You can’t “Just do it” with Nike + iPod
December 5th, 2006 Leave a comment Visited 82 times, 2 so far today
You can’t “Just do it” with Nike + iPod
Wearing a Nike + iPod can definitely get you noticed, even to people you may not want to be noticed by.
Riding high on the list of must have’s, the Nike + iPod has been found to have a security threat, according to a research by University of Washington.
The Nike + iPod combo gadget basically enables the runner to look at how far he has run and how fast, at an instant. This is done by the gizmo in the runner’s shoe that is responsible for transmitting data to the iPod. This data, however might not just be personal to the runner. The gizmo could well be sending out data to unwanted sources as well.
Scott Saponass, Jonathan Lester, Carl Hartung and Tadayoshi Kohno, all researchers from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, in a statement said, “”A bad person could use this information to compromise your personal privacy and safety. We describe specific example scenarios, like stalking, in our paper.”
The transmission of this private information of your whereabouts is done by the radio frequency identification chip (RFID), by sending the encrypted data to a receiver connect with the iPod. The range of the information being broadcast, 60 feet, is the main cause of concern for security of the gadgets user. This information can be tapped by someone trying to keep a track of your movements, from 60 feet away.
A typical scenario where the spread of this private information could be harmful is, a burglar can record the movements of a house owner. He can know when the owner moves out of the house and when he comes back, by just placing a small computer equipment for reading the unique identifier. This equipment can be hidden near to the users house, like the front door or the bushes besides the entrance, where it can go undetected. Every time the shoe passes by the equipment, the burglar will know that the owner is out and make freeway for him to break in.
Building a network of sensors to track the movements of people isn’t a far fetched possibility with plotting the tracking information on something like a Google Map. Making such an equipment would be far less expensive as compared to the information it can provide. As per the researchers a small prototype of such an equipment – a WiFi enabled Nike + iPod surveillance network was prepared by them for less than $ 250.
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December 5th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
What utter, utter nonsense !
As if a burglar is somehow going to build and install a device that possibly monitors whether one person in a household is home or not (depending on whether they wear their jogging shoes) ! This is a theoretical exploit, but there’s a world of difference between that and a real-world threat to security and privacy. I could build a radio tracking device with GPS positioning, and attach it to your car and know your every movement – the technology is present today – but I doubt you’re really worried about such things happening to you. If I wanted to follow you, I’d do just that – follow you. This is the real world. Not James Bond.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
The most charitable word I can use to describe this fear-mongering is silly. Silly because who wears their $100 running shoes around the house all the time? Silly because the iPod+Nike radio device is easy to take out of your shoe when you’re done running (it even has a button you can push to turn off the transmitter, though it goes to sleep on its own after a couple minutes of inactivity). Silly because aren’t there about a million easier ways to track someone’s movements? I’ll be waiting for the follow-up story about why it’s dangerous to drive a car because someone could watch you drive by and know which direction you’re going! Scary!
December 5th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
The TV show Law and Order already did an episode on tracking using a RFID chip a couple three weeks ago. Not in the shoe but in the victims shoulder. Seem to work real well until she got an infection in the shoulder.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:25 pm
What does the phrase “Just Do It” have to do with the article? What you talk about in the article does not stop people from doing anything. Starting an article with a catchy lie is not a good idea.
William, TV shows are not real life. What are you trying to say, that people should watch out for infections in their feet because of the RFID tag in their shoes? That doesn’t make sense.
RFID is here to stay, in passports, library books, and more and more things you buy at the store. This is a lot bigger issue than Nike + iPod.
December 6th, 2006 at 8:15 am
THIS JUST IN! Using sophisticated optical surveillance, an evildoer can track your movements by intercepting light waves that reflect off your clothes and even your skin!
Wearing any article of clothing or no clothing can definitely get you noticed, even to people you may not want to be noticed by.
Riding high on the list of must have’s, clothing has been found to have a security threat, according to a research by University of Washington.
The optical light waves basically enable the runner to look at how far he has run and how fast, at an instant. This is done by light waves reflecting off the runner’s environment and interpreted by the runner into distance and speed. This data, however might not just be personal to the runner. The light waves could well be sending out data to unwanted sources as well.
Scott Saponass, Jonathan Lester, Carl Hartung and Tadayoshi Kohno, all researchers from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, in a statement said, “”A bad person could use this information to compromise your personal privacy and safety. We describe specific example scenarios, like stalking, in our paper.”
The transmission of this private information of your whereabouts is done by the visual spectrum of light, by sending the unencrypted data to a receiver connected with the observer’s brain. The range of the information being broadcast, well over 300 feet, is the main cause of concern for security of the clothes user. This information can be tapped by someone trying to keep a track of your movements, from 60 feet away, or more.
A typical scenario where the spread of this private information could be harmful is, a burglar can record the movements of a house owner. He can know when the owner moves out of the house and when he comes back, by just looking with his eyes. This burglar can be hidden near to the users house, like the street or in the bushes besides the entrance, where it can go unnoticed. Every time the runner passes by the burglar, the burglar will know that the owner is out and make freeway for him to break in.
Building a network of sensors to track the movements of people isn’t a far fetched possibility with plotting the tracking information on something like a Google Map. Making such an equipment would be far less expensive as compared to the information it can provide. As per the researchers a small group of non-blind persons can create a surveillance network for less than $15, or the cost of lunch paid to the 3 observers in exchange for spying on the runner.