Canadian border officials are concerned about potential hack attacks against their biometric databases, according to a new report from The Toronto Star’s Alex Boutilier.
The concerns were outlined in a report prepared by Canada Border Services Agency officials for the country’s Public Safety Minister last November. The document outlines multiple digital threats to border security, with one of the more sophisticated threats coming in the form of breaches into biometric identification systems that could “produce false acceptances and/or rejections,” leading border agents to deny entry to innocent individuals while allowing in those known to pose security threats.
It’s an example of the new kinds of security concerns associated with sophisticated border screening technology. While biometric identification is effective in automating aspects of border screening and increasing their reliability, there is a new danger in potential “physical and technical” attacks against the attendant data centers and networks. With biometric identification becoming an increasingly important means of screening temporary residents and soon perhaps permanent residents and citizens, this is an important matter of concern. And it will only become more important as more governments around the world embrace the same technological approach at their borders.
Source: The Toronto Star
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September 19, 2016 – by Alex Perala
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