The myth of passport card security

A presentation by Chris Paget exposes the myth being perpetuated on the touted security benefits of the RFID chip found in the new U.S. Passport Book. The RFID "security" essentially revolves around the concept of embedding a chip that emits a unique code, which is picked up by a receiver as it is read.

The problem here is that the RFID chip can be cloned with just a few thousand dollars worth of equipment, and from as far as half a mile away. While I doubt it will be as easy as Paget envisioned, his idea of cloning the RFID chip of someone with similar looks in order to get into the United States using their particulars certainly sounds plausible.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at eWeek

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