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Senate ID Cards Use A Photo Of A Chip Rather Than An Actual Smart Chip

posted by takyon on Sunday May 07 2017, @08:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the security-by-stupidity dept.

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

TechDirt reports:

In a letter sent recently from Senator Ron Wyden to two of his colleagues who head the Committee on Rules & Administration, it's noted that (incredibly) the ID cards used by Senate Staffers only appear to have a smart chip in them. Instead of the real thing, some genius just decided to put a photo of a smart chip [PDF] on each card, rather than an actual smart chip. This isn't security by obscurity, it's... bad security through cheap Photoshopping. From our Senate.

Moreover, in contrast to the executive branch's widespread adoption of PIV cards with a smart chip, most Senate staff ID cards have a photo of a chip printed on them, rather than a real chip. Given the significant investment by the executive branch in smart chip based two-factor authentication, we should strongly consider issuing our staff real chip-based ID cards and then using those chips as a second factor.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Monday May 08 2017, @12:50PM (3 children)

    by VLM (445) on Monday May 08 2017, @12:50PM (#506320)

    In the rest of the country you can get anywhere with an orange safety vest, steel toe boots, a clipboard, hard hat, and a homemade ID for an imaginary service company printed at home, and using fakes is just going to get you noticed.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 08 2017, @02:19PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 08 2017, @02:19PM (#506356)

    Make sure the hard-hat is white.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by black6host on Monday May 08 2017, @05:51PM (1 child)

    by black6host (3827) on Monday May 08 2017, @05:51PM (#506462) Journal

    So true.

    Had a guy show up at my place about 3 weeks ago. Wearing orange safety vest, folding clipboard, some kind of id badge, etc. Told me he was from the "energy supply company" and that he could save me money if he could just have my signature. A rate increase was coming for the company that provides our electricity and he was there to save me from it. I asked him for a business card. Nope. Asked for his company's name, "we're the energy supply company", asked for the phone number to the company. Nope. So, that's what I said: Nope.

    I'm pretty sure he got a few people though...

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Monday May 08 2017, @07:01PM

      by VLM (445) on Monday May 08 2017, @07:01PM (#506501)

      Probably one of those invoices for the $700 printer toner cartridge and they'll send you to collections if you don't pay up.