RFID Blocking: Definition, How It Works & Why You Need It

Learn how Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication combats data breaches, weak passwords, and phishing attacks.

Nearly every credit/debit card or mobile phone offers radio frequency identification (RFID), which allows for “contactless payment.” This means that you can simply wave your bank card, ID, or phone over a device, which then registers your information and submits it to the appropriate system. 

This technology has made a wide range of transactions simpler for both businesses and customers. RFID chips have also improved speed across toll roads, keeping track of cattle on larger farms, and the processing of visa information for international travel. 

However, RFID technology is also prone to a new type of hacking called contactless crime since the process relies on the continuous transmission of sensitive information. This is worrisome for consumers who want this easy access, but who do not want to broadcast their bank details, personal identifying information, or other sensitive information. 

RFID blocking devices like wallets have since been invented and marketed as a solution to this problem, but are these technologies worth the investment to block potential hackers? 

Does RFID blocking work?

It is possible for someone to attempt to steal your identifying information with their own RFID scanners. These are called skimming attacks, and credit and debit cards are particularly vulnerable to this type of activity. 

A criminal with the right scanning technology can simply walk past a group of people in a line and pick up information from the cards or IDs of anyone who has unshielded RFID cards on their person. While you can turn your phone on and off, or use some software to protect your computer, you cannot install software onto your bank card or turn it off to prevent criminals from accessing your RFID chip. 

The simplest form of RFID blocking for consumers is to make a wallet, purse, or bag out of aluminium foil and tape to hold it together. This blocks the radio signals between any cards or identifying documents you are carrying and potential hackers who might walk by, attempting to scrape this information from you. However, these solutions are not visually appealing or convenient. 

RFID blocking materials (like the aforementioned aluminium foil) can prevent scanning in skimming attacks or similar hacks. The encoding process in RFID relies on magnetisation in specific patterns that can be picked up when they are unshielded, but many new products use a combination of carbon fibre and aluminium, contained in an appealing case, to protect your documents and bank cards from hacking theft. 

RFID uses magnetisation to “print” necessary informatio