In the name of improved security a hacker showed how a biometric passport
issued in the name of long-dead rock 'n' roll king Elvis Presley could be
cleared through an automated passport scanning system being tested at an
international airport.
Using a doctored passport at a self-serve passport machine, the hacker was
cleared for travel after just a few seconds and a picture of the King himself
appeared on the monitor's display.
Adam Laurie and Jeroen Van Beek, who call themselves "ethical hackers," say
the exercise exposed how easy it is to fool a passport scanner with a fraudulent
biometric chip.
