Passport RFID chips easily duplicated

To get around the fact that passports could be forged, many nations are incorporating an additional layer of security in the form of an embedded RFID chip into the humble paper-based booklet. An RFID enhanced passport works by storing a duplicate copy of the information that is physically printed onto the passport into the electronic chip. The theory is that syndicates churning out fake passports will be unable to clone the RFID-stored data. Hence a simple comparison between the electronic data and printed versions would quickly reveal a forgery for what it is. However, it's not so hard to forge an RFID chip either, as demonstrated by a security researcher at the behest of The Times with just an $80 card reader, two $20 RFID chips and some programming.

For more about the report:
- check out this Times Online article