Banned items fly past security

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
But they sure will catch that Dell notebook!

I don't know about that. A month ago I flew across the country twice in two weeks, during each of the four times through security I left my laptop (a Dell, in fact) in my backpack. Only one time did they notice, and that time they tested it for explosives and incorrectly concluded it was explosive (the follow up test cleared up the problem). Airport security is great for making fearful people feel better, but that's about it.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
A couple weeks ago, I was at a presentation on spotting security risks...
After the presentation, I said to one of the presenters, "I'm just wondering - the media makes it seem like you guys had no clue that liquid explosives could be used. Are you actually aware of other scenarios that could possibly take down a plane?" I mentioned a few things I had thought of that would be simple to take on board and could seriously compromise a flight. Yes, they were aware of all of them.

That really shouldn't be surprising...anyone who puts some thought into it could come up with a way to down an airplane in a way that wouldn't be caught by airport security. Bruce Schneier said that he ones tried wandering around an airport (inside security) looking for things he could use to make a homemade bomb. I tried the same thing has time I had a longish layover, and just like Bruce, I found a number of interesting options.

Airport security is almost all security theater, it's really only useful to keep out the more obvious morons.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: DrPizza
A couple weeks ago, I was at a presentation on spotting security risks...
After the presentation, I said to one of the presenters, "I'm just wondering - the media makes it seem like you guys had no clue that liquid explosives could be used. Are you actually aware of other scenarios that could possibly take down a plane?" I mentioned a few things I had thought of that would be simple to take on board and could seriously compromise a flight. Yes, they were aware of all of them.

That really shouldn't be surprising...anyone who puts some thought into it could come up with a way to down an airplane in a way that wouldn't be caught by airport security. Bruce Schneier said that he ones tried wandering around an airport (inside security) looking for things he could use to make a homemade bomb. I tried the same thing has time I had a longish layover, and just like Bruce, I found a number of interesting options.

Airport security is almost all security theater, it's really only useful to keep out the more obvious morons.

I find it hard to believe that you could make a bomb sufficient to bring down an airliner from materials beyond security.

 

[trenchfoot]

I find it hard to believe that you could make a bomb sufficient to bring down an airliner from materials beyond security.

i agree with the limited knowledge at my disposal that making a bomb in that situation is rather difficult, but i wouldn't go so far as to say it's impossible. nor would it be the only way to down an aircraft. remember, boxcutters, false threats and fanaticism was all that was needed to create 9/11.

rather, it's a matter of taking control of the aircraft.

you should look no further than our prisons. the long-time inmates in there are quite clever and resourceful. they would have a field day making weapons out of all the stuff that's available to them beyond the check points at the airports. i assume terrorists may posses the same acumen.

i don't mean to cause anyone unecessary alarm, but if inmates in our prisons can make deadly weapons out of newspapers and toothbrushes, then the possibilites are endless as to what terrorists can cobble together on the concourses and lobbies for the purpose of terrorizing and overpowering passengers and crew and creating more manned missiles of mass destruction.

to me, more than anything else, if all passengers make an effort to be situationally aware of circumstances that might expose a direct threat to all on board, and use discretion in alerting the proper authorities, it would go a long way toward providing safe passage on mass transit venues.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: DrPizza
A couple weeks ago, I was at a presentation on spotting security risks...
After the presentation, I said to one of the presenters, "I'm just wondering - the media makes it seem like you guys had no clue that liquid explosives could be used. Are you actually aware of other scenarios that could possibly take down a plane?" I mentioned a few things I had thought of that would be simple to take on board and could seriously compromise a flight. Yes, they were aware of all of them.

That really shouldn't be surprising...anyone who puts some thought into it could come up with a way to down an airplane in a way that wouldn't be caught by airport security. Bruce Schneier said that he ones tried wandering around an airport (inside security) looking for things he could use to make a homemade bomb. I tried the same thing has time I had a longish layover, and just like Bruce, I found a number of interesting options.

Airport security is almost all security theater, it's really only useful to keep out the more obvious morons.

I find it hard to believe that you could make a bomb sufficient to bring down an airliner from materials beyond security.

I'm not convinced they would work (explosives are hardly my field, and I'm sure as hell never going to actually TRY anything), but as I said, some of them were fairly interesting ideas. Keep in mind that I'm talking about a fairly large airport, O'Hare in my case, with a lot of different stores selling a lot of different things. I don't really want to go into detail on this, since I am obviously not planning on doing anything and wouldn't want to help anyone who WOULD, but try it yourself next time you're in a big airport. Again, keep in mind that I'm not an explosives expert, I'm convinced someone who knew what they were doing could come up with even better ideas.

 

[tommywishbone]

The TSA... $6,000,000,000 per year, well spent. Comedy.

 

[trenchfoot]

The TSA... $6,000,000,000 per year, well spent. Comedy.

yup, that's $6,000,000,000 that the airlines themselves were supposed to provide had the job of securing their aircraft not been passed on to the feds. 😉

 

[d3n]

I think the ban will be repealed sortly before the November elections. The thought that someone could actualy mix a binary type exposivle in the bathroom of an airplane is pretty laughable to me. Controling the conditions to make it happen succesfully would take lots more than just parts A and B from a couple every day bottles.