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Estonian Authority to cancel ID-card certificates earlier than planned

BC, Tallinn, 02.11.2017.Print version
The Estonian Information System Authority (RIA) is planning to cancel the certificates of the ID-cards that have a security risk earlier than planned, while by Tuesday around 25,000 people had updated their certificates, reports LETA/BNS.

"The threat level has changed because the Czech scientists have published their study and experts have assessed that the possibility and probability of making a tool that could crack the ID-card is not a matter of several months, but less. This means that due to security reasons we will probably cancel the certificates earlier than the previously announced deadline at the middle of November," chief of communications at RIA Helen Uldrich told BNS.

 

According to Uldrich, it has not been decided yet what is the exact date. "It is necessary that as many different people as possible, especially those who use the ID-card daily, would update," she added. As of Tuesday the update application has experienced many errors as several times more people are using the application than usual, Uldrich said. She added that they have found the cause of the error and are repairing it.

 

All ID-cards issued after October 16, 2014 and used electronically must be updated. It is possible to check by document number on the website of the Police and Border Guard Board whether one's ID-card is among those with a security risk and needs to be updated. Those people, who do not issue digital signatures with their card or do not use e-services by inserting their PIN1 and PIN2, do not have to update their cards, RIA said.

 

All cards will work as identity documents and loyalty cards until their date of expiry. It is also not necessary to update one's ID-cards for using digital prescriptions as a patient.

 

A computer and card reader are necessary for an ID-card update. In order to update the card, the compute must have the latest ID-card software and people must follow the instruction on the screen. Anyone who does not have the opportunity of updating their ID-card online or experiences errors can do so at the service offices of the Police and Border Guard Board.

 

The security risk affects approximately 800,000 ID-cards, including digital IDs and e-residency and living permit cards. The security risk does not affect Mobile ID or ID-cards issued before October 2014.

 

ID-cards that have a security risk can be updated from personal computers as well as at the service offices of the Police and Border Guard Board until March 31, 2018. Certificates that have not been updated will be canceled as of April 1 for security reasons. Documents that have canceled certificates cannot be updated and a new card must be applied for for electronic use.

According to available information the security risk has never materialized. Estonia has closed the public key database of the electronic ID-cards, as the security flaw cannot be exploited for cracking the encryption on the chip of a card without knowing the public key.

 

It became clear in the course of remote updating test period that around 18,000 ID-cards with a security risk cannot be updated remotely, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said.

 

People who are affected by the error have been personally notified by email, PPA said.

 

"Based on previous experience with remote updating, it can be said that the remote updating of about 10 percent of ID-cards fails. These cards can be updated at PPA offices," chief of communications at PPA Kristi Ruul told BNS on Wednesday.

 

PPA is also considering a possibility of setting up temporary booths in malls where people can update their ID-card software, Ruul said. "At present we can't promise anything certain," she added.

 

According to Ruul, police officers will be at several shopping malls across Estonia on Nov. 12, the national police day, to help people update their ID-cards.

 

PPA will also extend the opening hours of their offices in Tallinn, Tartu, Parnu and Johvi.






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