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What's happening in the federal IT community
By Wednesday, June 18, 2008 | 4:24 PM
Peter Swire, who served as the Clinton administration's chief counselor for privacy in the Office of Management and Budget for two years, had a dire warning today for the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee: Biometric data, namely fingerprints, is the next security breach waiting to happen. The federal government -- including the FBI, the State Department and the Homeland Security Department's U.S. VISIT program as well as its border agents -- have collected millions of fingerprints. And digital fingerprints are becoming a more acceptable means to identify just about anyone, including using them to gain access to a computer. And the federal government is collecting fingerprints on all government employees and contractors for its new ID badges under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12. That's a lot of fingerprints.
"It’s not that hard to fake a fingerprint," Swire told the panel. "Google it and you can find a way to fake one for less than 10 bucks."
It's true. A Google search for "fake fingerprint" returns a whole page on how to fake a fingerprint -- even a You Tube video. And most don't even charge for the information.
Swire recommends Congress require agencies to encrypt the fingerprints to protect them from theft.
Comments
If this could be done before Bush leaves office, what a legacy when the fake fingerprints start rolling off the government Homeland Security Dept assembly line.
Owen Manning | Wednesday, June 25, 2008 | 10:50 AMTell them to stick their Digital Fingerprints up their noses - Thank you, but not thanks.
Mal | Saturday, June 21, 2008 | 2:02 PMSwire recommends Congress require agencies to encrypt the fingerprints to protect them from theft.
Congress to require agencies?
We all know how that one works dont we?
You realize there is no shame saying your wrong and that you have a big roll of screwing things up. From agencies, to congress, to whitehouse, to judicial, to defense. In fact, there is much honor in it. It's one of those veridical paradoxes.
But you really have to be sincere when you say you screwed up or it wont work. You cant just get up on CSPAN and CNN congressional hearings to look like you are doing something when in reality you are up there to look smart, productive, and to shut the whiners up... spouting the usual BS about tax payer money.
prometheus2012 | Saturday, June 21, 2008 | 8:58 AM
So what you are saying is they could basically frame you for just about any crime they wished? From petty robbery, espionage, to terrorist activity. I'm beginning to wonder if the people that are coming up with this stuff and implementing, from tasers, 3d body scans at airports,to WiFi fiber optic emf surveillance platforms might in fact be the real terrorists we should be looking at...not these islamic folks. Besides, many of us already know most of the islamic terrorist groups are nothing more than G-men or hitmen that work for the international intel agencies in the deep black.
Let me ask some of you leaders a pointed question. Do you all even care if America sinks or swims? If not..at least be honest about it. If ya want it to sink so you can replace it with something different....manup and say thats what you want...quit hiding behind your secret meetings and your cliques. You see our entire lives and true motives with this technology, why ya scared to let us see your real motives and lives? Do ya feel guilty? Is there still a piece of decency inside ya that may be convicting you just a bit saying "what the hell are we all doing?"
prometheus2012 | Saturday, June 21, 2008 | 8:46 AMand lets not forget the number of database break-in's that have mysteriously occured in the last 2 years.
and who is implicated in those thefts...
Unfortunately, this data breach is all part of the plan. Once they lose your fingerprints, then the government will ask for more information such as iris scans, faces scans, DNA and then as Aaron Russo said, "We'll all be chipped."
Anonymous | Friday, June 20, 2008 | 9:35 PMthis is not security its control . dont you know that nobody is secure anywhere
morris | Friday, June 20, 2008 | 8:09 PMThe ad to the right of this page is for Lockheed Martin.....the tag line underneath their logo states....."We never forget who we're working for." Just who does Lockheed Martin work for?
Doug Girard | Friday, June 20, 2008 | 7:58 PMI'm now officially in the twilight zone. The fact that the American people allow this is just another sign of their sheeple zombie status
American Zombie | Friday, June 20, 2008 | 7:45 PM