Hacker Club Publishes German Official's Fingerprint

A number of readers let us know about the Chaos Computer Club's latest caper: they published the fingerprint of German Secretary of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble (link is to a Google translation of the German original). The club has been active in opposition to Germany's increasing push to use biometrics in, for example, e-passports. Someone friendly to the club's aims captured Schäuble's fingerprint from a glass he drank from at a panel discussion. The club published 4,000 copies of their magazine Die Datenschleuder including a plastic foil reproducing the minister's fingerprint — ready to glue to someone else's finger to provide a false biometric reading. The CCC has a page on their site detailing how to make such a fake fingerprint. The article says a ministry spokesman alluded to possible legal action against the club.

gag

[Anonymous Coward]

They should do that to the head of the TSA and put him on the no fly list

In future news...

[Spartan Niner]

We hear that Wolfgang Schäuble is convicted of committing 17 crimes. Simultaneously

Re:Biometrics: lamest of all security protocols

[Anonymous Coward]

Soylent Green is people?

Re:Major flaw of biometrics

[Basehart]

That's why they should use another part of the body as an identifier, such as the penis for example?

Senior public officials could slide their penis into the reader at checkpoints and a reading quickly and easily taken.

Females could be fitted with a custom made prosthetic of some kind.

Re:Biometrics: lamest of all security protocols

[Fission86]

When one of those 27 properties is compromised, how do you revoke its use?

Cut it off?

Re:Respect, respect maan!

[Foobar of Borg]

Yeah if someone tried this with a high ranking government official in America, China or somewhere, they would indeed mysteriously 'disappear' in 60 seconds.

There, fixed that for you. I guess now it's Germany, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave (WTF?)

Re:No better thant he status quo?

[rnt]

I mean, since fingerprints cannot be conclusive anymore, I foresee our politicians with moral fibers of steel pushing for more surveillance.

They will also be pushing for a whole new set of copyright laws, giving governments exclusive copyrights on their citizens' fingerprints. Unauthorized copying or publishing of your own fingerprints will be severely punishable!

Ah, the Yakuza solution.

[Chas]

Yep. The problem is, what do you do if they compromise multiple sections of your biometric profile?

Bob: DAN! What the fuck happened to you? You have no arms and not legs.
Dan: And no testicles either. They took those too.
Bob: No tes..what happened?
Dan: Somebody got a copy of my biometric profile. So we had to make changes...
Bob: But you have no arms and no legs!
Dan: They even changed my name...
Bob: They did? What's your name now?
Dan: Matt

Re:Good for them

[Morten Hustveit]

"Ironclad security" does not exist.

Not even when you completely cover something with iron?

Re:Respect, respect maan!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a retarded asshole

There, I fixed all your comments for you.

Re:In future news...

[Anonymous Coward]

17 One-fingered crimes at that...

Well if he isn't your doctor...

Re:In future news...

[evil_aar0n]

On the other hand - no pun intended - this might actually work out in his favor, since he _could_ go out and commit a crime, and they'd have to wonder whether the fingerprint evidence was valid or not.

Re:Good for them

[Matt Perry]

Enter one code to authenticate normally, another to flag up that you are being forced to authenticate.

Then they'd have to keep TWO post-it notes under their keyboard.

Re:Major flaw of biometrics

[TheSpoom]

That only happens if you fail authentication.

Re:couldn't possibly have negative consequences

[dirtsurfer]

>> Oh all the people to humiliate... a senior public official who sets policy for something you directly care about. This couldn't possibly turn out badly.

I love the idea that the way to make politicians do what you want is to be nice to them.

so apparently Monica Lewinsky was probably about a week away from getting us all free national healthcare, too. Curse you, mainstream media!

Re:Good for them

[Plutonite]

Ironclad Security only exists when you have Chuck Norris on the shift. Do we really have to discuss this?

Re:Major flaw of biometrics

[Deadstick]

although what if this german official's fingerprint was found on a murder scene ?

He tells the cops to RTFA.

rj