Date: December 15, 2006
Source: BBC Click
Title: “ePassports 'at risk' from cloning”
Author: David Reid

Summary: Another report of the cloning of an e-Passport by Herr Grunwald. Christian Böttger from the same company, DN-Systems also believes the “system” is “too complicated” with “technical flaws”.  Also reports on the FIDIS report.

Our response: The article reports erroneously that the e-Passport chip is similar to “supermarket” tags and can be tracked at a distance.  The report also confuses the purpose of the BAC and the interoperability feature of the e-Passport being readable once it is in your possession (quoting Professor Kai Rannenberg of Frankfurt University).

There is nothing remarkable about reading the e-Passport data once it is in your possession.  Cloning is not seen as a particular threat. The e-Passport cannot be tracked at a distance as it is not like the supermarket tags.  The e-Passport is powered by the reader using a magnetic field of short range (typically less than 50cm and certainly less than 1m) and is protected by BAC and/or a metal decoupling page.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/6182207.stm