NFC security issues to be exposed by famed hacker

It’s not been a great week for NFC. The widely-discussed technology-of-the-very-near-future has been dismissed by London’s TFL service as being too slow to work with Oyster Card readers, and now reputable hacker Charlie Miller (pictured) is preparing to put its security through some rigorous tests.

Miller, a security researcher, came to fame for exposing serious security bugs in the MacBook Air at the Pwn2Own hacker conference, bagging him $10,000 and a strong reputation. In 2011, he exposed major security holes in both the iPhone and iPad that could seriously compromise the user’s privacy.

According to Dark Reading, Miller will use the Black Hat conference this year as a platform to “show just how dangerous it can be to pay cabfare with your mobile device, as he demonstrates vulnerabilities he discovered in emerging near-field communications (NFC) technology.”

Ominously, Miller will specifically be checking to see if a smartphone’s NFC radio can be used to “intercept your money or your credit card” or even “take over your phone because you have this new chip [and] functionality.”

If this turns out to be the case, then this could be a huge blow for the technology, which is expected to receive its first big roll-out at the London Olympics this summer. McAfee have also previously stated that the sporting showcase will be a risky place to implement the technology.

[via: BGR]