9-26-96. NYP: "Potential Flaw In Cash Card Security Seen. Counterfeiting a Risk, Say Bellcore Scientists." Markoff. A potential security flaw has been discovered that might make it possible to counterfeit many types of the electronic-cash "smart cards" that are now widely used in Europe and are being tested in this country, reports a paper set to be released today. The Bellcore researchers said that a smart card's security could be breached by forcing the microchip in the card to make a calculation error, whether through sophisticated means like bombarding the card with radiation or perhaps cruder methods like placing it in a microwave oven. A mathematical formula they derived could use this error to extrapolate the secret data that authenticates the card when it is used. ----- http://jya.com/flawed.txt (6 kb) FLA_wed