RFID malware: truth vs. myth

On 15 March 2006, our research team at Vrije Universiteit published a paper about RFID malware entitled "Is Your Cat Infected with a Computer Virus?" as well as a companion Web site (www.rfidvirus.org). Our paper introduced the concept of RFID malware and presented an accompanying proof-of-concept RFID virus. The paper ultimately resulted in a huge amount of media attention; within 24 hours of presenting it at the Fourth Annual IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (IEEE PerCom), we received more than 200 email messages. Amid this chaos, our research paper received the conference's best paper award for high impact. In the months that followed, reports of RFID malware prompted reactions from the RFID industry, the antivirus industry, and the US and Dutch governments.