[Full-disclosure] RFID enabled e-passport skimming proof of concept code released (RFIDIOt)

[Adam Laurie]

Michael Holstein wrote:
> That article focuses on Dutch passports, but in the US it's essentially 
> the same.
> 
>>    The Passport number
> 
> a 10 digit number (I don't know where they start, but it certainly 
> wasn't 0000000001).

If they're sequential, we only need to know where they start once the 
chips are installed, assuming you get a new passport number when you 
renew (as you do in th UK).

> 
>>    The Date Of Birth of the holder
> 
> about 32,000 possibilities (assuming < 90yrs old)
> 
>>    The Expiry Date of the Passport
> 
> Passports are vaild for 10 years (for an adult in the US), and 
> expiration is just MM/YYYY .. so that's only 120 possibilities.

Currently even less, since, again, it will expire 10 years from the date 
chips were first installed, so here in the UK there is only one valid 
year so far, so only 12 possibilities.

> 
> A very small dictionary for "brute force" indeed, and I'd be happy to 
> code such a routine.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm already pretty much there... It'll be in 
the next release... :)

> 
> Does anyone know if the chips in the latest passports (USA issue) 
> prevent this sort of thing, or can you try keys as fast as the RF 
> interface will permit?

There is nothing in the standard to require anti-bruteforcing mechanisms 
such as timing backoffs etc., and although I haven't done exhaustive 
tests on this, trying multiple wrong keys doesn't seem to have any bad 
effect on a UK passport.

Using my python library I get about 3 tries per second, but I expect 
that speed could be improved...

cheers,
Adam
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