ghacks Technology News

ePassports Make Terrorist Dreams Come True

Did you notice that many governments who are very keen of introducing new electronic means of identification have virtually no idea of what they are actually introducing? They claim it will make identification easier, securer and thwart document forgery. But whenever they introduce new means of identification, they are usually ridiculed by security researchers who find ways to bypass the new security system.

The latest “proof” that current electronic verification systems are not as secure as the government wants you to believe, is a video by dutch security researcher Elvis Aaron Presley, sorry Jeroen van Beek, who managed to create a blank working document that was accepted at Amsterdam airport in September 2008. Aaron used credentials from long dead singer Elvis Presley, something that human security would probably have spotted.

The essence of the test was to show that ePassports can be easily forged. This essentially means that anyone with the technical knowledge can alter the picture, name, nationality, DOB and other credentials with ease.

If you need proof that Elvis is still alive then the following video might convince you.. I mean, it is an ePassport, a secure and reliable passport. Ain’t it?

Check out the thc epassport page for all the information about the current insecurities.

Update: The page does not seem to be available anymore. The video has been uploaded to YouTube where it is still accessible publicly. The researcher used the forged epassport to pass passport checks on Amsterdam airport. And while that was only done to demonstrate the vulnerability of the system, it could have serious consequences if terrorists would find a way around the system.

Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.

Related Articles:

True Make Money Online Websites
True Gamers
True System Security Tweaker For Windows
Reduce Sound Volume Over Time With Sweet Dreams
Disguising True Crypt Volumes In MP4 Videos



About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.

Author: , Saturday December 6, 2008 -
Tags:,


Responses so far:

  1. CristiP says:

    This is pretty bad!!! I hope that they will not implement this in my country!!

  2. txdave says:

    this video is about 2 years old…lol

Leave a Reply   Follow Ghacks   Subscribe To Comment Rss

Subscribe without commenting

© 2005-2012 Ghacks.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - About Us