[LINK] RFI: Disabling an NFC Coil on PayPass/Wave

[Roger Clarke]

Australian banks continue to refuse to provide basic consumer 
protections in relation to NFC-based payment.  They have a choice of 
ways of doing so, but falsely declare to all and sundry that Visa and 
MasterCard dictate that they have to do what they do.  Some 
countries' banks, on the other hand, have implemented sensible 
schemes.

There are guides available on how to drill through the card in order 
to break the coil and prevent the undesired wireless mechanism 
working.

The trick is to do so without harming the (highly desirable) 
contact-based functionality - which still requires, as it should, 
that the card-holder demonstrate that they know the PIN associated 
with the card.

It's also important to avoid damaging the mag stripe and the hologram.

And it's best if the hole is unnoticeable, so that merchants don't 
perceive a need to steal a card because it's been tampered with 
and/or its wireless capability isn't functioning.

So the hole needs to be small, and precisely targeted at a point 
where the coil can be cut without any other aspect of the card being 
damaged.


Has anyone seen any reliable information about the precise location 
of the induction coil on the cards being imposed on Australian 
card-holders?

And is there is a single card-layout in use, or more than one?

The location can be found using an x-ray machine, or perhaps with 
very strong light.  But the job has doubtless already been done by 
someone.


Needless to say, this posting is not a suggestion that people remove 
unwanted functionality from the cards they have issued to them, but 
rather part of my ongoing research into the matter:
http://www.rogerclarke.com/EC/CPS-12.html


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 6916                        http://about.me/roger.clarke
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University