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Hacker Club Publishes German Official's Fingerprint

Posted by kdawson on from the sauce-for-the-goose dept.

A number of readers let us know about the Chaos Computer Club's latest caper: they published the fingerprint of German Secretary of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble (link is to a Google translation of the German original). The club has been active in opposition to Germany's increasing push to use biometrics in, for example, e-passports. Someone friendly to the club's aims captured Schäuble's fingerprint from a glass he drank from at a panel discussion. The club published 4,000 copies of their magazine Die Datenschleuder including a plastic foil reproducing the minister's fingerprint — ready to glue to someone else's finger to provide a false biometric reading. The CCC has a page on their site detailing how to make such a fake fingerprint. The article says a ministry spokesman alluded to possible legal action against the club.

6 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. In future news... by Spartan+Niner · · Score: 5, Funny

    We hear that Wolfgang Schäuble is convicted of committing 17 crimes. Simultaneously

    1. Re:In future news... by evil_aar0n · · Score: 5, Funny

      On the other hand - no pun intended - this might actually work out in his favor, since he _could_ go out and commit a crime, and they'd have to wonder whether the fingerprint evidence was valid or not.

      --
      Truth, Justice. Or the American Way.
  2. Re:Biometrics: lamest of all security protocols by Fission86 · · Score: 5, Funny

    When one of those 27 properties is compromised, how do you revoke its use? Cut it off?
    --
    Coming to you live from another dimension.
  3. Re:Respect, respect maan! by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah if someone tried this with a high ranking government official in America, China or somewhere, they would indeed mysteriously 'disappear' in 60 seconds.
    There, fixed that for you. I guess now it's Germany, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave (WTF?)
    --
    Similar to the upcoming US election results
  4. Re:Good for them by Matt+Perry · · Score: 5, Funny

    Enter one code to authenticate normally, another to flag up that you are being forced to authenticate.
    Then they'd have to keep TWO post-it notes under their keyboard.
    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  5. Re:couldn't possibly have negative consequences by dirtsurfer · · Score: 5, Funny

    >> Oh all the people to humiliate... a senior public official who sets policy for something you directly care about. This couldn't possibly turn out badly.

    I love the idea that the way to make politicians do what you want is to be nice to them.

    so apparently Monica Lewinsky was probably about a week away from getting us all free national healthcare, too. Curse you, mainstream media!