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Laptop checking in airports



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:12 AM
Nick FitzGerald
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:12 AM
Nick FitzGerald
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:30 AM
Nick FitzGerald
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:30 AM
Nick FitzGerald
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:33 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 02:33 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 03:14 AM
curious
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 03:14 AM
curious
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 03:25 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old July 12th, 2004, 03:25 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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.




 




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