Hacker Detained at Airport, Laptop and Phones Searched
Hacker Detained at Airport, Laptop and Phones Searched
Posted 11/19/2010 at 3:08pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Noted White Hat hacker and security expert Moxie Marlinspike (not his real name) was recently detained at New York's JFK airport as he returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic, Wired reports. Marlinspike says he was met at the plane's gate by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He was led to a detention room, where an investigator confiscated his computer and cell phones.
After trying to access the devices to copy the data, Marlinspike was instructed to give up his encryption keys. He refused and was eventually allowed to leave with his property about four and a half hours later. Marlinspike does not plan to use the devices again saying, "They could have modified the hardware or installed new keyboard firmware.”
Marlinspike gained notoriety in hacking circles last year when, at the Black Hat security conference, he disclosed a serious web vulnerability that allows attackers to fake security certificates. Marlinspike has been experiencing increased scrutiny for months. Ticketing agents can only issue him tickets after calling a Department of Homeland Security phone line. He has also been told by airline personnel that he is on a federal watchlist. Feel safer yet?
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SeverianSilk
November 21, 2010 at 12:49pm
Two kinds of people that our Gov't hates the most and will take all possible action against:
1. Those who are smarter than they are, and
2. Those who are richer than they are.
tedster98
November 20, 2010 at 7:25pm
I hardly think a computer hacker is a security risk at an airport. I'm more worried about ali akbar achmed and his other raghead friends. Start using common sense TSA and PROFILE.
M0nst3rB0y
November 20, 2010 at 9:00am
No one expects the HLS Inquisiton!
Oh the enviable knowledge of the insides of the computer that is denied to all those who are not allowed to open it while it's still working - and all the better to gain such knowledge on anothers' HW and warranty!
linkmaster6
November 20, 2010 at 6:30am
Maybe they didn't do anything to his equipment, maybe its a well thought out plan to force him into getting new equipment that they will intercept and bug...
Ghok
November 19, 2010 at 9:56pm
Ah, so if the authorities are allowed around normal laws in an airport, it makes perfect sense to do all your interrogating there! Have some guy you want to hassle without due process? Just do it in an airport! Hey, it's kind of like how Guantánamo Bay works!
Havok
November 19, 2010 at 8:02pm
He's all like:
"Oh hai guyz. I found a problem with teh interwebs, but we can fix it."
And now the authorities are one step away from giving him a full cavity search... I feel for this guy.
Queenof1
November 19, 2010 at 4:22pm
if he's White Hat, doesn't that means he's one of the good guys and DHS should be offering him a job?
zNelson24
November 19, 2010 at 4:54pm
I'm don't think that the DHS (and all those other high level, three letter law enforcement agencies) care about a computer hacker's moral disposition (the hat color). The fact that he's capable of finding and using a bunch of critical exploits is enough to have persons detained in their eyes.
It sucks, and I hope this guy can figure out if (and what) they did to his equipment.
akilly
February 29, 2012 at 7:48pm
This is a great post; it was very informative. I look forward in reading more of your work. Also, I made sure to bookmark your website so I can come back later. I enjoyed every moment of reading it. I admit, I have not been on this webpage in a long time... however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues. Great stuff as usual...
Anthony
Trademark Lawyer
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