[LINK] Code highlights e-passport eavesdropping risk

brd at iimetro.com.au brd at iimetro.com.au
Wed Nov 1 10:03:27 AEDT 2006


Code highlights e-passport eavesdropping risk
What RFIDIOt chipped my passport?
By John Leyden
Published Tuesday 31st October 2006 12:42 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/31/rfid_e-passport_attack/

Researchers have released proof-of-concept code that creates a means to read
personal details from next-generation passports outfitted with RFID chips.

In a posting on security mailing list BugTraq, Adam Laurie of secure hosting
facility the bunker explains how the latest version RFIDIOt, an open-source
python library for RFID exploration, contains code that implements the standard
for machine readable travel documents in the shape of a test program called
mrpkey.py.

The software exchanges crypto keys with a passport to read and display its
contents, including the facial image and the personal data printed in the
passport.

The approach still requires knowing a secret key, derived from data printed
inside a passport, which is designed to protect against eavesdropping. However,
Laurie reckons this information (the passport number, date of birth of the
holder, and passport expiry date) is obtainable by means other than physical
access to a passport such as poorly secured airline websites.

It might also be possible to obtain the keys by trying a targeted subset of
possible combinations.

The attack is the latest in a catalogue of assaults that raise serious security
questions about the implementation of RFID technology by banks and governments.
As well as earlier attacks involving the cloning of RFID tags on e-passports,
security researchers recently highlighted security weaknesses of so-called
contactless credit cards issued by some US banks.

-- 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au


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