Fergie's Tech Blog

DefCon: e-Passports Hacked in New Security Threat

Chris Zappone writes on CNNMoney.com:

As the nation grapples with difficulties getting new passports, a technology researcher has found another problem with the radio frequency ID technology the new documents carry.

Computer security expert Lukas Grunwald cloned and manipulated the content of a RFID passport, then used the hacked e-Passport to crash the machine needed to read it.

RFID technology combines silicon chips with antennas to make data accessible via radio waves. It's already a $650 million industry, according to ABI Research, which expects the market to more than triple by 2011.

Technologists, however, have insisted for that RFID technology as implemented in the U.S. Passport is not secure and cannot assure privacy.

The U.S. government began rolling out RFID-chipped E-passports last year over the objections of numerous security experts.

posted by Fergie @ 8/04/2007 11:25:00 AM