Two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors yesterday expressed concerns regarding the security of the MRT’s EasyCard after the encryption system it uses was decoded in other countries, warning about the danger of personal data theft if the cards are used for small transactions.
Showing a video clip from a research team at Radbound University in the Netherlands, which explained the procedure of decoding and copying the MIFARE Classic smart card from NXP Semiconductors, DPP Taipei City councilors Chou Wei-you (周威佑) and Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) said Taipei’s EasyCard also used the smart card system, and that it could also be hacked.
“EasyCard Corp has issued more than 16 million EasyCards over the years and it should focus its efforts on protecting the personal data of all users, instead of trying to make more profits,” Wu said yesterday in a press conference at the Taipei City Council.
Chou said different research teams had also found ways to decode and copy the encrypted system of London’s Oyster Card and the Charlie Card in Boston, making it easy to duplicate the personal data on the cards and even add value to them.
“The Financial Supervisory Commission should take the issue seriously before allowing the company to add more functions to the EasyCard,” he said.
Sean Lien (連勝文), chairman of the company, dismissed the councilors’ accusations, and said the EasyCard had unique system designs, software and protective mechanisms even though it had adopted the MIFARE system.
“We are well aware of the examples the councilors offered, and we have added many security protection mechanisms on the EasyCard. Users’ rights will not be affected,” he said.
Lien said the company would continue working on the goal of turning EasyCards into multi-functional electronic cash cards.
The legislature passed the Act on Issuance and Management of Electronic Monetary Cards (電子票證發行管理條例) in January and the company is cooperating with the President Chain Store Corp to introduce i-Cash EasyCards this year to expand the use of the EasyCard to the nation’s 4,800 7-Eleven convenience stores as its first step.
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