Infrared PIN Theft
Ok, this one is VERY MUCH WORTH WATCHING. It affects you directly if you use a payment card with a PIN (which is almost everyone these days).
The gist is that with a cheap, unobtrusive, and easily available infrared camera, someone can steal your ATM PIN code by snapping a pic of the keypad right after you use it. Researchers claimed an 80% success rate, and this video shows how easy it is to do.
The video also has some suggestions about how to thwart this attack. It’s easy, and a good habit to get into.
I’ve got some extra tips:
- Don’t use the same card/code for purchases that you do for your bank account. (i.e.: I use my credit card almost everywhere. I’ll only use my bank card at an ATM with metal keys, which aren’t as prone to this attack.)
- Use a card that has some sort of buyer protection on it. (i.e.: I’m not responsible for bogus charges on my credit card.)
- The “tap” option on wireless cards doesn’t have this problem. Of course, Tap has its own problems, so either disable it on your card entirely, or use it as much as possible.
- The key to this attack being so successful (besides it being easy) is that it provides both the code numbers AND their order. If you repeat just ONE number in your code (ex: 1213), the extra heat from your repeated digit should be enough to throw off the ordering and make it harder to crack, even though the number of digits is reduced. (Note: this is just my hypothesis; I haven’t tested it.)
Bonus: Spaceballs!