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> and there really isn't a point to do this as long as there are other readers out there that allow you to read the data in plain text. This is the rub. If we

> and there really isn't a point to do this as long as there are other readers out there that allow you to read the data in plain text. This is the rub. If we had that attitude to everything in computing, the world would be a much worse place. Think about what you're saying, and grant me a paraphrasing: devices exist to circumvent traditional card security, so implementing card security is unnecessary. How exactly do you get from A to B, there? Software exists to root iOS; does that mean Apple should give up and stop trying to defend their platform's security? I strongly disagree with any strategy that says "well, the vector's already been exploited, so why bother doing anything about it in our product? It's cheaper if we don't!"

pieter 16y ago
No, the fix is really easy: you drop the magnetic strip and only use chipped credit card (or similar). And this is what all the CC have been moving to already.
- jedsmith 16y ago
  I agree, but good luck getting every mom-and-pop merchant in the entire world to redo their POS. Moving is going to take a long time.
  - drivebyacct2 16y ago
    Not if Mom and Pop's grandkid gave them an iPhone for christmas and all they have to do is plug in a tiny reader
    - teilo 16y ago
      Having worked with many so-called "Mom and Pop" POS systems, I can tell you that it is just not that simple. Most "Mom and Pop" shops are already using integrated hardware/software solutions. How is their iPhone going to transfer transactions into the Accounts Receivable software that is tightly integrated into their register system? There's a lot more to it than just capturing a transaction.
YooLi 16y ago
The data on the magnetic stipe isn't encrypted, just encoded. There is no exploited vector. No one has cracked anything. You can read all about the encoding used and implement your own card reader with just a little Googling. You aren't 'hacking' anything to do so.

pieter 16y ago

No, the fix is really easy: you drop the magnetic strip and only use chipped credit card (or similar). And this is what all the CC have been moving to already.

jedsmith 16y ago
I agree, but good luck getting every mom-and-pop merchant in the entire world to redo their POS. Moving is going to take a long time.
- drivebyacct2 16y ago
  Not if Mom and Pop's grandkid gave them an iPhone for christmas and all they have to do is plug in a tiny reader
  - teilo 16y ago
    Having worked with many so-called "Mom and Pop" POS systems, I can tell you that it is just not that simple. Most "Mom and Pop" shops are already using integrated hardware/software solutions. How is their iPhone going to transfer transactions into the Accounts Receivable software that is tightly integrated into their register system? There's a lot more to it than just capturing a transaction.

YooLi 16y ago

The data on the magnetic stipe isn't encrypted, just encoded. There is no exploited vector. No one has cracked anything. You can read all about the encoding used and implement your own card reader with just a little Googling. You aren't 'hacking' anything to do so.