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Aussie Researchers Crack Transport Crypto, Get Free Rides

Posted by timothy on from the dirty-socialists dept.

mask.of.sanity writes "Shoddy customised cryptography by a state rail outfit has been busted by a group of Australian researchers who were able to replicate cards to get free rides. The flaws in the decades-old custom cryptographic scheme were busted using a few hundred dollars' worth of equipment. The unnamed transport outfit will hold its breath until a scheduled upgrade to see the holes fixed."

11 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. The way I read the headline by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 5, Funny

    Aussie crypto researchers transporting crack get a free ride.

  2. This message brought to you by... by Ignacio · · Score: 4, Funny

    Shoddy customised cryptography

    Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

    1. Re:This message brought to you by... by hattig · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So shoddy that it worked fine for "decades". As one of the researchers said - it was designed before he was born.

      Even if a few people had previously worked out their way around it, they could hardly mass-market their cloned cards on the market, and thus the number of users was always going to be rather limited - and probably not worth replacing the current system to deal with.

      Now technology has got to the point where the average person could abuse the system, so I guess the system will get an upgrade soon.

  3. Happening everywhere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Governments give these contracts to retarded companies, simply because they offer to do it for a lower price than "proper" companies would.

    Same exact thing happened in the Netherlands, Trans Link Systems got the contract for the "Public transit chip card", it was hacked in a week. An improved, "unhackable" version was also cracked when it was released.

    The problem with these companies mostly is that they think security through obscurity actually works, which is pathetic.

    1. Re:Happening everywhere? by Kergan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem with these companies mostly is that they think they've come up with better cryptographic security than tried and tested solutions, which is pathetic.

      FTFY.

  4. Killing anonymity by antifoidulus · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hopefully theft won't become widespread, both because it will have a negative impact on public transport systems AND it will have a huge negative impact on anonymity. I just checked out Victoria's MyKi system(which was not the one they cracked, but I imagine the one they cracked offers similar services) and they still have an option to buy anonymously.

    However if theft becomes a huge problem I can quickly see that option going away in the name of deterring theft(note that I am not defending the practice, simply stating what will probably happen). After all you are much less likely to try to score a free ride if your name is attached to the ticket. I quite like being able to travel conveniently without being tracked(*puts tinfoil hat in murse*)

    --
    Monstar L
    1. Re:Killing anonymity by mcbridematt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      More likely it is the Brisbane GoCard or Perth SmartRider - which use the horribly insecure MiFare Classic, which was compromised some years ago and there are 'off the shelf' exploits.

      The operator of the Brisbane system even tried to play down the significance of the MiFare Classic exploit when it was known before launch.

    2. Re:Killing anonymity by cloricus · · Score: 4, Informative

      As per their Ruxcon presentation it was a previously un-compromised system that used magnetic stripes.

      --
      I ate your fish.
  5. Presentation Slides by Catchwa · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can be found here.

    1. Re:Presentation Slides by kasperd · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Wow. The encryption described in those slides is like state of the art of the 16th century. Nowadays that scheme doesn't even qualify as cryptography. It's not custom cryptography, it's a joke.

      The slides do mention, that they have modified some details, probably as part of a responsible disclosure. But I suppose the sort of methods used and the strength of the encryption does correspond to the original version.

      But as so often before, people are using "encryption" when it isn't what they need. 90% of the time where people use encryption, what they really need is integrity, which is not achieved through encryption but rather through message-authentication-codes or digital signatures. Encryption without integrity is rarely a good idea. If the integrity of the data on these tickets had been protected, there would be no need for encryption in the first place. After all, the plaintext version of the data is probably even printed on the ticket.

      --

      Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
  6. Re:Link to the presentation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Almost guaranteed that the rail systrem is the City Rail, the NSW rail system. Their ticketing system is a nightmare, and has been the subject of multiple botched upgrades over the last couple of decades, costing millions of dollars. The latest plan is to upgrade to London's "Oyster Card" technology (renamed Opal card), but I'll believe it once I see it. The current tickets are just a piece of cardboard/plastic with a magnetic strip. Trivial to read, and most likely (as has been found out) trivial to decode.

    In fact, when you do the numbers, it would be cheapest for the NSW government to abolish ticketing all together. The money saved on the (absence of a) ticking system and the reduction in road use would exceed the current revenue from tickets.