A microchip in the balloon donated by Putin to Trump: controversy over security



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NEW YORK – A spying ball from the White House? There is controversy in the United States over the gift that Vladimir Putin made to Donald Trump during the joint press conference in Helsinki: the official football of the World Cup in Russia. Adidas has released a hi-tech version that contains a chip that can communicate and transmit information to mobile phones, tablets or personal computers nearby. This is reported by the Bloomberg agency, with images showing the Adidas balloon given to the tycoon with the near field communication system logo. The chip – advertised as a cool gadget for fans because it allows you to watch game videos and special content once a mobile device is placed – is hidden directly in the balloon logo. The balloon is on sale online, before it costs $ 165 and now it has fallen to 83.

in reproduction ….

It did not take long because – between Serious and mischievous – spreading the "Trojan Horse" syndrome: the idea that an object that the president might place in an environment where crucial decisions can be made could serve as a transmitter to the enemy's ears , those of the Russians.

There are no indications – Adidas also does not want to comment – that these chips have security flaws. The chip, explains Bloomberg, can not be changed, in that the technical parameters can not be changed. It is also not possible to understand whether the bullet given by the Russian President actually contained the chip, or even if it had been tampered with, or if it was an object manufactured for the occasion. Certainly for this ball – as for all the other gifts exchanged between the leaders – was followed by a protocol of security checks. But no confirmation has been received from the White House about the presence or absence of a flea, nor whether the ball will be kept in presidential environments.


  A microchip in the balloon donated by Putin to Trump: security controversy

The chip uses the same technology used for "contactless" payments, that is to say only by bringing the smartphone closer to the receiving device, like Apple Pay and Google Pay. In theory, these are technologies that could be used for hacking, but according to experts consulted by Bloomberg, such an attack across the soccer ball seems unlikely also because it would require that the owner of the game. risk device – in this case the president – voluntarily uninstall all the protections that make him vulnerable. Which, at least for the moment, at the White House can not happen.

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