Passports

[cherokeeflyboy]

I have been toying with the idea of going to the Bahama's for New Years.
As best I can determine, it has not necessary to have a passport. On the phone to reserve required survival equipment, the person I spoke to told me that I will need a passport due to changes effective "later this year". Can anyone steer me in the right direction to verify this? It is the first I have heard of the requirement.
Have I become a victim of misinformation?

 

[ScottM]

Have I become a victim of misinformation?

Nope you got the right info.

Effective 31 Dec 2006

http://www.bahamas.com/bahamas/about/entryrequirements.aspx?sectionid=59196

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to and from The Bahamas to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements. The goal is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors. In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed time line will be as follows:
December 31, 2006 – Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
December 31, 2007 – Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.
Visit the U.S. Department of State's website for more information.

 

[wsuffa]

And depending on where you live and which passport office issues it, if you get it now you MIGHT avoid the RFID chip until next cycle.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

Thanks guys...
Bill, what is the down side to the chip?. As I understand it it is the technology that is used in the the transponders the toll booths

 

[wsuffa]

Thanks guys...
Bill, what is the down side to the chip?. As I understand it it is the technology that is used in the the transponders the toll booths

The potential downside is that a "bad guy" can scan and read the chip from a few feet away. If this happens, you can be identified as a US citizen, which in certain places and certain countries may mark you to be the vicitm of "bad stuff" (defined as kidnapping or worse).

Now the State Department claims to have made changes to minimize the chance that this will happen... but they have been unwilling to submit to outside third-party testing. So, it may or may not be a problem.

It's not really any big deal, I don't think, in the Carribbean, nor in most of western Europe. However, in the Middle East, it could be a bad thing.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

The potential downside is that a "bad guy" can scan and read the chip from a few feet away. If this happens, you can be identified as a US citizen, which in certain places and certain countries may mark you to be the vicitm of "bad stuff" (defined as kidnapping or worse).

Now the State Department claims to have made changes to minimize the chance that this will happen... but they have been unwilling to submit to outside third-party testing. So, it may or may not be a problem.

It's not really any big deal, I don't think, in the Carribbean, nor in most of western Europe. However, in the Middle East, it could be a bad thing.

Guess it is not a big deal for me then. I have no intentions of going to the middle east. As far as Europe is concerned, I have visited England (waste of time) France, I had a fair time gambling, but you could not pay me to go back.
I might go to Ireland, other than that, If I cannot fly myself there in a SEL plane, I'm staying in the good ole USA!!! Thanks for the info!!!!!!

 

[ScottM]

They can read it from more than a few feet away. I have seen the technology up close and personal, we could read it from almost 35 feet away. Even if you do not travel to the ME there is still a security concern. I would expect that most RFID passport skimming will first happen in New York and LA.

After all if you want American passport info wait in an American airport that is where you will find the most targets.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Or you can just wrap the passport in Aluminum foil. RFID chips are supposed to have a code burned into them at the time of chip manufacture. I'd hope that the Government reads this code as well as "their" information. If the chip code doesn't match the passport information, the RFID chip is bogus and should be investigated. You'd need a chip foundry to totally clone an RFID.

 

[Henning]

Or you can just wrap the passport in Aluminum foil. RFID chips are supposed to have a code burned into them at the time of chip manufacture. I'd hope that the Government reads this code as well as "their" information. If the chip code doesn't match the passport information, the RFID chip is bogus and should be investigated. You'd need a chip foundry to totally clone an RFID.

As he was saying, it's not the official use that is the concern, rather the unauthoriized scanning by bad guys figuring out whom to set up, although, Americans are typically pretty obvious anyway.

 

[ScottM]

Or you can just wrap the passport in Aluminum foil. RFID chips are supposed to have a code burned into them at the time of chip manufacture. I'd hope that the Government reads this code as well as "their" information. If the chip code doesn't match the passport information, the RFID chip is bogus and should be investigated. You'd need a chip foundry to totally clone an RFID.

That can still be easily bypassed. In the early 90's the Chinese government was very concerned about cloned ESNs in cellphones. I was called over to see the minister from their telecom authority several times about this issue. On one occasion he showed me a chip with a laser etched memory part that could not be cloned and was used in brand x cellphone.

But the way the ESN was transferred to the phone microprocessor was through a very unsecure single wire bus. Not to mention that the ESN was sent in the clear of he air interface, this was still analog technology (ETACS). I tried on several occasions to point the failure of this security system out but this minister would not be swayed. He was very close to mandating the use of this architecture in all cell phones. He himself had a cellphone with this chip in it and would brag how secure it was.

To make a point I had gotten his ESN, bought the same brand of cellphone as he, and with less than $20 worth or parts I spoofed the phone into thinking it was talking to the that very secure laser etched part with his ESN programed into a fake part. When I met with him I made a phone call with the phone and showed him how I had done it. That was the end of the laser etching.

Same thing could be done in this case. If that code is cpatured or found out it could then be put into a bogus chip. There are ways to secure the information of key code but those are not being employed in the passport case of RFID. The information is not secure at this time.