WIRED Staff
Security

Slideshow: RFID Invades the Capital

In May, Homeland Security employees will begin using an RFID-equipped ID card. Some say the device will create thousands of new opportunities for hackers and snoops. Mark Baard reports from Washington.
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One use for the Department of Homeland Security Access Card is to log on to a laptop computer. A reader system built into, or attached to, the laptop will compare the DAC bearer's physical fingerprint to the card's digital version.Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

See related story: RFID Invades the Capital

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Identity, e-mail signature and encryption certificates are stored on the DAC's contact chip. The DAC works like its high-tech predecessor, the Defense Department's Common Access Card, or CAC. Privacy advocates and some scientists worry the DAC's RFID chip will make it vulnerable to hackers and spies.

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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Details of the DAC include a Philips RFID chip, not shown, embedded in the card.

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security