http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=523934
By ABBY D. PHILLIP
Crimson Staff Writer
July 17, 2008
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) announced last week that
students, faculty, and staff will receive new identification cards that
use contactless Smartcard technology when they return to campus this
fall.
The upgrade comes less than a year after Theodore R. Pak '09 was caught
creating duplicates of the Harvard University ID (HUID) cards belonging
to University President Drew G. Faust, Assistant Dean of the College
Paul J. McLoughlin II, and Dunster House Superintendent H. Joseph
O'Connor.
Pak's hack revealed a significant security flaw in the more than
15-year-old swipe card system, as he was able to gain access to
buildings and gates across campus with only knowledge of HUID numbers
and a $200 card reader bought from eBay.
Assistant Dean for Physical Resources Michael L. Lichten said that the
Pak incident "was a motivator for us to move more quickly in putting the
new system in place."
[...]
Received on Fri Jul 18 02:48:13 2008