Privacy issues of electronic passports

Electronic passports combine classical passport booklets with the smartcard technology, biometrics and cryptography. The communication with the electronic passports is based on contactless ISO 14443 technology, designed for the communication distance of 0-10 cm. This paper is focused on the privacy aspects of the electronic passports. Weaknesses of the basic access control and extended access control are discussed. Significant emphasis is put on passport fingerprinting which may allow guessing the issuing country. Aspects of biometric data formats, skimming, eavesdropping and active authentication challenge semantics are also covered. The conclusions sum up recommendations for passport holders and issuers.