RFID passport hack has scanner seeing visions of Elvis

October 2, 2008

A member of the group The Hacker's Choice has used publically available information to create a fake Elvis passport. He used the passport at the self check-in counter in Amsterdam's Schipol airport.

Software that emulates passport RFID behavior is uploaded onto a blank card. Using a free Python application, an existing passport's chip is read and the data transferred to the emulator. In the process, the bits that call for active verification of the encoded information can be shut off, limiting the verification process when the card is read in the future. Instructions for modifying the information prior to uploading it are also provided.