Faraday Bags – Do they protect your electronics by stopping digital theft?
They go by a few different names; Faraday bags RF Shielding bags Privacy bags and signal blocking bags
but do they all do the same job and are they a worthwhile investment? In this post we will cover the growing threat of cybercrime and the security of your personal information, and the best way to protect that information.
It’s practically impossible in today’s modern world to avoid having your personal details or private information stored online somewhere, or on any of an increasing number of different electrical gadgets you may perpetually accumulate.
The problem is that all this amazing technology that people put their unerring faith in is susceptible to attacks from even moderately skilled hackers.
Once targeted, a persons ID can be been stolen, their bank accounts emptied, and any secrets they may have locked away that they would rather stay locked away could easily be found and then used to extort them in some way.
ID theft and data breach is already a huge problem yet these crimes still continue to increase globally and show no signs of abating. It doesn’t seem to matter how quickly tech companies improve their security measures hackers are even quicker at breaking through or circumnavigating them!
It seems there is little that can be done to stop a determined hacker.
It is impossible to completely protect your information whilst you are connected to a network or are online because phones and computers are the primary methods by which hackers illegally gain access to your information.
It’s an unfortunate truth that even with the most up-to-date protection you will still be seriously outgunned and extremely vulnerable to cyber attacks.
If you doubt the validity of what I’ve just written then consider this; if the US Government has cyber systems and protocols that have the highest level of protection possible yet are still prone to regular hacking, how on earth can Joe public honestly expect to keep hackers out of their home computers or cell phones? However, even though that may be the case, it shouldn’t stop you from ramping up your cyber security.
In general, as with many lower level criminals, most low level hackers are lazy and impatient. They will always prefer to go after information that is easier to gain access to.
In short, if your system is harder to access than the next person’s then whose system do you think will end up being targeted?
Moving on…
There is one type of cyber crime that is massively on the increase and unlike the one covered above, you can actually do something to STOP yourself becoming a victim.
Digital pick pocketing is the criminal activity whereby a hacker, who will be in VERY close proximity to the target, will use a specific type of scanner to scan a person for any item that carries electronic information; this could be your laptop, cell, credit cards, even your passport, and then use that scanner to steal all of the information it finds.
The real problem with this particular crime is that it is usually carried out extremely quickly, often without a person realizing they’ve been targeted, unfortunately not until a lot later, by which time the perpetrator has probably done the same to any number of unsuspecting targets.
The best way to stop digital pick pockets is to use a relatively simple and inexpensive item called an RF shield bag which can also be referred to as a Faraday bag.
Faraday Bags and RF Shield Bags – Are they the same?
The first thing you need to be aware of is that the term Faraday bag has been very much generalized and not every product that is sold as a Faraday bag will provide the same protection for your electronics.
However, ALL bags that are called Faraday bags should at least provide protection for your electronic devices from EMI or electromagnetic interference; you can learn more about the importance of EMP protection here.
More advanced types of Faraday bags will also provide added protection that will also block radio frequencies as well as electromagnetic interference, this much improved protection makes this bag an RF Shield bag and it is this type of bag that you should be looking for if data protection and privacy is your main objective.
How does a Faraday Bag with RF Shielding Work?
As outlined above, a Faraday bag with added RF Shielding will stop all radio frequencies as well as EMI from reaching its contents which is great for protecting your data thereby stopping those pick pocketing hackers we mentioned previously.
Unfortunately, RF shielding does not determine which radio frequencies are good and which are disruptive. What this means is that all signals are blocked; your cell will not have a signal, your device will not pick up Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and GPS devices will not pick up a satellite signal!
RF shielding is achieved by layering conductive and magnetic materials in between polyester and plastic layers. Metals commonly used or combined are Copper, Aluminum, Steel, and Nickel Silver. These metals are commonly woven into a fabric type material, often referred to as Faraday fabric, which makes them much easier to use.
These conductive and magnetic materials block all EMI (Electromagnetic interference) and RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from coupling with any electronics protected within them.
What should you be look for when buying a Faraday Bag?
First things first, you need to decide if you are looking for a Faraday bag which will only protect your electronics from an electromagnetic pulse, or do you need one that also offers RF shielding? The biggest difference between the two, apart from the levels of protection, is cost.
Inevitably Faraday bags incorporating RF Shielding, (also known as Privacy bags and Signal blocking bags) are going to be much more expensive than those offering basic EMI protection, but seeing as the general theme of this post is data protection, that is what we will move forward with.
Dual Paired Seams
There are many different brands and styles of RF shielding bags some are padded for added protection against knocks, whilst others aren’t, and they can vary considerably in price.
Lower price tags will usually point to cheaper materials and inferior products, this isn’t always the case but generally speaking a high quality Faraday bag will be what is known as being, “dual paired seamed”.
A Faraday bag with dual paired seaming is basically a bag with multiple layers of protection and with more layers comes greater protection.
Good Closure!
A Faraday bag is absolutely useless if its integrity is undermined and generally speaking, the weakest point of every bag or wallet will be its opening.
Most bags will incorporate a single flap opening which, as long as the bag is well made, should be perfectly fine. However, if you are not in the habit of taking chances then opt for a bag that uses double roll or double fold closure
Fabrics Used
As mentioned previously, the fabric used to makes these bags is called Faraday fabric. These metallic fabrics can be made using a number of different metals; the higher the conductivity of the metal used in the fabric the more expensive the fabric is. However, the higher the conductivity of the fabric the more effective it will be at blocking EMI and RFI.
RF Shielding is measured in Decibels and you should be looking for any bag that has an attenuation of 60Db and above as these are classed as being high shielding.
