Interior Ministry: Slovak electronic ID cards still secure

Slovak electronic ID cards are still secure, since a potential threat is only theoretical, stated Interior Ministry State Secretary Denisa Saková on Wednesday. Saková was responding to information that has recently appeared in the media indicating that chip-embedded ID cards are prone to hacking, and so electronic signatures can be forged. The state secretary explained that the certificates which generate keys, both public and private, for an authorised electronic signature had been approved by the German Federal Office for Information Security as well as the Slovak National Security Authority. For now, the ministry does not have any information from either of the authorities about the cancellation of the certificates. In a few weeks' time, the ministry plans to boost the encryption code. Authorised representatives who are worried by the threat can deactivate their certificates, the department recommends.