RFID Security Alliance Emerges As New Industry Resource

Sep 2, 2008 3:17 PM

The RFID Security Alliance (RFIDSA) is a new resource for the radio frequency identification (RFID) industry, driving market education and discussion about security and privacy issues surrounding the use of RFID technologies, solutions and applications. RFIDSA seeks to be a visible resource to the RFID community through people, tools, market presence and organizational involvement.

“Founding members of the RFID Security Alliance all share a common vision of implementing RFID applications with the appropriate level of security and privacy, balancing risk and cost,” says Mike Ahmadi, chairman of the RFIDSA and COO of GraniteKey. “We want others to realize that security and privacy are functions that can successfully be part of an RFID solution, and that should be considered during the design process, not after.”

The RFIDSA has several goals and objectives, including:

• Education – To educate all stakeholders (e.g. Alliance members, potential users, analysts, educational institutions, media, etc.) about security and privacy issues as they relate to RFID, in addition to associated technologies and processes.
• Metrics – To develop metrics that may be used to establish common terminology around security robustness within the industry.
• Dialog – To foster an open, two-way dialog within the RFID community.
• Resources – To provide information and support to stakeholders involved in RFID development and implementation. This includes developing and publishing a public reference list of RFID vendors involved in the RFIDSA.
• Legislative and PR Involvement – To inspire all RFIDSA members to become involved in, and monitor social and legislative initiatives with respect to RFID security and privacy. This includes addressing myths surrounding RFID security, and promoting positive legislation and perception through sensible analysis. Also included is examining and commenting on the liabilities of those who ignore the security implications in RFID development and implementation.
• Demonstration Technologies – To have the capability to effectively demonstrate the RFIDSA concepts and initiatives, including the development of RFID security threat assessment models.
• Acceleration of Secure RFID – To foster an environment that leads to sensible and rapid adoption of secure RFID technologies and solutions.

Founding members of the RFIDSA include AWID, GraniteKey, MIKOH Corp., NeoCatena Networks Inc., QLM Consulting, SecureRF Corp., Sensitel, Sybase and Verayo. Companies with a substantial business in providing RFID or security hardware, software, or services are encouraged to inquire about membership with the RFIDSA. Law firms, consulting firms, accounting firms and educational institutions interested in the RFID security issue are also welcome.

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