Since 2007, every new US passport issued been designed with a computer chip embedded on its back cover. The technology included in the e-passport involves biometric data featuring electronic fingerprints, passport photos of the carrier and a wireless radio frequency identification (RFID) transmitter. Up until recently hackers had the ability to access them remotely, but now e-passports can only be read upon being opened. This new breakthrough is thanks to the help of Professor Avishai Wool at Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering in Israel. Now, a new study by that same professor finds security breach in chips that are being used in various credit, debit and “smart” cards.
Wool and his students demonstrated how simple it is to disrupt the radio frequency using simple devices constructed from disposable cameras and copper pipes.
Wool’s research is especially important as it also applies to the new e-voting technology planned to be used in Israel. According to professor Wool, the new technology can be hacked with very little effort. In order to prevent hacking, Wool thinks like a hacker. In his laboratory, professor Wool shows just how easy it is to destroy the data on RFID chips. The data on ballots, credit cards and passports can easily be ”zapped” using a disposable camera combined with an RFID antenna. Can you imagine the impact of this hacking: destroying credit cards, rendering passports useless and having the ability to rig elections.
However, there are some minor alterations that can be made to improve the chip technology towards decreasing, if not eliminating susceptibility to hacking. The simplest method is to shield the card with a layer of aluminium foil. This will insulate the e-transmission. To protect the integrity of the e-voting process, ballot boxes can be created of conductive materials. The US State Department takes professor Wool’s advice very seriously, proven by the fact that since 2007, at Wool’s suggestion they have added conductive fibers to the backs of all US passports.
For now, it seems that US passports are hacker-proof, but who knows what the future will hold… However, we do know that one thing is for sure, it’s not going to be easy to ‘pull the wool’ over professor Wool’s eyes!
Tags: Avishai Wool, e-passport, epassport, Israel, RFID, US passport