Dates of birth can be swiped from ID card
Technology to access your details can be bought for just €10
A SIMPLE swipe of the public services card through a magnetic reader can reveal a person’s PPS number and date of birth in seconds, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
The swiping technology is available to buy on the internet for as little as €10.
The revelation has led one security expert to question the suggestion by Ms Doherty, who is responsible for the rollout of the
‘More vulnerable to identity theft’
cards, that it is as secure and robust as possible.
Dr Vivienne Mee, founder of IT forensics and electronic discovery firm VM Forensics, tested the PSC card for the MoS this week and warned that the easily extractable piece of information could make a person more vulnerable to identity theft.
‘It means that you’re getting more information on a person,’ she said. ‘If someone got hold of your wallet and it had another piece of personal information in there as well, it gives them a good base to start looking for more information on you – which means you are more vulnerable to identity theft.’
The chip on the PSC cards, which contains more sensitive information such as your mother’s maiden name, is encrypted but Ms Mee warned against having so much personal data in one place.
The person’s PPS number is printed on the back of the card but can also be accessed through the magnetic strip.
‘The security used is similar to that on national identity cards in some European countries but there is a lot of data in one place,’ Ms Mee added.
However, it seems the government is already lagging behind the trend on card security: an EU security agency recently reported a move away from magnetic strips to chip-only cards for maximum security.
Meanwhile, gaffe-prone Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty yesterday gave the latest in a series of stumbling interviews that have undermined public confidence in the PSC.
In the interview with Sarah McInerney on Newstalk, the minister appeared unsure over whether the cards used biometric data.
She was vague on the definition of biometric data, and flip-flopped repeatedly on whether her department was storing it or not – despite the Taoiseach and the secretary general in her department previously confirming that they are.
Ms McInerney asked: ‘Do you accept that that is biometrics that you’re using there?’
Ms Doherty responded: ‘I suppose that depends on what your version of biometric data is.’
Ms McInerney said one valid definition of biometric data is ‘data resulting from technical processing relating to physical characteristics which allow ID of that person such as facial imaging’.
Ms Doherty responded: ‘We take your photograph and we store it. So if you consider that a biometric piece of information, well, then I can take that as we have biometric data on you.’
When it was pointed out that it was the processing of the data that made it biometric, she changed her view because she argued the department did not hold that data.
‘Leo Varadkar described it as biometric data, the Secretary General of your own department, described it as biometric data, you’re choosing to describe it as something else,’ Ms McInerney said.
The minister continued: ‘We’re not holding biometric data.’
Last week, Ms Doherty enflamed claims that the Government is introducing a national ID card ‘by the back door’ claiming it was ‘mandatory but not compulsory’.
Concern is growing within the cabinet that the ‘trouble-prone’ behaviour of Regina Doherty – who is highly regarded by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – will plunge Fine Gael into an unanticipated crisis.
Angry ministers told the Mail on Sunday: ‘This card has been wandering around harmlessly over 50 agencies doing no harm to anyone – and then suddenly Regina mentions it and we have a firestorm.’
Another minister said: ‘I’d worry about her for the Budget. I don’t get the sense she is in the control of the department.’