more on Vancouver Airport Risks Digest 24.44

Begin forwarded message:

From: Frode Hegland <[email protected]>
Date: September 26, 2006 7:25:29 PM EDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [IP] Vancouver Airport Risks Digest 24.44

This might be TIPS, developed by http://www.qinetiq.com/ which  
inserts images during normal use, to make sure the operator stays  
alert. The operator must press a button and the system will then say  
wether there is an 'inserted' image. Maybe it is something else  
described here though, as TIPS is not just for training, it's also  
for on the job alertness.

On 26 Sep 2006, at 18:37, David Farber wrote:

>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>
> Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:01:42 -0700
> From: Karl Klashinsky <[email protected]>
> Subject: Vancouver Int'l Airport locked down due to software glitch
>
> On 17 Sep 2006, Vancouver International Airport was locked down for  
> several
> hours because a security guard noticed what appeared to be an  
> explosive on
> an X-ray screen.  The bag in question could not be located in the  
> screening
> area, so the decision was made to re-screen all passengers in the  
> waiting
> areas.
>
> The "lock down" procedure also required many flights that had just  
> taken off
> to return to Vancouver so that all passengers could be re-screened.
>
> As it turns out, the bag was not found because it did not exist.   
> The image
> seen by the guard was from training software installed on the  
> screening
> machine.  The image in question should have appeared only during a  
> training
> exercise, according to a spokesperson from Canadian Air Transport  
> Security
> Authority (CATSA).  Furthermore:
>
> "They're investigating how that feature of the tool got inadvertently
> activated.  And while they're doing that investigation, they've  
> deactivated
> the tool itself."
>
> None of the basic facts here will be a surprise to RISKers.   
> However, one
> thought crossing my mind is whether the training software was  
> executed as a
> prank, and if so, how (i.e., I have no idea whether it's possible to
> interact with the screening machines remotely).  But if a "false  
> positive"
> image could be inserted into a live, in-service screening machine,  
> then it's
> possible that a "false negative" could also be inserted.
>
> The CBC story shortly after the incident, describing the lock down:
>
> http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/09/17/ 
> vancouver-airport.html
>
> And the recent story describing the cause:
>
> http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/09/22/bc- 
> airport-screening.html
>
>   [Also noted by Robert Israel, UBC, Vancouver]
> http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060921/ 
> yvr_security_060921/20060921
>
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Frode Hegland
ceo
The Hyperwords Company
www.hyperwords.net