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FLA_wed
9-26-96. NYP:
"Potential Flaw In Cash Card Security Seen. Counterfeiting
a Risk, Say Bellcore Scientists." Markoff.
A potential security flaw has been discovered that might
make it possible to counterfeit many types of the
electronic-cash "smart cards" that are now widely used
in Europe and are being tested in this country, reports
a paper set to be released today.
The Bellcore researchers said that a smart card's
security could be breached by forcing the microchip in
the card to make a calculation error, whether through
sophisticated means like bombarding the card with
radiation or perhaps cruder methods like placing it in
a microwave oven. A mathematical formula they derived
could use this error to extrapolate the secret data that
authenticates the card when it is used.
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http://jya.com/flawed.txt (6 kb)
FLA_wed