1997-05-18 - Re: CC fingerprints

Header Data

From: Alan <alano@teleport.com>
To: Adam Shostack <adam@homeport.org>
Message Hash: 1b9fd7b72192999dfffdcafba3f2dccf037f4a7e2a508504be22aaca2ef128c3
Message ID: <Pine.GSO.3.96.970517184723.19224A-100000@linda.teleport.com>
Reply To: <199705171835.OAA23077@homeport.org>
UTC Datetime: 1997-05-18 02:13:29 UTC
Raw Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 10:13:29 +0800

Raw message

From: Alan <alano@teleport.com>
Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 10:13:29 +0800
To: Adam Shostack <adam@homeport.org>
Subject: Re: CC fingerprints
In-Reply-To: <199705171835.OAA23077@homeport.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.96.970517184723.19224A-100000@linda.teleport.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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...







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