UK Passport Snafu

07 August 2006 - Since last March, anyone in the UK applying for a renewal or new passport has received a biometric one that can store fingerprints, facial scans and iris patterns on a built-in chip.

Because theyтАЩre believed to be more secure than traditional passports, the British government has plunged ┬г415 million into the plan.

Now a consultant for a security firm, Lukas Grunwald, has raised serious concerns over the safety of the new passports, as he has claimed to copy the information stored in them to blank chips that can be used in fake passports.

If this is true, it could also call into question the governmentтАЩs plans for national ID cards, which would also store biometric data.

тАЬThe whole passport design is totally brain damaged,тАЭ said Mr Grunwald to Wired.com.

тАЬFrom my point of view all of these [biometric] passports are a huge waste of money тАУ theyтАЩre not increasing security at all.тАЭ

As yet, the information cannot be altered when itтАЩs copied across to the blank chips; however, Grunwald said that he could get through any automated entry system using the cloned chip.
http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news.php?newsId=4221

[Bob]

To assert, as he apparently does, that the new biometric passports, are less secure is baloney. The new passports contain all the same indentifying information as the old ones (photo, birthdate, etc.) plus a lot more and, even if an expert can copy the new biometric data chips, that hardly makes the passport less secure.
I suppose he would argue it's a waste of money for the world governments to add all the security features to their paper money as some really smart crooks could still forge them. He forgets that the security features, while not absolutely bulletproof, result in less copying not more.

To assert, as he apparently does, that the new biometric passports, are less secure is baloneyIt may be apparent to you, Bob old boy, that he's asserting they are less secure but I can't make that inference from the story. What he's saying is that they won't deliver the much-touted additional security - quite a different thing. As someone involved in the security business at one time in my life, I'm well aware that these sorts of activities by governments are almost solely designed to reassure the punters. Any moderately intelligent terrorist can work his way around these things without a lot of difficulty using relatively low technology

As someone involved in the security business at one time in my life

You don't say. Tell us more.

[Bob]

To youngpup* Hom:

Adding new data, biometrically, to the passport adds no additional security? Interesting even if illogical.



*Just how old are you, ya old codger?