56AM]

Forget a hacked-up verison - it's already a card skimmer! What's to say the cards you're scanning are yours? Instant thumb-secured vault of other people's cards.

[Intrepid @ Jan 17th 2007 8:21AM]

So where are the Apple lawyers now..."Hang on, is that an 'i'? That's our vowel!"

[Matt @ Jan 17th 2007 9:14AM]

Hi bill.. hows vista going?

[Chris @ Jan 17th 2007 9:02AM]

Not to mention half of the stores you go to would never accept this as a form of payment...

CompUSA just stopped taking credit card imprints!

[oqnet @ Jan 17th 2007 9:13AM]

dude just go down to the bank after you skim some guys card and withdraw 10000 from it and then deposite it in yours. Thats the only real use I see for this thing as its larger than your stack of cards I hope.

[Gil @ Jan 17th 2007 9:36AM]

You do realise your "plan" will land you in jail faster than you can say "TRACEABLE"

[Shadyman @ Jan 17th 2007 9:22AM]

Wow, I mean I know many stores don't bother checking signatures, but I'm sure Any clerk would look twice when handed a blank card like that. I'm also sure they'd probably call the manager down to see WTF is going on. Manager calls police, police arrest for credit card fraud, etc, etc.

All in a day's work.

[katana @ Jan 17th 2007 10:47AM]

Awesome! I hope this is the future of credit card payments? How thick is this, though? It seems useful-- all those stupid grocery store and pharmacy cards get old. But, I'd like something that could store my pharmacy, etc. cards indefintely. That'd rock.

It also appears that it's in demo mode only-- not for sale, or at least not in the USA. You all realize this, right? ;)

[Xenoterranos @ Jan 17th 2007 11:11AM]

I'm reminded of a certain card froma certain author's book 5 wherein the numbers "42" where imortalized. Floopily.

[1337 @ Jan 17th 2007 11:12AM]

build it into a cell phone and it'll be main stream in no time! i'd swipe my cell phone to buy stuff. paypal by phone would have nothing on this thing!

just think then someone could make blue tooth accessories for hands free check outs!

uber leet hax3r rejoice!

[IOTA @ Jan 17th 2007 1:39PM]

How exactly does this thing get swiped through a slot???

It is waaay too big to fit in the slot.

Which payment protocols does it support for contactless? None listed, and there's really not that many terminals out there.

How about here in the UK? Does it support EMV?

[byaah @ Jan 17th 2007 2:01PM]

IOTA,

You don't swipe the actual device. The article says if you select the option, it stores the data on a universal card with a magnetic strip. The card lasts for 10 minutes before it goes blank again.

[IOTA @ Jan 17th 2007 4:25PM]

Thank you byaah.

So, one has to carry both the device and this "universal card" for the whole thing to work, which doesn't exactly simplify my life, YMMV.

The interesting technology here is this short-lived mag stripe. I've never heard of it before, and I happen to pay a lot of attention to payment instruments.

This company is just looking for massive marketing feedback to determine what they should build "for reals".

[glacia @ Jan 17th 2007 2:08PM]

"How exactly does this thing get swiped through a slot???"

From the post it sounds like it comes with some quantity of blank cards that you write to for swiping (swipe is appropriately another word for steal) after which this data 'disapears' after some minutes.

This really makes me think of a lunch with the CTO of a company I worked at where he handed his company card to a random stranger walking by.

[Bruce Carson (CTO of iCache) @ Jan 19th 2007 2:47PM]

To answer some of the questions posed above;
1) We are in the detailed design phase now, so you are correct - no actual device exists yet!
2) The device is slightly larger than a credit card, because the credit card is housed inside the device and released when you press a button. The prototype models are about 6mm thick.
3) The card is not a standard Magstripe card. Instead it is a dynamic magstripe that emulates a credit card. After ejection from the device, it erases its memory after 10 minutes. This allows you to choose which credit card to use, hand it to a waiter, and have them run the card.
4) We're planning on including a couple of the dynamic magstripe cards with the device, so if you lose one you can just use a replacement.
5) Some posters thought that clerks at stores would automatically reject the device. MasterCard has put out credit cards in non-standard formats (like key fobs and watches). Also many phones are going to be enabled with payment capability. There will be some "education" of store clerks necessary!
6) The iCache is better than other solutions because it is biometrically secured and will store multiple cards within it. It will even house your store loyalty cards and display the barcode on the screen for scanning at the register.
7) Yes, it will support EMV (chip & pin), as well as PayPass and others.

[mark @ Feb 7th 2007 3:40AM]

Here is a Hack you can use with the actual address to yahoo's server this year 2007 because yahoo change its server every year [e-mail] the address you use for any yahoo cedit card hack only this year.
Follow the steps below:

Send an Email to mailto: [e-mail]

With the subject: accntopp-cc-E52488 (To confuse the server )


In the email body, write: boundary="0- 86226711-106343" (This is line 1)


Content-Type: text/plain; (This is line 3)


charset=us-ascii (This is line 4, to make the return email readable)


credit card number (This is line 7, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
000000000000000 (This is line 8, put a zero under each number, etc)


name on credit card (This is line 11, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
0000000000000000 (This is line 12, put a zero under each character, hyphen, etc)

CVV number (Three digit number on the back of your card) (This is line 15, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

000 (This is line 16, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


address,city (This is line 19, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

0000000000 (This is line 20, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


state,country,p.o. box (This is line 23, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
00000000000000000 (This is line 24, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


phone number ( put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


type of card (This is line 27, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

000000000 ( This is line 28, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


expiration date (This is line 31, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

0000000 (This is line 32, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)
252ads< m > (This is line 35


Return-Path: < Your Email Here > (This is line 36, type in your email between < >)


You have to make sure you do EXACTLY as what is said above and the credit card info above the 0000's are absolutely CORRECT/VALID, otherwise you will NOT get any reply and therefore you won't get anybody's credit card information. Here's a sample email .


Here is an EXACT email which you have to send to server.

(CAUTION ) ! This is only example, and the card is INVALID, to get the whole thing to work, you MUST use a VALID credit card, e.g. YOUR OWN VALID CC)

Send to: [e-mail]


Subject: accntopp-cc-E52488


Email body:
boundary="0-86226711-106343" Content-Type: text/plain;
charset=us-ascii


4013993145565451
0000000000000000


jesse d banks
00000000000


523
000


2537 stillwell rd.,des moines
00000000000000000000000


la,usa,50567
0000000000


645-867-9950
00000000000


visa
0000


03/2006
0000000


252ads< m >8> Return-Path: < your email address >

This may take a few minutes but it REALLY WORKS!!! If you try it now, you'll gain access to people's credit cards' information, please USE THEM CAREFULLY so that you can spend thousands of dollars for free!! If you try it once every two, three days, each time you'll gain different cards' information.

I've received about 27 credit card numbers so far. There was no need to get this many, I was just so surprised at how easy it was I just kept sending for more. I've only used 5 numbers so far, on ebay. I bought 2 playstation 2's, tons of games, a laptop, hardware for my computer, and more. This is too easy. I would be selling this, but whats the point. All the money I want is in the Credit Cards. Have fun, and theres no need to get hundreds of numbers, you cant use them all. if the credit card is invalid it will not return to yah.

[mark @ Feb 7th 2007 3:41AM]

Here is a Hack you can use with the actual address to yahoo's server this year 2007 because yahoo change its server every year [e-mail] the address you use for any yahoo cedit card hack only this year.
Follow the steps below:

Send an Email to mailto: [e-mail]

With the subject: accntopp-cc-E52488 (To confuse the server )


In the email body, write: boundary="0- 86226711-106343" (This is line 1)


Content-Type: text/plain; (This is line 3)


charset=us-ascii (This is line 4, to make the return email readable)


credit card number (This is line 7, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
000000000000000 (This is line 8, put a zero under each number, etc)


name on credit card (This is line 11, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
0000000000000000 (This is line 12, put a zero under each character, hyphen, etc)

CVV number (Three digit number on the back of your card) (This is line 15, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

000 (This is line 16, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


address,city (This is line 19, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

0000000000 (This is line 20, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


state,country,p.o. box (This is line 23, has to be LOWER CASE letters)
00000000000000000 (This is line 24, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


phone number ( put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


type of card (This is line 27, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

000000000 ( This is line 28, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)


expiration date (This is line 31, has to be LOWER CASE letters)

0000000 (This is line 32, put a zero under each character, number, letter, hyphen, etc)
252ads< m > (This is line 35


Return-Path: < Your Email Here > (This is line 36, type in your email between < >)


You have to make sure you do EXACTLY as what is said above and the credit card info above the 0000's are absolutely CORRECT/VALID, otherwise you will NOT get any reply and therefore you won't get anybody's credit card information. Here's a sample email .


Here is an EXACT email which you have to send to server.

(CAUTION ) ! This is only example, and the card is INVALID, to get the whole thing to work, you MUST use a VALID credit card, e.g. YOUR OWN VALID CC)

Send to: [e-mail]


Subject: accntopp-cc-E52488


Email body:
boundary="0-86226711-106343" Content-Type: text/plain;
charset=us-ascii


4013993145565451
0000000000000000


jesse d banks
00000000000


523
000


2537 stillwell rd.,des moines
00000000000000000000000


la,usa,50567
0000000000


645-867-9950
00000000000


visa
0000


03/2006
0000000


252ads< m >8> Return-Path: < your email address >

This may take a few minutes but it REALLY WORKS!!! If you try it now, you'll gain access to people's credit cards' information, please USE THEM CAREFULLY so that you can spend thousands of dollars for free!! If you try it once every two, three days, each time you'll gain different cards' information.

I've received about 27 credit card numbers so far. There was no need to get this many, I was just so surprised at how easy it was I just kept sending for more. I've only used 5 numbers so far, on ebay. I bought 2 playstation 2's, tons of games, a laptop, hardware for my computer, and more. This is too easy. I would be selling this, but whats the point. All the money I want is in the Credit Cards. Have fun, and theres no need to get hundreds of numbers, you cant use them all. if the credit card is invalid it will not return to yah.