Researchers of Radboud University in Nijmegen in the Netherlands managed to crack and clone London’s Oyster travel card. They were able to take free rides on the Underground and even perpetrated a DDoS attack on a Tube gate.

My wife and I welcomed our first child into the world a few weeks ago. During our hospital stay, we were informed that each baby was equipped with an electronic device which would set off an alarm should the baby be removed from the postpartum floor. If that happened this entire wing of the hospital would be shut down (doors locked, elevators halted), and security would arrive. We were warned about this mostly in the context of a warning not to accidentally wander outside the confines of the postpartum floor, however I wanted to know more. I was informed that they did test the security regularly with drills (imagine that!) and that yes, there was a reason for all this. I of course wanted to test their security myself, but my wife, a woman whose common sense far outstrips my own, prevented me from doing so. (In retrospect, this was probably for the better). I also noted that a small electronic device which looked an awful lot like an RFID device was attached to the baby’s umbilical stump. (Probably smart, because bracelets and ankle bracelets can always be cut or otherwise removed. The umbilical stump cannot be removed without considerably more work).

More research reveals that my experience was not unique, and that the security is not based on fabricated fears. The national center for missing and exploited children reports that there have been 248 infant abductions in the past 25 years, and 121 of them have been from hospitals. While this seems like an extremely low number, (and a surprisingly large number of them are recovered, even before the advent of this technology), I have a feeling that hospitals have found this to be relatively inexpensive given that they probably have most of their infrastructure in place, and the potential loss is incalculable. (Until the lawyers show up that is).

As for the technology, there are evidently two types:

The first is an anti-theft device similar to what clothing stores use. The second, more reliable choice is a radio-frequency transmitter that sends a continuous stream of information to a computer at a nurses station. Once that is removed or cut, an alarm sounds.

(You can bet I like the later system better).

This is apparently also being deployed overseas.