More on Laptops and Border security

I know that we have discussed this topic before. I ran across the 
following in a recent Security Focus newsletter. It is a well written 
piece. Note the qualifications of the author which are included.


On the Border
By Mark Rasch
Recently, I was going through an airport with my shoes, coat, jacket, 
and belt off as well as with my carry-on bag, briefcase, and laptop all 
separated for easy inspection. I was heading through security at the 
Washington D.C., Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, 
or "National" as we locals call it. As I passed through the new 
magnetometer which gently puffed air all over my body -- which to me 
seems to be a cross between a glaucoma test and Marilyn Monroe in 
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -- a TSA employee absent-mindedly asked if he 
could "inspect" my laptop computer. While the inspection was cursory,

the situation immediately gave me pause: What was in my laptop anyway?
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/469

SecurityFocus columnist Mark D. Rasch, J.D., is a former head of the 
Justice Department's computer crime unit, and specializes in computer 
crime, computer security, incident response, forensics and privacy 
matters as Managing Director of Technology for FTI Consulting, Inc.


-- 
Cheers,
Kurt  

Certainly brings some focus to the questionable practices of unrestricted 
searches currently taking place.
I had a taste of this recently, I may share more on it after I've had some 
sleep.
Long story short, it was easier on me to submit to logging in on my laptop 
and allow "fumble fingers" attempt to ransack my files. It was pretty

obvious he was in over his head. <G>

"Kurt" <not@email.invalid> wrote in message 
news:Xns9A9845966196BDisorgfoo@65.254.172.36...
>I know that we have discussed this topic before. I ran across the
> following in a recent Security Focus newsletter. It is a well written
> piece. Note the qualifications of the author which are included.
>
>
> On the Border
> By Mark Rasch
> Recently, I was going through an airport with my shoes, coat, jacket,
> and belt off as well as with my carry-on bag, briefcase, and laptop all
> separated for easy inspection. I was heading through security at the
> Washington D.C., Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia,
> or "National" as we locals call it. As I passed through the new
> magnetometer which gently puffed air all over my body -- which to me
> seems to be a cross between a glaucoma test and Marilyn Monroe in
> Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -- a TSA employee absent-mindedly asked if he
> could "inspect" my laptop computer. While the inspection was
cursory,
> the situation immediately gave me pause: What was in my laptop anyway?
> http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/469
>
> SecurityFocus columnist Mark D. Rasch, J.D., is a former head of the
> Justice Department's computer crime unit, and specializes in computer
> crime, computer security, incident response, forensics and privacy
> matters as Managing Director of Technology for FTI Consulting, Inc.
>
>
> -- 
> Cheers,
> Kurt
> 

Yep. When the burocrat insists on inspecting your box, despite our
"defiance', it is hard not to simply give up and give him access. If
you're lucky or good - he finds nothing that requires him to confiscate
the box for further exploration - he'll look about and let you go.

Not to worry Cat; in the future, the "forensics script on a stick"
will
allow them to strip-search you without having to risk "fumble
fingers"
deleting a critical file. Because the TLA's don't want congressional
complaints and inquiries following accidental file deletions, they'll
likely use that forensic technology sooner rather than later.

To avoid the "profiling" charges that are so distasteful in the U.S.
(though the Israelis successfully rely upon "profiling" to help spare
ordinary citizens humiliating searches), the USB scripts will be applied
at the border to everyone.

The lesson...... Keep your box "sqeeky clean" at all times :-)

(would like to hear more details, please!)

catseyenu wrote:
> Certainly brings some focus to the questionable practices of unrestricted 
> searches currently taking place.
> I had a taste of this recently, I may share more on it after I've had some

> sleep.
> Long story short, it was easier on me to submit to logging in on my laptop

> and allow "fumble fingers" attempt to ransack my files. It was
pretty 
> obvious he was in over his head. <G>
> 
> "Kurt" <not@email.invalid> wrote in message 
> news:Xns9A9845966196BDisorgfoo@65.254.172.36...
>> I know that we have discussed this topic before. I ran across the
>> following in a recent Security Focus newsletter. It is a well written
>> piece. Note the qualifications of the author which are included.
>>
>>
>> On the Border
>> By Mark Rasch
>> Recently, I was going through an airport with my shoes, coat, jacket,
>> and belt off as well as with my carry-on bag, briefcase, and laptop
all
>> separated for easy inspection. I was heading through security at the
>> Washington D.C., Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington,
Virginia,
>> or "National" as we locals call it. As I passed through the
new
>> magnetometer which gently puffed air all over my body -- which to me
>> seems to be a cross between a glaucoma test and Marilyn Monroe in
>> Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -- a TSA employee absent-mindedly asked if he
>> could "inspect" my laptop computer. While the inspection was
cursory,
>> the situation immediately gave me pause: What was in my laptop anyway?
>> http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/469
>>
>> SecurityFocus columnist Mark D. Rasch, J.D., is a former head of the
>> Justice Department's computer crime unit, and specializes in computer
>> crime, computer security, incident response, forensics and privacy
>> matters as Managing Director of Technology for FTI Consulting, Inc.
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Cheers,
>> Kurt
>>
> 
> 

catseyenu wrote:

> Long story short, it was easier on me to submit to logging in on my laptop

> and allow "fumble fingers" attempt to ransack my files. It was
pretty 
> obvious he was in over his head. <G>

I currently triple boot MEPIS, PCLinuxOS, and XP on my laptop.

Next time I go north of the border, I think I'll remove the XP boot 
option. Might be fun to watch.

-- 
Mark Warner
SimplyMEPIS Linux v6.5
Registered Linux User #415318

"Mark Warner" <markwarner1954.inhibitions@att.net> wrote in
message 
news:4823bb72$1@APPSERV1.gamewoodapp.net...
>
> I currently triple boot MEPIS, PCLinuxOS, and XP on my laptop.
>
> Next time I go north of the border, I think I'll remove the XP boot 
> option. Might be fun to watch.

The border will likely have imaging capabilities.