Security and privacy in electronic passports

Abstract

In recent years, many countries have adopted electronic passport systems, which merge the technologies of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or contactless smart card and biometric identification. This paper describes various security issues applied to electronic passports and analyses the technology being implemented, with case studies of electronic passport systems in various countries. The case studies include the security measures that each country has taken to secure the electronic passports, as well as how the breach of security takes place. This has implications on how security can be improved as more countries are adopting electronic passports.