Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities in the Department of State's Passport Issuance Process
Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities in the Department of State's Passport Issuance Process

Author: Jess T. Ford

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2009-09

Total Pages: 9

ISBN-13: 1437915078

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A genuine U.S. passport is a vital document, permitting its owner to travel freely into and out of the United States, prove U.S. citizenship, obtain further identification documents, and set up bank accounts, among other things. Since May 2005, there have been several reports identifying significant fraud vulnerabilities in the passport issuance process. This report: (1) describes recent work on passport fraud; and (2) summarizes actions the Department of State has indicated it is taking to address the fraud vulnerabilities that have been identified.

Border Security
Border Security

Author: Nabajyoti Barkakati

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2010-10

Total Pages: 41

ISBN-13: 1437935826

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In July 2008, the Dept. of State (State) began issuing passport cards as a lower-cost alternative to passports for U.S. citizens to meet Western Hemisphere Travel requirements. In Oct. 2008, State began issuing the second generation border crossing card (BCC) based on the architecture of the passport card. This report examined the effectiveness of the physical and electronic security features of the passport card and the BCC. The report addresses: (1) How effectively State¿s development process ¿ incl. testing and evaluation ¿ for the passport card and second generation BCC mitigates the risk of fraudulent use? (2) How are U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers using the cards¿ security features to prevent fraudulent use at land ports of entry? Illus.

Is That Real?
Is That Real?

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-04-19

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 0309180740

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A key mission of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing of the Department of the Treasury is the design and printing of U.S. banknotes. The BEP is responsible for producing easily recognizable currency that is difficult to counterfeit. In recent years, the bureau has recognized the modern information technology could lead to entirely new types of counterfeiting threats, and it has requested a number of studies by the NRC to assess these evolving threats. In this new request, the BEP asked the NRC to identify and evaluate significant emerging counterfeiting threats and to assess technologically feasible counterfeit-deterrent features for potential use in new designs. This first report provides an assessment of emerging threats including a wide range of digital imaging and printing techniques. It also presents an analysis of a systems approach to the counterfeiting threat. The second report will offer an evaluation of new banknote features to address these threats.

Department of State
Department of State

Author: Gregory D. Kutz

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2009-06

Total Pages: 14

ISBN-13: 1437914578

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A genuine U.S. passport permits its owner to travel freely in and out of the U.S., prove U.S. citizenship, obtain further identification documents, and set up bank accounts, among other things. The auditor was asked to proactively test the effectiveness of State's passport issuance process to determine whether the process is vulnerable to fraud. The investigation shows that terrorists or criminals could steal an American citizen's identity, use basic counterfeiting skills to create fraudulent documentation for that identity, and obtain a genuine U.S. passport from the Dept. of State. The auditor conducted 4 tests simulating this approach and was successful in obtaining a genuine U.S. passport in each case.