Of course they can: they're run by computers. The computers aren't special designs, they're off the shelf hardware and OS, with some custom apps. Maybe Linux, but probably Windows (doesn't that make you feel safer?).So they come with persistent storage (disk drives) and network communications (otherwise how on earth do they patch them come Patch Tuesday?).
So the TSA wasn't exactly being honest with us when they said that the machines couldn't store and transmit images. What TSA meant was that the machines wouldn't store and transmit images.
And thus to my area of expertise - understanding the security configuration of your computers. My questions to the TSA:
1. What audit do you intend to perform to check to see that saving or transmitting images is actually disabled?
2. Is this a periodic (say, weekly or monthly) audit, or is this real-time? In other words, could an operator change the settings and not be detected for an extended period?
3. What sort of logging is performed when these settings are changed? Who gathers and analyzes the logs?
4. Is it a firing offense for a TSA employee to change these settings or copy images without authorization?
Ah, I'm such a joker. The answers, of course, are: huh?/huh?/huh?/huh?/huh?/are you out of your mind?
And so, the question is not whether these images will be posted to the Internet. Of course they will be. The only question is how soon?
Me, I'm betting sometime this year.
The answers, of course, are: huh?/huh?/huh?/huh?/huh?/
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree, and think you're badly misjudging our public servants.
The answers, of course, are "That's classified as a matter of national security" and "Welcome to no-fliesville, troublemaker."
Paris Hilton's will be on Gawker within thirty minutes of her first trip through a scanner.
ReplyDeleteI was searched a second time yesterday while waiting for my flight in the gate area roughly 45 minutes after I had gone through security. They reviewed the images of my bag long after I had cleared security.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have to ask. If there was any doubt in the screeners mind as to what was, or wasn't in my bag, why let me through security in the first place?! If my flight hadn't been delayed, I would have been gone before they found me in the terminal.
Yup - nothing but security theater.
Paris Hilton's will be on Gawker within thirty minutes of her first trip through a scanner.
ReplyDeleteThat might be the end of rule 34.
This muddle is the end of my voluntary commercial flight, if I can avoid it.