On Tue, 2008-08-26 at 13:22 -0400, Ken Buchanan wrote: > On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 11:56 AM, Dustin D. Trammell > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This is the same for the state-wide Texas tag, TxTag[1]. If your tag > > doesn't register, or you disable or remove it, the toll system can still > > accurately bill you based on your license plate and vehicle > > registration. If you're not in the TxTag system at all, they simply > > mail you a bill. > > I think this is a bit different than what Michael Heyman said. TxTag, > IIRC, was implemented by the same company (Raytheon) that implemented > the 407 ETR toll system in Toronto. In the case of the 407, there is > no image recognition done if the car has a valid transponder. Only in > the case of a missing or invalid transponder is the plate imagery > used. Supposedly the OCR has a high enough error rate that there is > still manual verification of plates before sending a bill, and > accordingly a $3.60 additional charge is applied per trip. > > If the images are used even when the vehicle has a valid transponder > -- as Michael Heyman suggests is happening with E-ZPass -- then it > might be feasible to have back end defenses against cloning, though > not without inconvenience to customers who borrow cars, buy new cars, > or rent cars while their own is getting serviced. Also as Matt Blaze > pointed out this makes the transponder wholly redundant.
I can confirm that they definitely use imagery even when a valid transponder is detected. A couple years or so ago I had to put my vehicle in the shop and use the wife's for a few days. I assumed that I could use my TxTag in her vehicle, and it would simply bill my account, however a couple of weeks later I received a bill for the tolls, billed to the owner of her vehicle at our address. When I called to inquire, they informed me that it did read the transponder, but mismatched with the plates. There was a grace period during which I could update the transponder to the new vehicle and avoid the fines, but as I would be getting my vehicle back in a few days, I opted to just order a second transponder for her car. They were kind enough to transfer the tolls to the new transponder and waive the fees. -- Dustin D. Trammell Security Researcher BreakingPoint Systems, Inc.
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