• Japanese biometric border fooled by tape

    Two South Korean women have managed to fool Japan’s expensive biometric border-control system by using special tapes on their fingers; the invisible tape carries the finger prints of another person, and the South Korean broker who supplied the tape also provided false passports to go with it; this is the third known case of South Korean women using the fingerprint-altering tape to enter Japan; in all three cases, the women managed to fool the biometric screening, but were later caught because they over-stayed their visas

  • E-passports vulnerable to traceability attacks, allowing real-time tracking of passport holders

    The electronic passports issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, and some fifty other countries are vulnerable to “traceability attacks”: hackers can remotely track an e-passport holder in real time without first knowing the cryptographic keys that protect the personal information embedded in the e-passport

  • L-1 Identity Solutions’ Daugman-based iris algorithm passes test

    Rigorous tests by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) find that the accuracy of L-1’s iris recognition technology as markedly higher than prior results, and that improvements came without sacrificing speed; the evaluation also showed that L-1’s accuracy did not come at the expense of template size

  • Potential security breach in German airports workers' IDs

    A German TV news program and members of a computer club demonstrated how they managed remotely to access data stored on key cards used by airport employees; terrorists could use such a breach to gain admittance to restricted areas of the airport

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  • Applying FIPS 201 to aviation security and counter-terrorism information sharing

    Would implementation of PIV based access control help improve the performance of the intelligence community? One expert wonders whether the fundamental ability of PIV and PIV-I to improve creation, distribution, and access to information is fully appreciated by the U.S. intelligence community and DHS

  • U.K. ID card scheme for foreigners extended

    On Tuesday the U.K. government announced that from now on, Tier 2 foreign nationals will have to apply for a card if they wish to extend their stay in the United Kingdom; Tier 2 includes skilled workers, ministers of religion, sportsmen and women, representatives of overseas businesses, and dependants

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  • U.K. home secretary reveals ID register linked to NI numbers

    The U.K. National Identity Register contains National Insurance numbers and answers to “shared secrets”; the secretary claimed the NI numbers have been included to “aid identity verification checks for identity cards and, in time, passports”

  • 2010: Topics for homeland security discussion

    The only thing we can say for sure about 2010 is terrorists, criminals, and mother nature will surprise us at some point during 2010; still, based on what we do know, we offer a short list of topics we predict will dominate the homeland security discussion in the coming year – from whole-body scanners to 100 percent air cargo screening to social Web sites to communication interoperability to the consequences of climate change (or is there a climate change?)

  • Canada’s remote border crossing programs pose “security concerns” evaluation says

    Canada has a long borders, and before 9/11 the Canadian federal government made it easier for travelers to cross into Canada at remote border crossing where security is not as tight as it is in major cross points; a new study says this system must change because it is not secure enough

  • 46 out of 56 U.S. states and territories not in compliance with REAL ID

    The original deadline for compliance with the Real ID Act was May 2008; 56 U.S. states and territories were not in compliance as of that date, so DHS extended the deadline to 1 January 2010; as the deadline approached, DHS realized that 46 of the 56 states and territories were not in compliance, so the deadline has been extended yet again, to April 2011; as of October 2009, 25 states have approved either resolutions or binding legislation not to participate in the program

  • Ferry giant refuses ID card

    A husband and wife from Hull trying to take a ferry to Rotterdam for Christmas shopping were denied boarding after the ferry’s crew refused to accept the U.K.’s new biometric ID card as a means of identification; the couple applied for the card when it was offered on a voluntary basis to the public in Greater Manchester; the card is meant to allow travel across Europe as an alternative to a passport, but the crew, saying they had never seen such a card before, insisted on the couple producing their passports; since the couple had left their passports at home, they could not take their trip

  • Handheld touch screen device may lead to mobile fingerprint ID

    The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team wanted to replace the 20-pound rugged laptop plus fingerprint scanner their hostage rescue teams lug around with a smaller and lighter device; NIST researchers develop one

  • Real ID arrives on 1 January : Will you be allowed to board a domestic flight?

    Unless Congress extends the deadline for implementing the Real ID Act, air travelers will have to produce a Real ID-compliant driver’s license as a means of identification – or they will not be allowed on board; trouble is, more than thirty states have not agreed to Real ID, and the driver’s licenses they issue may not be fully compliant with the act’s strictures

  • Israel tests biometric database

    Israel will start a 2-year biometric database pilot; citizens applying for various identification documents will, on a voluntary basis, have their fingerprints taken along with a picture of their face; after two years the government will decide whether to make the biometric information collection mandatory

  • Chinese woman surgically altered fingerprints for Japan entry

    A 27-year old Chinese woman, deported from Japan in 2007, was allowed back in Japan after biometric scanning failed to identify her as a deportee; the reason: the skin patches from the digits on her right and left hands were removed and then re-grafted onto the matching digits of the opposite hand; she was arrested after she tried to arrange a fake marriage to a Japanese man.