The SmartSwipe: Additional security at a high cost

Jacqueline DiOrio 4 Jun, 2010 at 5:15pm ET Article published in Tech

Anytime you use your credit or debit card online, your information could be stolen. Keyloggers and spyware track your every move, and there’s a variety of ways in which you could be taken advantage of. NetSecure’s SmartSwipe is a little device that seeks to protect you from that.

SmartSwipe is a USB card reader that protects you when making online purchases. It scans the information on your card, encrypts it, and sends it to the website you’re using without the data ever displaying on your screen. This makes your purchases safer, and also means that you don’t have to spend the time typing in the numbers yourself. It appears to be a safe and quick way to make purchases online.

How to use it

When you plug in the SmartSwipe, a bunch of blue lights will show up on the device, showing that it’s working. From there, you will go to the SmartSwipe website to download a program. After a short installation and a reboot, you have to configure the SmartSwipe with your browser. Then, you can tell that it’s working by looking for the SmartSwipe symbol, which will appear at the top left corner of your browser.

Benefits of using the SmartSwipe

This is how your information displays

The SmartSwipe protects your information by encrypting your data whenever you use it, making it a safer way to shop online. The SmartSwipe uses Dynamic SSL technology to encrypt information before it gets to your computer, making it very safe in transit. Additionally, the information isn’t stored on the SmartSwipe, and doesn’t appear on the screen when you use it, meaning that keyloggers, anyone else using your device, and someone looking at your screen cannot take your credit card numbers. Furthermore, the process of using it is extremely fast. Simply click the SmartSwipe icon on the browser, swipe your card, and all of your information is there.

Disadvantages of the SmartSwipe

There are also some bad things about the device. The biggest flaw of the SmartSwipe is that it only works with Internet Explorer. That means any other browsers are out of the question, as well as any programs like Steam. This makes it extremely inconvenient for many users that don’t use Internet Explorer, and calls into question how effective the security on the device could be, considering that Internet Explorer is arguably the least secure browser available. Furthermore, it adds more steps into the process for anyone that regularly uses another browser.

The SmartSwipe also doesn’t work with Macs, so any Apple fans are out of luck. The SmartSwipe website unhelpfully adds that the device works fine with any Macs that are dual booted.

The SmartSwipe is also rather expensive. The list price for the SmartSwipe is $79.99, though Amazon has it for $49.99.

Final Thoughts

Internet Explorer users that make a large number of online purchases or crave a little extra security might like the SmartSwipe, but it’s likely to miss the mark for everyone else. Between the $49.99 barrier to entry, the browser restrictions and a rather single-minded purpose, the SmartSwipe is simply a tough sell: most won’t see the need, and those that do won’t see much value.

Anyone interested in purchasing the SmartSwipe can find it on Amazon, or at any one of these locations.

Comments

4 Jun 2010 ~ 5:36pm primesuspect So all it REALLY does is protect "over the shoulder oh no I saw your credit card number" from a malicious person standing over you... If you have a keylogger, credit card fraud is going to be the least of your concerns; especially since many banks rely on email authentication. If you have a keylogger going, they can probably fuck your life over in worse ways than stealing your CC#.

I see this is a reactionary device to quell the fear of people from an older generation (i.e. my parents) who say OH NO HACKERS CAN STEAL MY CREDIT CARD? I NEED PROTECTION. It seems like more of a security blankie than anything useful.
4 Jun 2010 ~ 6:24pm ardichoke I could see this being used for POS terminals in some situations. For instance, at my old university, they had a kiosk in the Administration building where you could check your bill, print it, etc. You add one of these to it and suddenly you can use that kiosk to securely take payments too.

For home use though... yeah... overpriced and not very useful.
4 Jun 2010 ~ 7:18pm drasnor
4 Jun 2010 ~ 7:21pm Preacher Do they offer a Senior Citizen discount?
4 Jun 2010 ~ 10:45pm NLichtman Is it just me, or does it look kind of like a fedora?
4 Jun 2010 ~ 10:55pm GnomeQueen I was thinking Darth Vader's helmet.