Posted on 08/15/2006 9:43:01 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The US Department of State has started issuing passports containing RFID chips and remains confident the technology "will take security and travel facilitation to a new level".
Despite the problems with the chips - that they can be read from a distance, potentially identifying US citizens, and that they can be copied - the Department of State is confident it has done enough to make them safe.
NEC Computers, your accredited Catalist IT supplier The passport includes "metallic anti-skimming material" - tin foil, presumably. It also uses Basic Access Control technology to protect it from skimming or eavesdropping.
The chip will hold the same information as the biographic page of the actual passport - name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, date of issue and expiry, passport number, and a digital image of the holder's picture.
More details from the US Department of State here.
Thank goodness I just got my renewal Non RFID passport...
Damnit, my passport is up for renewal NEXT year.
I just got my new one last week. What does the RFID version look like?
Why?
Afraid of shorter waiting times @ customs?
(most kneejerk fears will go away when people learn & understand the specs of the RFID in use)
Yeah. So secure...
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/52270.html
"Why?
Afraid of shorter waiting times @ customs?
(most kneejerk fears will go away when people learn & understand the specs of the RFID in use)"
Until then the sheep will continue to bleat that all is ok, that guvmint knows best and can always be trusted.
serious question to techno savy:
Will a cigarette case protect the passport from unwanted rfid reading?
Or would a leather bilfold cover be enough?
Thinking personal security when traveling abroad.
The current anti-skimming measures only work if passport is completely closed. Even a slight opening of the passport would allow skimming.
See this proof of concept video I found at Zone-H (a popular hacker website) and that was presented at Black Hat 06 (a hacker conference) which demonstrates a solution from a company called Flexilis.
I want one!
As RFID technology increasingly finds its way into various identification documents, credit cards, and such you will see a growing market for shielded wallets and other enclosures to protect from skimming. Skimming, cloning, and even the introduction of viruses (yes, it has been done) are just some of the potential vulnerabilities to RFIDs.
Also, in some countries you need to leave your passport with the hotel you are staying at.
In such cases the passport can be exposed for long periods of time.
You need to require all people that hold your passport to insert themselves into faraday cages.
Ho boy. Just mailed in my renewal this morning.
Here's why this is a bad idea: Imagine a RIFD sensor hidden in a newspaper dispensor at the exit of some Third-World airport or hotel. Imagine data-linking this sensor to a tripod-mounted machine gun hidden across the street so that the gun aims at each RIFD for three seconds. Imagine the gun was shooting as it worked its way through the crowd.
That's RFID...
http://www.difrwear.com/
Buy all of your faraday cage passport rfid signal blocking clothing and accessories here.
There are also a few other companies selling essentially the same function with different stylish forms (handbags for ladies, concealed passport holders, pants, jackets, etc.).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.