December 04, 2006

A Computer Science student has discovered that it is potentially possible to track people using the Nike+iPod running system.

Nike+ iPod gives runners real-time updates about the speed and length of their workouts via a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device that fits into the soles of Nike shoes, and then sends the data to a small receiver plugged into an iPod Nano.
 
University of Washington student T. Scott Saponas and his team (computer science professor Yoshi Kohno and fellow graduate students Carl Hartung and Jonathan Lester ) purchased a Nike+iPod system and endeavoured to find out whether users could be tracked if they wore it.
 
The students built an elaborate monitoring system using a Windows XP computer and mini ‘gumstix’ trackers behind trees, fences and elsewhere.
 
A gumstix device is a tiny Linux-based US$79 computer, which needs an antenna, making it difficult to fully conceal.
 
The study led the team to discover, they believe,  many potential security flaws in the Nike+iPod system.  

Full extent of the track

The team discovered that the system could be mapped to a GoogleMaps system, tracking people in real-time via the radio transmitter fitted into the sole of the Nike shoe.
 
Also, further investigation led the team to find that, as the transmitter is a unique identifier, it can be picked up by any iPod (or tracking device) within a range of 60 feet – a much greater distance than most Bluetooth devices. However, the transmitter can be turned off when not in use, but users must remember to do it manually. During the study, the researchers found that few users bothered to do this.
 
Such a flaw in the running system could, some suggest, lead to security issues, such as stalking. The team offer a solution in their report - to be published Thursday – which is to build the sensors to speak only to the user.
 
Professor Yoshi Kohno told Wired.com: “Using relatively standard cryptographic techniques, you could make it very difficult to listen to broadcasts from somebody else's sensor.”
 
 At the time of going to press, Apple had yet to officially respond.

 Source: scenta

Tracking a jogger with Nike+iPod

Posted Dec 4th 2006 1:43PM by Grant Robertson

The tin-foil hat wearers have long warned about what could happen in a world full of RFID chips. Being tracked via your shoes, clothes or other accessories by someone with a $300 and a little time to kill might seem far fetched, but a few doctoral students at the University of Washington have managed to do exactly that.

The Nike+iPod kit released earlier this year is at the heart of a $300 hack that could allow your every move to be tracked, if someone is willing to go to the effort.

LiveScience reports, "a stalker could hide receivers near a home, a gym or other locations to closely monitor the target's movements. Hiding multiple devices on a college campus could result in a network that would report the data to a computer in a dorm room via a common campus-wide wireless network"

It's a weird wired (wireless?) world these days but, fear not. The researchers offer you an easy way to protect yourself, "Protection is fairly simple: Just switch the device off. It is sold with the power on, and most users never bother."

[via LiveScience]

Nike and Apple Team Up to Launch Nike+iPod

Posted May 23rd 2006 2:26PM by Grant Robertson