Re: CC fingerprints

[Alan <alano@teleport.com>]

On Sat, 17 May 1997, Adam Shostack wrote:

> harka@nycmetro.com wrote:
> 
> | Their solution, called the Magneprint system, reads the millions of tiny
> | magnetic particles, which are unique on each card, says Professor Ronald
> | Indeck.
> | Each magnetic stripe on the card has two important areas. The first looks
> | like a bar code, which contains the account number. The rest is a random
> | pattern of magnetic information -- a signature that is different on every
> | card and impossible to duplicate, Indeck says.
> 
> 	"Impossible to duplicate."  Perhaps he has never heard of the
> ironing trick?  (You use an iron to heat one card in the proximity of
> the other.  This breaks up the cohesion of the particles on the card
> close to the iron.  The magnetic field in the other card causes the
> particles to realign themselves as they cool.)

I am currious how there new system responds to wear and tear on the card.
If it is as sensitive as they claim, I bet carrying the card around in
your pocket will bang the card up enough to make it show up as a
duplicate.

Sounds like an eventual article for Risks...