[Daculling]

Well, I think it's just about time to whip out that new MCA. Please do not point out holes in our security measures or we will put you in the PMITA prison.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')The Bush administration must immediately act to investigate, apprehend those responsible, shut down the website, and warn airlines and aviation security officials to be on the look-out for fraudsters or terrorists trying to use fake boarding passes in an attempt to cheat their way through security and onto a plane," Markey said in a statement Friday.

[Daculling]

Well, the site is down now.... DOS or otherwise I don't know...

Link

Let's see if this guy disappears. He materially aided the enemy, so he is a enemy combatant now. Good luck buddy...

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')or its part, Northwest Airlines says it is "cooperating with law enforcement and government," and that the company verifies boarding passes using bar scanners as passengers board planes

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Oh way to go, are you trying to get us shut down too?

[Dreamtwister]

Nah, if I were trying to do that, I'd point out how the easiest way to circumvent airport security is still the old-fashioned way - hop the fence.

I was watching this special report on I think it was the CBC about airport security a few months ago. This guy was hired by the ministry of Transportation to test the security at Pearson Intl, so this is what he did:

He drove around the fence to a spot where none of the terminal buildings were in sight. Then he put on a set of overalls, hopped the fence and walked across the tarmack, right up to a taxiing plane, climbed up into the landing gear compartment and wedged his business card into the gear assembly. Then he climbed back down, walked back across the tarmack, jumped into his car and drove away.

Not being satisfied with this result, he went into the terminal building and loitered around one of the "secure" doors to the baggage handling area until someone came by, entered the code and went inside. He memorized the punch code and let himself in. From there, he wandered around the handling area, sticking business cards into luggage for 20 minutes or so, until someone FINALLY asked him what he was doing. He was escorted out of the baggage handling area, but he wasn't questioned by security.

This still not being ballsy enough, he decided to actually board a plane. He put a stack of business cards in one of those x-ray proof film transport bags (sorry for the ebay link, it's the only one I could find), stuffed it into his suitcase, and went through security.

Now, when the x-ray tech sees one of those bags, they are supposed to have someone go through the contents by hand because THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT'S IN IT. What's more, they can't see anything that's under it, either. So what's this woman do? She asks "What's in the bag?" Well the guy says "It's film for my camera." And she lets him go without even opening his suitcase.

At the end of the show, the interviewer was asking him "What did you think about the security at Pearson?" and he says "Well, it was pretty bad, but it wasn't the worst I've seen. BOSTON for example, was far worse." He didn't elaborate.

BOSTON? Of all places, Boston?

[zoidberg]

Well, was anyone surprised at all? I mean, really, did you really think that a monstrous new government bureaucracy would do anything other than create delays and errors, and general incompetence?

But for that guy to publish a website to do it. That was stupid, he may very well end up in prison. He doesn't deserve it, but he does deserve a whack upside his head for pulling that dumb ass stunt.

[Daculling]

We are safe once again. FBI showed up and seized all his equipment.

BoingBoing

[JustinFrankl]

The warrant to search his place was approved at 2 am. Are there many judges hanging around in the middle of the night, available to approve warrants? It's more likely that they woke someone up to approve this.

[The_Toecutter]

It was probably approved after they had ransacked the house.

[Cobra_Strike]

As dumb as he might have been to point out the failings of the TSA, he was very smart to have done so in the way he did.

For one, he can't be 'vanished' now. Any loss of contact with the 'alleged terrorist' would be very obvious. I started reading this stuff on /. a few days ago, and one point made in a comment stuck in my mind. With all the stuff they took, there is no doubt some other charge will be brought if this falls through. All it takes is some porn were the girl is a few days away from legal, even if its only one. All those wonderful mandatory minimums for predators, he gets 15 years for pointing out a mistake.

This definitely serves to prove the point, airline security is not intended for that. Pointing out that there are holes is not something they approve of. However if your going to poke holes, you had better tell a LOT of people...Its funny, what he did can be done by the average computer user really quickly, he just made the process 20 sec. faster with a script.