<nettime> WSIS security hacked and exposed

[jo van der spek <jo@xs4all.nl>]

A group of hackers has succeed in entering unauthorized in the precinct 
where the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is being 
celebrated, thus demonstrating and ridiculing the rudimentary security used 
to control access to the delegates and other participants and invitees.

The system consists of a plastic card containing a chip able to transmit 
the personal identifier as well as the location of the participant in the 
precinct., thanks to some sensors of presence that can be mounted anywhere: 
softdrink selling machines, conference rooms, entries and exits… in this 
way the system cann detect where each individual person is at any moment, 
in which sessions s/he took part, what contacts were made, with whom time 
was passed….

This system not only violates the laws protecting data, since the 
participants have not been informed of the existence of this database, nor 
of the possible ways in which these data  can be stored and at a later 
stage processed without their permission.

But the most interesting is that this advanced security system has managed 
to become vulnerable and neutralized, which brings up the question not only 
its legality, but also its effectivity when controlling accesses.

You may find pictures of the non-registered people in the conference at 
this web site:
<http://www.nodo50.org/wsis/pictures/>http://www.nodo50.org/wsis/pictures/

more on: 
<http://galiza.indymedia.org/gz/2003/12/2234.shtml>http://galiza.indymedia.org/gz/2003/12/2234.shtml

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