Building Cheap ID Cards

by Barfbag  (barfbag@theblankpages.com)

Personal identity cards have become common in the workplace to authenticate physical security, as well as to facilitate secure, two-factor authentication for logins.

I'll show you how you can set up your own system for your home or small office using a printer and less than $40.  The system revolves around a barcode scanner which used to be given away to RadioShack customers and Wired magazine subscribers.

I am of course talking about the infamous :CueCat (yes, the colon is part of the name).

The :CueCat was given away so consumers could scan advertisements' barcodes which would take them to the advertisers' sites.  Of course, every scan was tracked by Digital:Convergence, the makers of the :CueCat.

Soon after the :CueCat was released, hardware hacks were discovered which decoded the :CueCat's output.  "Declawing" the :CueCat is beyond the scope of this article, but there is a ton of information on how the hack is performed online.

How does the system work?

Simply, barcodes are printed onto cards which can then be decoded to numbers when scanned.  The best part is that the :CueCat works seamlessly by dumping its scan through the keyboard input, meaning that it can be used whenever you would normally type.

Here is a list of parts you will need along with approximate prices:

• :CueCat  - $3 to $7 each, on eBay "Buy It Now," already declawed.
• Laminator  - $20.00 4" laminator.
• Laminator Stock  - $4.99 for 100 credit card sized sleeves.
• X-Acto Knife
• Old Credit Card  For tracing, or to tape the printed barcode to.
• Index Cards
• Printer
• Paper
• Tape

Start by downloading a barcode designing program.

I recommend "Barcode Generator" for Mac OS X, which can be found on VersionTracker.com.  Use the program to encode an arbitrary number using the UPC-A barcode type.

Next, print the barcode onto an index card.

This can be done by taping the card to a sheet of paper which already has the barcode printed on it.  That way it will be easy to line up the index card with the spot that the barcode will be printed on.  Then simply reload the paper and index card assembly and print again.  I cannot be held responsible for any printer malfunctions this may cause, so if you want to play it safe just print the barcode on normal paper.

Next, cut the index card to the appropriate size using an old credit card and an X-Acto knife.

Laminate the card using the directions that came with the laminator (RTFM).

Finally, open a text document and scan your card a few times until you get a long string of digits to appear.  You might want to do this a few times because occasionally you will get a bad scan.

When done, you can set your password to this number and then whenever you wish to login to this account you have only to scan your card.

For more security you can set your password to the number generated by the scanner plus your normal password.  Then effectively you have two-factor authentication (something you have and something you know).

Of course this will require you to enter your password after scanning your card but it will stop people from simply scanning your card and effectively stealing your password.