{"id":2138,"date":"2008-01-04T22:16:37","date_gmt":"2008-01-04T22:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/sicence-technology\/insecure-rfid-passports-get-stamp-of-approval\/2138\/"},"modified":"2008-01-04T22:16:37","modified_gmt":"2008-01-04T22:16:37","slug":"insecure-rfid-passports-get-stamp-of-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/sicence-technology\/insecure-rfid-passports-get-stamp-of-approval\/","title":{"rendered":"Insecure RFID Passports Get Stamp of Approval"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailytech.com\/US+State+Department+Approves+RFID+Passports+Amidst+Privacy+Concerns\/article10200.htm\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_lblHeadline\" class=\"ArticleHeadline\"><strong>U.S. State Department Approves RFID Passports Amidst Privacy Concerns<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>With the original incarnation slammed over security concerns, a new breed of RFID-enabled passports <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/feeds\/ap\/2007\/12\/31\/ap4483831.html\"><span>received the U.S. State Department\u2019s stamp of approval<\/span><\/a> last Monday. The new passports are set to launch this spring for U.S. citizens entering the United States through land and sea checkpoints.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Readable at up to 20 feet, the next-generation design is supposed to help increase passports\u2019 security and reduce the omnipresent lines found at entry points around the country. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Compared to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailytech.com\/US+Launches+RFID+Passports\/article3773.htm\"><span>previous generation of RFID passport<\/span><\/a> \u2014 dubbed \u201ce-Passports\u201d \u2014 the new generation of RFID passports contain security features that are far more protected, with many of its developments based on the 4,000+ responses received by the State Department on a public request for comment in December 2006. New security features include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><span>A \u201crandomized unique identification\u201d system that produces a different ID each time the chip is accessed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A digital signature that can help identify when the passport\u2019s data has been altered<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>A metallic insert in the passport\u2019s spine and front cover that blocks radio signals when the cover is closed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>While many critics continue to express privacy concerns, the new security features are sufficient to pacify at least some of the passport\u2019s vocal critics. \u201cAt the moment, the security protections in U.S. passports are pretty good,\u201d said Ari Juels, Chief Scientist and Director of Massachusetts-based RSA Laboratories, in a <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/travel.latimes.com\/articles\/la-trw-insider16dec16\"><span>December 14 statement<\/span><\/a> to the <em>Los Angeles Times. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The new passport design will use \u201cvicinity read\u201d RFID technology, as opposed to the previous generation \u201cproximity read\u201d technology, which need to be swiped at a scanner and were only readable from a few inches. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, while the new passports are a definite improvement, critics stress that they are far from perfect. Critics have particularly attacked the new passports\u2019 increased range, which many claim will help facilitate identity theft. In one example, mobile security company <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flexilis.com\/\"><span>Flexilis<\/span><\/a> found the passport\u2019s metallic shielding inadequate, allowing for the passport\u2019s transmitter to be read even when it is closed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To demonstrate this, Flexilis posted a <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-XXaqraF7pI\"><span>YouTube video<\/span><\/a> demonstrating a proof of concept where a trashcan armed with an explosive charge detonates as a dummy equipped with the \u201cshielded\u201d passport passes by. The threat, it says, is that terrorists could use the passports\u2019 increased range to selectively identify Americans in foreign lands, possibly taking action against them that may include bodily harm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the new passports\u2019 flaws \u2014 which the <em>Los Angeles Times <\/em>says are nothing to lose sleep over \u2014 most everyone agrees that the changes are a much-needed improvement over the current RFID passport, which gained pariah status among security circles for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailytech.com\/RFID+US+Passports+Coming+in+August\/article3333.htm\"><span>notoriously weak security features<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. State Department Approves RFID Passports Amidst Privacy Concerns With the original incarnation slammed over security concerns, a new breed of RFID-enabled passports received the U.S. State Department\u2019s stamp of approval last Monday. The new passports are set to launch this spring for U.S. citizens entering the United States through land and sea checkpoints. Readable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1614,13],"tags":[75],"class_list":{"0":"post-2138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general","7":"category-surveillance-big-brother","8":"category-sicence-technology","9":"tag-rfid"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}