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Video: Samsung's e-passport turns your head into a rotating government specimen
Samsung (and your local government) hasn't been shy with its plans for electrifying passports. Yet we still haven't seen video of its e-passport with flexible OLED display in action, 'till now. The 2-inch, 240x320 AMOLED displays a disembodied, rotating head in 260k colors and 10k:1 contrast when activated by an RF source reader. No details were provided as to when these might enter production but we have the icky feeling it'll be sooner than we want.[Via OLED-Info]
Samsung demonstrates e-passport with flexible OLED display
It's been a tick since we've heard anything noteworthy on the e-passport front (that's probably a good thing, truth be told), but Samsung SDI and German security printer Bundesdruckerei are out to break the silence. The two have teamed up to demonstrate a passport that boasts a "slim and bendable" OLED color display within a "polycarbonate data page." Predictably, the aforementioned display can be used to "provide a raft of information including a video of the document holder." It's also noted that the units will be heat-resistant, enabling officials to laminate the cards and make them less susceptible to manipulation. Information about a potential release date wasn't divulged, but it sure sounds like this stuff is dangerously close to being ready for use.
NXP supplying Germany with second-gen ePassports
Considering just how well the first round of RFID ePassports withstood subversion attempts from hackers, we're amazed that anything needs to be tweaked at all. Sarcasm aside, NXP is all set to make Germany the first country on the planet to utilize second-generation ePassports, as the EU-set deadline to migrate doesn't pass until June of 2009. The new passports will include a SmartMX chip that allows biometric data to be "securely stored on the passport," and the 80kb of onboard storage also holds the individual's photo, name, and date / country of birth. Of note, NXP even goes so far as to gloat about the chip's ability to "guard against attack scenarios," but we'll be interested to see how long it takes the oh-so-motivated hacking community to find a backdoor when these launch later this month.[Via TheRegister]
Concerns raised over U.K. ePassport warranties
While passing on the extended warranty usually isn't that bad of an idea for most products, when it comes to something as vital as a passport, you might as well bite the bullet and spring for it, just to have that extra peace of mind. Unfortunately, according to the BBC, it seems that officials in the U.K. realized this a little too late, and they're now stuck handing out spiffy new ePassports that have only a two-year warranty on the microchips that make 'em tick, despite the fact that passports are intended to be used for a full ten years. While the U.K.'s Home Office seems confident that the passports will hold up to the rigors of travel, the National Audit Office that discovered the curious oversight is nonetheless encouraging those responsible to inquire about extending the warranty to cover any future potential problems. If that weren't enough, there's also concerns that the necessary scanners for the passports won't be in place throughout the U.K. until March of this year, likely causing delays for travelers in the meantime. Surely they won't have any more problems than that.
Cloned e-passports: your government doesn't care
How easy is it to digitally clone an electronic passport? Very. Using an RFID reader purchased on eBay, white-hat hackers from DN-Systems consulting recently demonstrated to the BBC how they can download British e-passport data to their computer and then write it to a new, blank RFID chip to create a perfect digital clone. Sure, the hack requires access to the software used by border police, but apparently, this is already out in the wilds. Astounding, huh? Yeah, but it's not new. This is the same hack we've seen repeatedly demonstrated in Germany, the US, The Netherlands, Ireland, etc. What's notable here is the lack of incredulity imparted by the spokesman for the UK Home Office who said, "It is hard to see why anyone would want to access the information on the chip." Identify theft, maybe? True, British e-passports unlike those issued by other countries, do not (currently) store fingerprint scans in the chip and the encryption is just one aspect of the passport's overall security. However, with these mechanisms also circumvented, shouldn't our government officials be just a tad concerned?
