New Irish biometric passports very insecure

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The new Irish RFID passports launched last week will broadcast the holder's identity info (name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality etc) wherever they go. They work like the motorway toll (eg "Easypass") devices - but they have far more critical info to give away to identity thieves.

All someone needs is a credit/debit card skimmer and an RFID tag reader and they can zonk you out financially in an instant.

Time to go back to old fashioned travellers cheques or plain old cash and hold on to your old fashioned passport for as long as possible!

http://www.theregister.com/2006/10/23/smart_chips_for_smart_crooks/

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cdebru

Handy for the "Terrorists" quick scan will reveal how many US UK or Australian citizens they are likely to get before they detonate a suicide bomb. Help decide which bar or restaurant to go for

Capt'n Midnight

But you can use it as proof of identity when you go to vote.

And there is a very high chance that someone with a modified walkman could tell if you voted for a canidate/party with a fada in their name.

And because of the Shannon stop over we are considered "a legitimate target" as they boys up north used to call large groups of civilians.

Will the people who bought thier passports and the CIA ones also be replaced ?


/methinks a foil lined passport holder is in order

PS. the 30 feet was a normal reader with the shielding removed, using a parabolic or a more descrete yagi the range that range could easily be extended..

Have youse seen the one about finger print scanners on the doors of pubs - elsewhere http://www.theregister.co.uk

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cdebru wrote:

Handy for the "Terrorists" quick scan will reveal how many US UK or Australian citizens they are likely to get before they detonate a suicide bomb. Help decide which bar or restaurant to go for

Britain is only testing RFID passports at the moment and the Americans are installing a tinfoil hat on the chips to help prevent them squealing "I'm an American" until the passport is physically opened.

Anyway one can generally hear this lot a km away in a bar, or on a train or wherever - one doesn't need an RFID reader to listen to their passports to know where they come from!

The big issue here is ID theft and ease of cloning the passport chip.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/04/cloning_epassports/

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RFID risks and credit cards:

http://news.com.com/Researchers+see+privacy+pitfalls+in+no-swipe+credit+cards/2100-1029_3-6128407.html

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pauln

One of these should do the trick.

RFID Blocking Passport Case

DIFRWEAR's stylish RFID blocking passport cases are made of the finest quality leather and are built to last. The cases contain a layer of RF shielding that prevents RFID readers from reading any passive tags stored within. To allow RFID devices to be read, simply open the passport case and direct it towards the reader.