Gearfuse

Need even more proof that RFID doesn’t improve security? According to a group of hackers who bypassed an ePassport RFID authentication at an Amsterdam airport, RFID passports aren’t as secure as people think. Using software to design custom identities as well as convincing scanners to accept fabricated RFID chips, the hackers got around security without raising suspicion.

They used an image of the late Elvis Presley for their passport and still, no one said anything. The group has even made their method publicly available, so you can attempt to bypass security at your own airport. Though, I don’t recommend attempting it.  You could end up in Guantanamo Bay.

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For the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics, the Beijing committee included RFID chips with spectators’ passport information and home/e-mail addresses in each ticket to prevent counterfeits and hacker intrusions. Like the RFID-driven Japanese urn system, the Beijing system makes sure that anyone who isn’t supposed to be there, won’t. Much like U.S. airport security, if you were a foreigner with an RFID ticket, you’d still get the ill treatment as if you were up to no good.

According to a Dutch businessman, he was asked to drink his sunscreen to prove it wasn’t an explosive and when he explained that he couldn’t drink sunscreen, he was let through without further inquiry. “The security was less than professional and not completely thorough,” he said.

That really does sound just like airport security here in the states. One time, I was forced to eat a bar of soap simply because it was the same color as Anthrax. After eating it, they let me through. When I went through the gate, I started vomiting up a foamy white solution. This led them to believe I was a terrorist. What a horrible vacation that was.

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Remember the AMD project I previously wrote about? Well here’s the badge you get for attending HOPE. You’re given a removable battery that allows you to participate actively in the AMD project. Don’t want to be tracked for a few hours? Remove the battery and you’re good to go. Hit the jump to see the other side of the badge.

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