VeriChip is on the defensive after hackers demonstrated they can easily copy the info in one of VeriChip's implanted RFID (Radio Frequency ID) chips. Annalee Newitz and Jonathan Westhues presented their ID cloning expertise at the HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) Number 6 conference in New York City.

Using a a standard RFID reader, Westhues extracted Newitz's chip’s unique identification number. He was also able to do the same using a home-made antenna connected to a laptop. “This is the first time someone has cloned an human-implanted RFID chip," said Newitz who had a VeriChip RFID chip implanted in her right arm. “Their Web site claims that it cannot be counterfeited — that is something that Jonathan and I have shown to be untrue. It actually has no security devices what-so-ever.”

VeriChip declined to comment until it has seen first-hand evidence of the cloning. The company did say stealing VeriChip is "very difficult...it’ s much more secure than anything you’d carry around in your wallet." Of course, stealing the chip without a scalpel or sharp fingernails would be a feat. It's the information it holds that appears far from being secure.