Security of Romanian Electronic Passports: The Protection of Personal Data in the Digital Age

Highlighting the evolution and importance of electronic passports in Romania, respectively the security risk associated with cyber attacks against the system for issuing these documents, represents a first pillar in the development of strategies to protect national security. Adopting a proactive approach in managing cyber risks in ensuring the security of the electronic passport issuance system, respectively the security of citizens' personal data, is necessary to provide an optimal climate of trust, both for the national/European/international order and security structures, and for the well-being of the citizens who request such documents. It can be seen that attackers or impostors develop various strategies to identify and gain access to data in electronic passports in order to exploit or compromise them. Many of them resort to different methods of accessing the personal data of electronic passport holders in order to falsify them and use them to cross the state border, respectively to alienate them to other potential criminals who want to evade border control. The structures responsible for issuing e-passports implement state-of-the-art high-performance electronic security equipment and systems to counter cyber-attacks, but permanent security methods are required, as attackers resort to modern advanced methods of unauthorized access.