The attached article examines the explosive adoption of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology across industries and the emerging security concerns that threaten its continued growth. As organizationsfrom the U.S. Department of Defense to livestock ranchers and healthcare providersincreasingly rely on RFID for tracking assets, the industry must confront vulnerabilities that could undermine both privacy and trust in this pervasive technology.
Attacks
In the face of demonstrated attackssuch as drive-by cloning of passport tagsRFID systems are exposed to a spectrum of threats at multiple points: the tag itself, the reader (interrogator), and the air interface. Common attack vectors include mimicking (spoofing, cloning, malicious code), information gathering (skimming, eavesdropping, data tampering), and denial-of-service tactics (reader jamming, tag blocking or killing). Each of these can compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability, potentially disrupting business operations and eroding user confidence.
Defense
To address these challenges, international standards bodies have moved to embed security into RFID deployments. ISO/IEC TR 24729-4 lays out guidelines for tag data securitycovering encryption, authentication, and secure data transmissionwhile balancing cost, storage constraints, and read-performance requirements. The report recommends leveraging a suite of countermeasures (e.g., unique tag identifiers per ISO 15963, password protection, and cryptographic controls) and employs the OWASP DREAD model to assess and prioritize risks. Ongoing work by ISO/IEC SC 31s WG 7 seeks to harmonize these efforts into a coherent framework that ensures interoperability, efficiency, and privacy as RFID becomes ever more ubiquitous.