Headline, November02, 2013

''' THE -DIGITAL- SAMURAI :

DR CHRIS SOGHOIAN '''

The startling fact is that it took just 20 minutes to build, but Dr Chris Soghoian's hastily constructed website capable of generating fake airline boarding passes led to rebuke from a congressman,:

A raid by the FBI, an investigation by the Transport Security Administration, worldwide media coverage -and ultimate a vindication.

With a series of similar exploits that have exposed security flaws and privacy violations, he has demonstrated his ability to hack the media with just as much facility as he manipulates computers.

At the age of just about 30, he has established himself as the most prominent member of a new generation of activist technology researchers who delight in causing a media stink in order to shame companies and governments into fixing problems with their systems.

The boarding-pass example occurred in 2006, when Dr Soghoian, then a graduate student at the University of Indiana, became irritated by an obvious flaw in airport procedures used by TSA screeners. Although screeners checked the name on each passenger's boarding pass against a government issued identity document, :

They had no way of verifying that the boarding pass itself was valid. Fake boarding pass itself could easily be created for any flight using a computer and image-manipulation software, as had already been pointed out by Bruce Svhneier, another security guru, in 2003.

Charles Schumer, a senator, even issued a press release in Feb 2005 explaining how easily security could be bypassed in this way.

Yet it took Dr Soghoian to light the right kind of a firecracker under this known problem. In Oct 2006 he threw together a webpage that could generate fake boarding passes for Northwest Airlines that appeared valid to TSA screeners. The page received enormous press attention, even though he never printed out or used a false pass himself.

Ed Markey, a congressman, called for Dr Soghoian's arrest. The FBI had his website shutdown and seized his computers. The TSA opened an inquiry. But when the simplicity of the ''hack'' became apparent, along with Dr Soghoian's academic status, Mr Markey apologised and suggested that rather than investigating Dr Soghoian, the TSA should hire him instead.

Dr Saghoian's computers were returned a few weeks later and the TSA investigations were closed. Last year the TSA finally began testing equipment to validate boarding passes at airports.

The Honour Post continues:

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of Bangladesh. See Ya all on the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

''' A Knight in Cyberspace '''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless