Radio Tags in Passports: Easy to Copy and a Security Risk?

Around the world, governments are now adding radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to passports as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Several European countries already issue passports with RFID tags although privacy advocates and some security experts have warned of possible threats from doing so. First, researchers recently conducted a demonstration to show that passports equipped with RFID tags can be cloned using a laptop computer, an RFID reader valued at $200US and an inexpensive smart card writer. Second, researchers have suggested that RFID tags embedded in passports could be used to identify a citizen's nationality from a distance, possibly allowing terrorists to use them as a trigger for explosives. Researchers have not unearthed any flaws with the cryptography protecting the information stored in the chips. Although the data can be cloned merely by scanning the RFID tag, it cannot be changed. However, data leakage could be a risk because the proposed RFID tags can be identified if the passport is slightly open (even though the actual data on the chip cannot be read in such a situation). Experts suggest that one possible solution to this problem is a dual cover shield and a specifically designed tag that is unreadable until the passport is fully opened. Any of these risks could affect millions of passport holders in the United States. The US State Department began to issue the new RFID passports earlier this week. A factor that could affect cross-border tourism is the cost of the new travel documents. The new US passports will cost $97, including the $12 security surcharge added last year, and the question arises, especially for the tourism industry: will this increased cost of acquiring a passport deter Americans from traveling outside the US? For the full text of a recent news article, see: http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6102493.html For follow-up articles on implementation of the US system, see: http://makeashorterlink.com/?V1B72209D; and http://makeashorterlink.com/?E2971209D Summary by: Heather Watts