Forgetting a password is a fairly common mistake that normally does not have major consequences, but there are cases in which things are more serious. Today we learned the story of a man who has forgotten the password for a chip he has implanted in his hand. And there is no way to get it back.
What has happened? They tell it in Futurism. The protagonist of our story is called Zi Teng Wang and a few years ago he thought that implanting an RFID chip would be fun for his magic shows. According to what he says on his Facebook page, after trying several uses that did not convince him too much, he programmed the chip so that when he scanned it with a cell phone a meme would appear. One day, the link where he had hosted the image stopped working and when he went to change it, he realized that he had forgotten the password for the chip, so now he has a chip in his hand that redirects to a broken page.
A solution. It is not possible to use the classic “I forgot my password”, so Zi Teng Wang has consulted with friends who are technologically savvy and they have told him that the only option to regain access is to hack the chip. Simply use an RFID reader and try all possible combinations. The problem is that you have it in your hand, so you would have to strap the reader to your hand or remove the chip. In the end he decided to let it be and is glad that the link to the meme worked again.
Biohacking. In 2016, implanting RFID or NFC chips in the body was very fashionable. RFID technology is the same as that used in the chips that are implanted in dogs and cats, while NFC is what we usually use to transfer data between mobile phones or pay. These chips do not have a battery, but rather work passively by “responding” with identification when a reader approaches.
Years ago there were people who did it so they could open doors or unlock their computer simply by reaching out with their hand and also to pass their contact information. Currently, the original biohacking has been overshadowed by more ambitious proposals that aim for extreme longevity with figures like Bryan Johnson and more advanced technologies such as brain chips proposed by companies like Neuralink.
epic forgetfulness. Being left with a chip in your body that is useless is a chore, but it is even fun when compared to other cases of forgotten passwords. In 2021 we learned the story of a German engineer who lost the password to his bitcoin wallet, whose value amounted to 256 million euros. And it has not been the only one, it is estimated that there are at least 3.7 million bitcoins lost for the same reason.
Image | Cottonbro Studio on Pexels, edited
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