RFID passport cracked
p2pnet.net News:- There are widespread fears that passports embedded with RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags might not only be abused by government agencies, but also that they might also interest technically adept criminals.
And with that in mind, German hacker Lukas Grunwald showed attendees at the Defcon computer security conference in Las Vegas how someone could duplicate an RFID information chip with an inexpensive RFID reader and smart card writer
Spy chips are being imbedded in all new German passports and the US plans to start issuing passports with RFID tags in October, says Deutsche Welle, but, “If there is an automatic inspection system, I can use this card to enter any country,” it has Grunwald saying.
A project that took “two weeks and $5,000 (3,900 euros) in legal fees” to complete showed data stored on RFID tags can be copied, but not altered, says the story.
“The whole passport design is totally brain damaged,” Grunwald told wired.com, quoted in vnunet.net. “From my point of view all of these RFID passports are a huge waste of money. They’re not increasing security at all.”
He carries his own passport in a pouch lined with aluminum foil so it can’t be read by “unauthorized parties,” adds the story..
Also See:
Deutsche Welle – Expert: German E-Passports Not Secure August 7, 2006
vnunet.net – Biometric passports cracked, August 7, 2006
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