Comments on: Researchers: E-passports pose security risk

New passports and ID cards with RFID are surprisingly easy to clone, researchers at Black Hat and Defcon say.

[reslfj]

"The CCC is recommending to just microwave your passport,"

Surely this should not be done intentionally to destroy the RFID, but mobile phones seem to be able to do just that.
My corporate ID card has been changed more than once, after being in the same pocket as my phone.
For a passport that is supposed to last for 10 years some kind of "phone" protection should be in place.

[bourgtai]

And why not?

RFID in passports is completely useless. The technology will not be replacing security guards in any forseeable stretch of time, those same security guards would ask you to open your passport so that they can see your information anyway, and nothing can stop somebody from scanning your RFID chip at the same time that a customs official does.

Any way you try to dress it up, the RFID is a bad idea.

[jgraessley]

Physical button

Why don't they just add a button? The RFID chip wouldn't send out
a signal unless someone is applying pressure to close a circuit.

[umbrae]

Why would anything with the word Radio in it...

not be secure? Its not like every person who owns a car can push a button and listen to the information being broadcasted, right? *sarcasm*

Adding RF tags to anything is just plain stupid. It will never be secure since it was designed to be open. I don't mind this for tracking products, but it should be removed before anything is sold. For Passports, IDs and medical history, no... just plain, flat out, NO.

[wbenton]

This isn't News... it's Olds...

Nothing new at all about the dangers... they've been known for quite some time now.

That said... why all of a sudden News on such an old problem?

[declan00]

News

Well, a live demonstration (as opposed to theory) makes something newsworthy.

[ml_ess]

Is the government finally listening?

Last month I read an article on CNN about security risks that come with using RFID tags for passports. Of course, the State Department wanted to pay no attention to the security experts' concerns (http://www.iwantmyess.com/?p=80).
If these chips can be cloned using a LAPTOP - imagine what kind of damage could be caused when we start having to deal with hackers that are transporting personal information?

[hadaso]

Nationality driven detonator?

Why detonate a bomb for just one US citizen?
Why not design the detonator to to explode the bomb when it counts many passports of a given nationality? Then a terrorist can put a bomb that only explodes when a busload of tourists of the desired nationality has arrived...