In Europe, COVID certificates are also faked
–
–
In the spring, the EU created a legal basis for the issuance of electronic vaccination certificates, now they are actively forged.
Falsification of vaccination certificates is not only a Ukrainian problem. In Europe, certificates are also forged. For example, Adolf Hitler was vaccinated with the Biontech vaccine. The second vaccination was given to him on October 1. And he has a valid vaccination certificate signed by the French authorities. Such a vaccination certificate can be seen on several Internet forums and in Telegram groups; a falsifier uses it to advertise his services. And he may have access to a secret key that is used to generate QR codes issued by every EU country.
The crime
The incident caused a stir in the Netherlands, where it was featured on the RTL news program on Wednesday. The TV channel contacted the forger. He offered to issue a valid individual vaccination certificate issued in Poland or France for 300 euros. Since the certificates are standardized throughout the EU, they are recognized in all other EU member states. The Dutch Ministry of Health has launched an investigation into this case. The suspicion that the key could be stolen is also being investigated. It is also possible that the forger is working with people who have the authority to issue certificates.
On Thursday, several valid QR codes issued in the name of Adolf Hitler were circulated on the forum of the Internet service GitHub. Other fake codes have been issued for Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob names. Data analyst Denis Vitali, who works for Swisscom, writes in his analysis that the chances of a key being stolen are rather low, because security modules are usually used, thanks to which the key is unknown even to administrators. It is more plausible that the authorized certificate issuing company has been hacked or is collaborating with counterfeiters.
–
EPA
–
Global implications
In the spring, the EU created a legal framework for the issuance of an electronic certificate of vaccination. As the European Commission emphasizes, the focus was on “maximum data protection”. The certificates contain only information about the name of the vaccinated person, his date of birth, the vaccine, the date of vaccination and the country where it was made. The QR code contains a digital signature that shows who generated it. When the code is scanned, only the authenticity of this signature is verified. For this, the EU has created a special interface that connects all member states of the union.
Some fake certificates can be blocked. Italian authorities have already ordered this in relation to certificates issued to Hitler, according to the ANSA news agency. However, if the forger does have a private key that can be used to create genuine digital signatures, all vaccination certificates generated with it will have to be reissued. Otherwise, other EU countries may refuse to accept certificates from the respective country… Investigations into certificate fraud are already underway in several European countries.
– .
