Siemens German digital signature chip hacked
Major security alert underway
Posted in Business, 1st December 1999 16:19 GMT
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Hackers have succeeded in cracking the Siemens digital signature card used in cashless payment systems and access control systems across the country. The German Digital Signature was ratified by the European Union only a few days ago, after intense lobbying for a secure system for transactions. The serious breach of security means that anyone using the so-called Geldkarte system stands the risk of having money transferred without their knowing it. A dissasembled dump of the SLC44/66 chipcard CPU in TeX, along with two pages of German text explaining the design has been available on bulletin boards for some time, according to the source. The dump is currently being re-engineered and commented, according to a source, and the knowledge gained has already been used to get hold of Telesec private keys. ®
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