Support NeoGAF

[Killer Queen]

Heightening the concern is US intelligence suggesting that terrorists have obtained sophisticated airport security equipment to test how to effectively conceal explosives in laptops and other electronic devices.
The intelligence, gathered in the last several months, played a significant role in the Trump administration's decision to prohibit travelers flying out of 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and Africa from carrying laptops and other large electronic devices aboard planes.

The findings may raise questions about whether the ban is broad enough. CNN has learned that, through a series of tests conducted late last year, the FBI determined the laptop bombs would be far more difficult for airport screeners to detect than previous versions terrorist groups have produced. The FBI testing focused on specific models of screening machines that are approved by the Transportation Security Administration and are used in the US and around the world.

As a matter of policy, we do not publicly discuss specific intelligence information. However, evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in electronics," the Department of Homeland Security told CNN in a statement. "The U.S. government continually re-assesses existing intelligence and collects new intelligence. This allows DHS and TSA to constantly evaluate our aviation security processes and policies and make enhancements when they are deemed necessary to keep passengers safe. As always, all air travelers are subject to a robust security system that employs multiple layers of security, both seen and unseen."

When the electronics ban was announced, US officials told CNN they were concerned that terrorists had developed ways to hide explosives in battery compartments. But the new intelligence makes clear that the bomb-makers working for ISIS and other groups have become sophisticated enough to hide the explosives while ensuring a laptop would function long enough to get past screeners. Though advanced in design, FBI testing found that the laptops could be modified using common household tools.
FBI experts have tested variants of the laptop bombs using different battery and explosive configurations to assess how difficult it would be for airport screeners to detect them.
The intelligence that contributed to the ban on electronic devices was specific, credible an

At the same time, they also said there was no single, overwhelming piece of intelligence that led to the ban, rather it was an accumulation of intercepted material and "human intelligence."

Intelligence officials received a wake-up call in February 2016, when an operative from al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda affiliate in Somali, detonated a laptop bomb on a Daallo Airlines flight from Mogadishu to Djibouti. The explosives were hidden in a part of the laptop where bomb-makers had removed a DVD drive, according to investigators. Airport workers helped smuggle the bomb on the plane after it passed through an X-ray machine. In that case, the bomber was blown out of the airplane but the aircraft was able to make an emergency landing. However, experts have said the bomb would have been more devastating had the plane reached cruising altitude.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/31/politics/terrorist-laptop-bombs-may-evade-security/

 

[yanipheonu]

 

[Cyanity]

If this prevents me from bringing my Switch on planes, I'm done with this planet.

 

[Lonely1]

Thanks terrorist, for making flights even shittier.

 

[TheCochese]

Something something Note joke.

 

[MIMIC]

I wanna know how the hell terrorists stole airport screening equipment.

 

[HStallion]

I wanna know how the hell terrorists stole airport screening equipment.

You can purchase that stuff pretty easier than you would expect or just take it from the places you ransack that happen to have this kind of equipment.

 

[always crazy bacon]

scaremongering article, it does not take a genius to mould plastic explosive into the shape of a battery and put it in the battery compartment. It would have been possible years ago anyway and probably easier then due to the size of the batteries. Do the terrorist really have airport scanning equipment in the Terrorists R Us headquarters?

I doubt no matter how well they hid the explosives in electronics a trained explosive sniffing dog walking the line while people queue for the scanners would surely detect it.

 

[Killer Queen]

scaremongering article, it does not take a genius to mould plastic explosive into the shape of a battery and put it in the battery compartment. It would have been possible years ago anyway and probably easier then due to the size of the batteries. Do the terrorist really have airport scanning equipment in the Terrorists R Us headquarters?

I doubt no matter how well they hid the explosives in electronics a trained explosive sniffing dog walking the line while people queue for the scanners would surely detect it.

But the new intelligence makes clear that the bomb-makers working for ISIS and other groups have become sophisticated enough to hide the explosives while ensuring a laptop would function long enough to get past screeners

The battery thing isn't new, but this is, and really the most important part of the article. There's also the example of an incident in the OP from 2016.

 

[Betty]

I wonder if this is what took down the Russia bound passenger plane over Egypt, wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Slayven]

Maybe I am silly, but I always wonder why even do stories like this telling the bad guys what to do.

 

[Killer Queen]

Maybe I am silly, but I always wonder why even do stories like this telling the bad guys what to do.

Anyone who's interested likely already has avenues of finding out whether it be hidden somewhere deep on the internet or through their associates. I'd also wager that because it's now public knowledge that they're working on or have already found a way to counteract it.

 

[commedieu]

I wanna know how the hell terrorists stole airport screening equipment.

They likely bought it from the private company that sells it to the airports..
Or they just borrowed them from Saudi arabia.

 

[Alavard]

Maybe I am silly, but I always wonder why even do stories like this telling the bad guys what to do.

Because security by obscurity isn't. (as in, it isn't security).

 

[Spectone]

It was only a matter of time before this happened. I read that one airline will offer passengers a loan tablet for the flight in compensation.

 

[The Real Abed]

Well. So much for taking laptops on long flights.

 

[Volimar]

Our ridiculously inept TSA is going to make things even worse aren't they?

 

[7DollarHagane]

Our ridiculously inept TSA is going to make things even worse aren't they?

What type of response is this to this article?

 

[BriGuy]

Our ridiculously inept TSA is going to make things even worse aren't they?

If I remember right, Trump wanted to slash their budget. Look forward to the terrorist bombing that shores up his support and shifts the focus away from Russia. He sure is!

 

[Volimar]

What type of response is this to this article?

One that is tired of security theater.

 

[BassForever]

I get tighter security and more restrictions on laptops and other large electronic devices, but man this sucks :/

 

[Brandson]

Probably any electronic devices above a certain size, weight, or thickness will be banned from carry-on or luggage on all flights soon. I hope they don't manage to integrate a bomb into a functioning thin tablet next.

 

[test_account]

 

[Jezbollah]

And this is why you have measures like this:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1353959

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Our ridiculously inept TSA is going to make things even worse aren't they?

The cunning and mighty TSA

 

[samn]

just take a book.

 

[Moose Biscuits]

just take a book.

Until a terrorist turns a book into a bomb.

This is a never ending arms race. Terrorists make drinks into bombs so they ban liquids. Then they turn shoes into bombs so you have to take your shoes off. Now they turn laptops into bombs so bye bye laptops.

Next it'll be turning phones into bombs, so those will be banned. Then it'll be books. Then they'll figure out how to turn the people themselves into bombs, so they'll need ever more sophisticated scanners. Then what? Who knows. Maybe they'll figure out how to turn our very thoughts into bombs.

 

[Milly Osworth]

Nude flights for security reasons. It would fit well with the billionaire woman airline.

 

[Breads]

Oh come on. I already get stopped like 70% of the time because of my looks and the electronics I carry for work.

Now I got this shit, and suspicion of this shit to now contend with? Guess I gotta get there a half hour earlier now.

 

[Razorback]

When will people realize that if it weren't for the media, terrorism wouldn't work?

Since 1975, on average 75 people are killed every year due to terrorism in the US. This includes 9/11.

Compare that to the annual average of 37,000 deaths due to road accidents.

Which one actually dominates peoples' fears and has more impact on policy?

 

[Jack The Nipper]

laptops are always the one thing they check out of your bag though, guess they will be looking at them more strongly (or should be at least)

 

[Izuna]

Yeah...

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

And this is why you have measures like this:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1353959

So why is the US and UK the only country doing this. I see there is a security measure needed but why didn't the EU do anything about this.

 

[Moose Biscuits]

When will people realize that if it weren't for the media, terrorism wouldn't work?

Since 1975, on average 75 people are killed every year due to terrorism in the US. This includes 9/11.

Compare that to the annual average of 37,000 deaths due to road accidents.

Wich one actually dominates peoples' fears and has more impact on policy?

The same reason that people are more afraid of planes despite being the safest form of travel, or how coal has harmed or killed a shit ton more than nuclear power ever has, but nuclear has the worse rap. Terrorism might happen a lot less often then RTAs, but when it does it's a BIG THING with LOADS DEAD and maybe EXPLOSIONS. It tends to stick in the mind.

 

[Razorback]

The same reason that people are more afraid of planes despite being the safest form of travel, or how coal has harmed or killed a shit ton more than nuclear power ever has, but nuclear has the worse rap. Terrorism might happen a lot less often then RTAs, but when it does it's a BIG THING with LOADS DEAD and maybe EXPLOSIONS. It tends to stick in the mind.

That's my point. Rare and sensational incidents are by definition more newsworthy. But due to the availability heuristic, our brains see those types of news so often that it thinks they are common.

This inaccurate model of reality has a huge influence on political outcomes. I have no clue what direction we can even go to make progress here. Maybe we could start by teaching kids in school all about cognitive biases.

 

[gcubed]

And this is why you have measures like this:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1353959

No it's not.

Same stupid reason I need to pay $8 for a water while waiting for a flight. Or I have to take my shoes off

The laptop can just as easily explode in the luggage compartment at altitude.

 

[Moose Biscuits]

No it's not.

Same stupid reason I need to pay $8 for a water while waiting for a flight. Or I have to take my shoes off

The laptop can just as easily explode in the luggage compartment at altitude.

If it goes into hold luggage though, it's much less likely to harm people if it goes off (unless it's big enough to rip a hole in the plane where it'd make no difference). It's also much less likely to be in the air when it goes off, too.

 

[Oppo]

ok - but the rule about having to check your laptop, how is that helping? i assume most airplane bombs have gone off in the cargo hold anyways?

at a certain point you just move the attack to the very crowded line just ahead of security. makes little difference really.

 

[always crazy bacon]

The battery thing isn't new, but this is, and really the most important part of the article. There's also the example of an incident in the OP from 2016.

The article stated that he had inside help from agents acting as airport staff. Separating a battery compartment into 80% explosive and 20% battery does not sound all that difficult, I could probably do that hypothetically. If you had an old laptop there would be loads of space for that. It's just scaremongering.

Explosive sniffing dogs, check mate terrorists.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Just what we needed. Now it's only a matter of time before flights don't allow you to bring any major electronics.

 

[samn]

ok - but the rule about having to check your laptop, how is that helping? i assume most airplane bombs have gone off in the cargo hold anyways?

at a certain point you just move the attack to the very crowded line just ahead of security. makes little difference really.

A bomb exploding in the hold is less dangerous. The terrorist has no control over where it's positioned - if it explodes in the centre that's better than exploding near the skin of the plane, and passengers and crew won't be sucked out of the hole.

Also, the idea of a bomb exploding in a queue at an airport is less scary than the idea of a bomb exploding at 30,000 feet. which is what matters when planning a terrorist attack

 

[Oppo]

A bomb exploding in the hold is less dangerous. The terrorist has no control over where it's positioned - if it explodes in the centre that's better than exploding near the skin of the plane, and passengers and crew won't be sucked out of the hole.

Also, the idea of a bomb exploding in a queue at an airport is less scary than the idea of a bomb exploding at 30,000 feet.

c'mon, surely any kind of bomb in a pressurized environment is super bad. i don't know if i've ever heard of a bomb exploding on a plane and not destroying t?

and i might argue our second point too but that's neither here nor there w/r/t this laptop thing. unless they start banning laptops from stadiums, public events and so forth.

 

[samn]

c'mon, surely any kind of bomb in a pressurized environment is super bad. i don't know if i've ever heard of a bomb exploding on a plane and not destroying t?

and i might argue our second point too but that's neither here nor there w/r/t this laptop thing. unless they start banning laptops from stadiums, public events and so forth.

those bombs were probably bigger than you could fit in an iPad or laptop

 

[ahoyhoy]

Why are we always so obsessed with planes exploding but don't have the same amount of security to prevent a train/bus exploding?

 

[tci]

Why are we always so obsessed with planes exploding but don't have the same amount of security to prevent a train/bus exploding?

Trains/buses don't fall 10 000 feet when they fail.

 

[……forgetit]

I called these existing years ago, but it could have been done years ago, we're no more in danger now than we were a decade ago.

 

[hodgy100]

I called these existing years ago, but it could have been done years ago, we're no more in danger now than we were a decade ago.

pretty much.

 

[Cyanity]

Why are we always so obsessed with planes exploding but don't have the same amount of security to prevent a train/bus exploding?

Selective cognitive dissonance? Idk

 

[Zen_Arcade]

When will people realize that if it weren't for the media, terrorism wouldn't work?

Since 1975, on average 75 people are killed every year due to terrorism in the US. This includes 9/11.

Compare that to the annual average of 37,000 deaths due to road accidents.

Which one actually dominates peoples' fears and has more impact on policy?

Terrorism isnt something that is an integral part of the infrastructure of how our country runs. Unfortunately, road accidents come with the package.

Plus, everyone knows about the dangers of driving. We have a whole program to teach you all about them before you're even allowed to do it.

 

[samn]

Why are we always so obsessed with planes exploding but don't have the same amount of security to prevent a train/bus exploding?

because terrorists don't attempt this as often as the optics are less scary

if you're injured in a train bomb then emergency services will be there within minutes

if you're injured in a plane bomb then the whole plane is coming down anyway