Security Management daily reports that technology designed to track shipping containers could make ports more vulnerable to a terrorist attack, according to a study conducted by private security firm Powers International.Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is used in a variety of ways, including in retail anti-theft systems and to collect highway tolls. However, it has also been described as a way to make ports safer by giving officials the ability to track the contents of shipping containers from suppliers to delivery.
The Powers International study illustrated a flaw in the system that could allow terrorists to easily set off explosives hidden in a container. The RFID system includes an electronic tag, which is activated using a radio signal. In November 2007, a detonator used an RFID reader signal to detonate a small explosive placed in an empty container.
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