If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
"Shawn Hearn" wrote:
snip ... The only issue I ever had was one day when I was tired beyond description and I completely forgot to put my laptop in one of those bins at the carry-on inspection gate. The inspector simply asked me to boot up the computer and he didn't even wait for the boot sequence to complete before he told me to move on. The issue is really that you will comply. I guess the thought behind all this is that the most likely thing to fake out in a laptop to smuggle explosives, etc on board would be the battery (usually by far the largest single, non-obviously tampered with component that is readily accessible from "outside" the laptop's case (i.e. you don't have to sit there undoing case screws to get access to it -- somnething that is likely to draw some attention to the person doing it). Also, I _imagine_ that a laptop battery and a similarly-sized "replacement" block of C4 or similar probably look very much the same to the X-Ray machines... Thus, the fact that you comply with the request and see lights starting to blink is probably enough "evidence" that the machine poses no significant threat. -- Nick FitzGerald |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
"Shawn Hearn" wrote:
snip ... The only issue I ever had was one day when I was tired beyond description and I completely forgot to put my laptop in one of those bins at the carry-on inspection gate. The inspector simply asked me to boot up the computer and he didn't even wait for the boot sequence to complete before he told me to move on. The issue is really that you will comply. I guess the thought behind all this is that the most likely thing to fake out in a laptop to smuggle explosives, etc on board would be the battery (usually by far the largest single, non-obviously tampered with component that is readily accessible from "outside" the laptop's case (i.e. you don't have to sit there undoing case screws to get access to it -- somnething that is likely to draw some attention to the person doing it). Also, I _imagine_ that a laptop battery and a similarly-sized "replacement" block of C4 or similar probably look very much the same to the X-Ray machines... Thus, the fact that you comply with the request and see lights starting to blink is probably enough "evidence" that the machine poses no significant threat. -- Nick FitzGerald |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote:
I've seen people who try to take their laptops onto a plane as carry-on get stopped by security at the gate. The security guard asks them to boot up the laptop, and then they insert some sort of device into the laptop (presumably into the USB port or something). ... When did you first see this? I've not struck this before, but it's a while since I've flown through a US airport. I have once myself, and a few times seen others having their laptops "wanded" for explosives. It's much the same process they use for bag checks: A clean piece of cloth broken out of a sealed envelope is fitted across the end of a "wand", rubbed over various parts of the laptop likely to have been contacted by the users hands such as the "front" (non-hinge) corners of the lid, the wrist-rest area on the keyboard, the space bar and touch-pad or pointing device buttons (with bags they tend to focus on the zippers), then they remove the cloth and put it into some kind of analysis device that presumably "sniffs" in some way for the likely compounds that are the "chemical fingerprints" of recent contact with explosives. ... What exactly does this device do, and is there a possibility of a virus being transmitted from the device into the computer? Without knowing more, I couldn't say. That said though, although some devices that connect to USB do "autorun" under Windows, your typical "thumb drive" device will not, so I don't believe they can autorun something off such a device. It is conceivable that something could be specially manufactured to lie about its device type and "fake" as a CD drive though, and in that case a default Windows installation would probably autorun contents off the device ahortly after insertion. -- Nick FitzGerald |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote:
I've seen people who try to take their laptops onto a plane as carry-on get stopped by security at the gate. The security guard asks them to boot up the laptop, and then they insert some sort of device into the laptop (presumably into the USB port or something). ... When did you first see this? I've not struck this before, but it's a while since I've flown through a US airport. I have once myself, and a few times seen others having their laptops "wanded" for explosives. It's much the same process they use for bag checks: A clean piece of cloth broken out of a sealed envelope is fitted across the end of a "wand", rubbed over various parts of the laptop likely to have been contacted by the users hands such as the "front" (non-hinge) corners of the lid, the wrist-rest area on the keyboard, the space bar and touch-pad or pointing device buttons (with bags they tend to focus on the zippers), then they remove the cloth and put it into some kind of analysis device that presumably "sniffs" in some way for the likely compounds that are the "chemical fingerprints" of recent contact with explosives. ... What exactly does this device do, and is there a possibility of a virus being transmitted from the device into the computer? Without knowing more, I couldn't say. That said though, although some devices that connect to USB do "autorun" under Windows, your typical "thumb drive" device will not, so I don't believe they can autorun something off such a device. It is conceivable that something could be specially manufactured to lie about its device type and "fake" as a CD drive though, and in that case a default Windows installation would probably autorun contents off the device ahortly after insertion. -- Nick FitzGerald |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote in message ... I've seen people who try to take their laptops onto a plane as carry-on get stopped by security at the gate. The security guard asks them to boot up the laptop, and then they insert some sort of device into the laptop (presumably into the USB port or something). What exactly does this device do, and is there a possibility of a virus being transmitted from the device into the computer? You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote in message ... I've seen people who try to take their laptops onto a plane as carry-on get stopped by security at the gate. The security guard asks them to boot up the laptop, and then they insert some sort of device into the laptop (presumably into the USB port or something). What exactly does this device do, and is there a possibility of a virus being transmitted from the device into the computer? You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:33:38 GMT, "PTRAVEL" wrote:
You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. This happened within the last year, at either a USA or European airport. I'm sorry I don't remember which, as I have done a fair amount of flying in the last year. |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:33:38 GMT, "PTRAVEL" wrote:
You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. This happened within the last year, at either a USA or European airport. I'm sorry I don't remember which, as I have done a fair amount of flying in the last year. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote in message ... On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:33:38 GMT, "PTRAVEL" wrote: You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. This happened within the last year, at either a USA or European airport. I'm sorry I don't remember which, as I have done a fair amount of flying in the last year. You were stopped at the gate and asked to turn on your laptop? Sorry, but I don't believe it was in the US -- random gate checks are all but eliminated here. And I certainly don't believe anyone stuck a USB drive into your computer. That was never done in the US. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop checking in airports
curious wrote in message ... On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:33:38 GMT, "PTRAVEL" wrote: You haven't seen this in the US, or at least not since post-9/11 random gate checks were stopped over a year ago. I've also never seen this in Europe or Asia. This happened within the last year, at either a USA or European airport. I'm sorry I don't remember which, as I have done a fair amount of flying in the last year. You were stopped at the gate and asked to turn on your laptop? Sorry, but I don't believe it was in the US -- random gate checks are all but eliminated here. And I certainly don't believe anyone stuck a USB drive into your computer. That was never done in the US. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Laptop checking in airports | curious | Europe | 62 | September 14th, 2004 05:10 PM |
Which airports needed? (was: Southwest Airlines not so "luvy"?) | Ulf Kutzner | Air travel | 1 | March 24th, 2004 12:29 AM |
Fun with Airports!!!! | Dennis G. Rears | Air travel | 17 | January 30th, 2004 02:53 AM |