Actually, from Engadget's summary this sounds like RFID as it was designed. RFID done RIGHT.
The only information stored on these will be a unique number to identify the user. That information is useless. I'll go through scenarios that could be done and we'll see why:
1) Someone steals the data on the RFID chip.
Great. Now they have a free train ride, at best, if they can get that number onto their own RFID chip. Not worth the effort There are easier, more lucrative targets for hackers, and that's really the best security you can have in a system, IMO.
2) Someone randomly assigns their own RFID chip a number
It's possible you could get free train rides, but more likely (if whoever designed this system had any brains, and indications are they did) valid numbers follow a specific, complex algorithm, like US dollar ID numbers (they're divisible by 6, hurr)*. Anyways randomly generating RFID numbers would get you mostly invalid numbers that would be rejected. Many valid numbers will be empty accounts, too.
3) Someone erases someone else's RFID chip.
See #1. Not worth the effort to deprive someone of their train ride.
Granted, I can see people doing any of these for kicks, but you're going to see that anywhere, no matter what type of system you use or security measures you employ. In this case, if someone has malicious intent I bet they will skip this and look elsewhere.
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Actually, from Engadget's summary this sounds like RFID as it was designed. RFID done RIGHT.
The only information stored on these will be a unique number to identify the user. That information is useless. I'll go through scenarios that could be done and we'll see why:
1) Someone steals the data on the RFID chip.
Great. Now they have a free train ride, at best, if they can get that number onto their own RFID chip. Not worth the effort There are easier, more lucrative targets for hackers, and that's really the best security you can have in a system, IMO.
2) Someone randomly assigns their own RFID chip a number
It's possible you could get free train rides, but more likely (if whoever designed this system had any brains, and indications are they did) valid numbers follow a specific, complex algorithm, like US dollar ID numbers (they're divisible by 6, hurr)*. Anyways randomly generating RFID numbers would get you mostly invalid numbers that would be rejected. Many valid numbers will be empty accounts, too.
3) Someone erases someone else's RFID chip.
See #1. Not worth the effort to deprive someone of their train ride.
Granted, I can see people doing any of these for kicks, but you're going to see that anywhere, no matter what type of system you use or security measures you employ. In this case, if someone has malicious intent I bet they will skip this and look elsewhere.
* - IIRC