Defeat of fingerprint scanner with tape raises questions about Real ID

January 27, 10:04 AMCivil Liberties ExaminerJ.D. Tuccille

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High-tech fingerprint scanners like this one can
apparently be thwarted with tape.
(Photo by Matthias Sebulke)

The folks at Mythbusters can say "I told you so" now that Japanese authorities have found a 51-year old woman slipping in and out of the country by using a piece of tape to defeat fingerprint scanners. The seemingly simple exploit raises questions about expensive border security systems -- and about the usefulness of the biometric data the federal government wants to incorporate into drivers licenses with its controversial Real ID scheme.

The unnamed South Korean bar hostess, whose real fingerprints were on file as that of an illegal alien, bypassed her listing in the database with tape supplied by a black market contact named "Mr. Lee." She affixed the tape to her index fingers and let the $45 million security system instantly check her fake prints against a listing of undesirables. Having apparently been given her money's worth by Mr. Lee, she passed into Japan without a hiccup.

The woman was arrested in South Korea after attempting to purchase a fake passport.

U.S. authorities use a similar fingerprint identification system at the border, raising questions about the level of security provided by the high-tech devices. The machines haven't been useless -- they've actually stopped thousand of criminals. The scanners seem to act as an effective barrier to miscreants lacking the sophistication of South Korean bar hostesses, and therefore willing to submit to fingerprinting without taking precautions.

But since workarounds for the scanners are now available on the black market, the cost and false sense of security provided by the technology has to be weighed against the ease with which it can be bypassed.

The same can be said  of the controversy-ridden Real ID system, a federally driven scheme for standardizing state-issed drivers licenses and incorporating biometric data.. The plan would effectively convert licenses into national ID cards and has been vigorously opposed by privacy advocates. Many state governments have denounced the plan and several have flat-out refused to comply.

The federal government argues that incorporating biometric data in drivers licenses is necessary for "enhancing national security" and stopping terrorists, but the easy defeat of fingerprint scanners suggests that the Real ID scheme may not be just a threat to privacy, but also an expensive and contentious waste of time.

Not long ago, the popular television show Mythbusters tried several methods of defeating fingerprint scanners and found several relatively simple techniques that worked -- including a photocopy of a fingerprint. You can see them for yourself below.

I wonder if Mr. Lee is a fan of the show.

But don't blame Mythbusters. If there's a buck -- or a yen -- to be made by defeating security, somebody is going to step up and cash in on a little creativity.

Want more information? Here's a paper (PDF) from the Helsinki University of Technology on defeating fingerprint scanners. (Note: The manufacturer emphasizes that the fingerprint scanner spoofed in this paper is older technology that is no longer on the market. As such, the results of this 2003 effort should not be taken to reflect the current state of the art.)

Contact J.D.: civilliberties (at) tuccille.com