RFID chips used to track weapons could be used by enemy to track troops

Otis Mayfield

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Sep 17, 2021
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Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.

The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a “significant” security risk.

The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.

RFID, as the technology is known, is infused throughout daily civilian life. Thin RFID tags help drivers zip through toll booths, hospitals locate tools and supermarkets track their stock. Tags are in some identity documents, airline baggage tags and even amusement park wristbands.

When embedded in military guns, RFID tags can trim hours off time-intensive tasks, such as weapon counts and distribution. Outside the armory, however, the same silent, invisible signals that help automate inventory checks could become an unwanted tracking beacon.



Oops!
 
Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.

The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a “significant” security risk.

The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.

RFID, as the technology is known, is infused throughout daily civilian life. Thin RFID tags help drivers zip through toll booths, hospitals locate tools and supermarkets track their stock. Tags are in some identity documents, airline baggage tags and even amusement park wristbands.

When embedded in military guns, RFID tags can trim hours off time-intensive tasks, such as weapon counts and distribution. Outside the armory, however, the same silent, invisible signals that help automate inventory checks could become an unwanted tracking beacon.



Oops!
What range do you think RFID is capable of?
 
Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found.

The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a “significant” security risk.

The Marines have rejected radio frequency identification technology in weapons for that very reason, and the Navy said this week that it was halting its own dalliance.

RFID, as the technology is known, is infused throughout daily civilian life. Thin RFID tags help drivers zip through toll booths, hospitals locate tools and supermarkets track their stock. Tags are in some identity documents, airline baggage tags and even amusement park wristbands.

When embedded in military guns, RFID tags can trim hours off time-intensive tasks, such as weapon counts and distribution. Outside the armory, however, the same silent, invisible signals that help automate inventory checks could become an unwanted tracking beacon.



Oops!
I guess it depends on which units they are tracking. For example, you dont need a tracking device in order to know where a Marine Battalion is.
 
Active RFID range is 1+ km, passive RFID is generally less than 12 meters. If they're using active RFID then it's potentially a bad thing, passive not so much.

Contractors that retrofit armories say tags can be read only within a limited range, typically a few dozen feet or less. But in field testing for AP, two prominent cybersecurity experts showed that a tag inside a rifle can be read from significantly farther, using inexpensive components that fit inside a backpack.

Supposedly with the right equipment, you can read a tag at 1,100 feet.
 
..I was in the USMC for years......weapons counts? the armorers don't have anything better to do...they get paid to do counts ....
 
Contractors that retrofit armories say tags can be read only within a limited range, typically a few dozen feet or less. But in field testing for AP, two prominent cybersecurity experts showed that a tag inside a rifle can be read from significantly farther, using inexpensive components that fit inside a backpack.

Supposedly with the right equipment, you can read a tag at 1,100 feet.
Doesn't surprise me.
 
Doesn't surprise me.
...about 300 yards??? like Godboy said, it depends on the unit size/etc.....and the operation....terrain/etc .....day/night..etc
..if you are in the desert, 300 yards is too late .....
...more than likely, the US forces will find the enemy long before 300 yards
 
...about 300 yards??? like Godboy said, it depends on the unit size/etc.....and the operation....terrain/etc .....day/night..etc
..if you are in the desert, 300 yards is too late .....
...more than likely, the US forces will find the enemy long before 300 yards
Okay......... What do you think you're reading into what I posted? :dunno:
 
I hate to say it but motivated (mostly) foreign hackers are smarter than U.S. government trained computer geeks including CIA drones.
 
Active RFID range is 1+ km, passive RFID is generally less than 12 meters. If they're using active RFID then it's potentially a bad thing, passive not so much.
Active requires a battery. 1km takes a substantial battery.
 

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