More and more banks and official card issuers are offering their customers RFID-compatible plastic. These "contactless" cards are supposed to provide greater speed and security in transactions, but the Contactless Infusion X5 device demonstrates exactly the opposite. According to its creators, the Infusion X5 can read and copy any RFID debit and/or credit card at a maximum distance of 8 centimeters.
The MythBusters Censorship
One of the most notable cases of "censorship" suffered by the MythBusters program was when Adam and Jamie planned to do a segment dedicated to RFID. The response, according to Adam himself, turned out to be a battalion of lawyers representing the main plastic card issuers, among which Visa, American Express and Discover were mentioned. Adam then tried to "adjust" his statements, saying that the cancellation had been the producer's decision, and not the Discovery channel or its sales department... but something tells us that Adam was under some legal pressure at that time, like a confidentiality clause or similar. The point is that for years we have had the feeling that RFID is a real carnival in terms of security... and now arrives via the Dark Web the Contactless Infusion X5, a device capable of reading and cloning RFID debit/credit cards at eight centimeters away.
The Cost and the Package
It is necessary to introduce a small pause here. RFID readers have existed for a long time in the market, and you can buy one on eBay today for five or six dollars. If the idea is to dump the content onto a "blank" card, the final amount is higher, but it should not exceed 100 dollars. The group CC Buddies, responsible for the Contactless Infusion X5, asks for 1.2 Bitcoins in exchange for the device, something like 820 dollars at its current exchange rate. Apparently, the Infusion X5 extracts RFID data from a compatible card and encrypts it, to then be read under a Windows-compatible program, and dumped onto other plastics. The complete package includes reader, cables, battery (up to ten hours of duration) and twenty cards ready to be recorded.
Specifications and the Big Question
According to its specifications, the device can read cards compatible with the 13.56 MHz band, whose implementation also extends to examples such as biometric passports, and the new German identity documents. This "first generation" seems to be focused only on cards issued by banks (credit, debit), but its creators are working to expand compatibility with other types of cards. The big doubt lies in the real utility of the Contactless Infusion X5. The information available on the card depends on the issuer, however, we cannot deny that the risk exists. Now, who is going to be crazy enough to pay more than 800 dollars in bitcoins for a device that may be a scam in itself...?
