Border Security System Left Open

7x7 writes "Wired News is running an article on documents they recovered via the Freedom of Information Act and a lawsuit. From the article:" A computer failure that hobbled border-screening systems at airports across the country last August occurred after Homeland Security officials deliberately held back a security patch that would have protected the sensitive computers from a virus then sweeping the internet, according to documents obtained by Wired News." It looks like Zotob made it in to the supposedly protected network."

Comments

Let me get this straight

[pHatidic]

The government agency in charge of US security runs windows?

What next, making Ron Jeremy the pornography czar?

Re:Let me get this straight

[Anonymous Coward]

As our enterprising leaders promote mandatory travel checkpoints, screening and recording every citizen who arrogates to move faster than bicycle-pace, I can practically feel myself tingling with safety.

How dare you joke about their ineptitude? Don't you realize that every dollar spent on Homeland security is a dollar that otherwise would have gone to some terrorist who snuck through the border and stole a job in preparation to launch a dirty nuclear bomb in the middle of a preschool, for God's sake?

Instead of criticizing, please, take a moment to say thank you next time.

Territorial Pissing

[Anonymous Coward]

This whole border monitoring and attempt at an omniscient fed is just plain silly. As for the terrorists, wouldn't it just be easier not to invade other countries and invoke the ire of the natives??
 
And illegal immigrants wouldn't be streaming into the US if the dollar wasn't being artificially propped up. Probably would see the reverse if the free market would be allowed to work its course.

Failures are routine apparently

[frdmfghtr]

Publicly, officials initially attributed the failure to a virus, but later reversed themselves and claimed the incident was a routine system failure.

I guess when you run Windows, failures are routine...

Re:Failures are routine apparently

[ScrewMaster]

If you're suffering routine failures, check to make sure you aren't running Windows.

I feel safer already! :-)

[Philip K Dickhead]

Let's give this system to Iran, then we can avoid a war in August - while they figure out their problems with illegals, terrorists and Bill O'Reilly commentaries! :-)

In Soviet America, the border opens you!

42

[Wayne247]

If anyone is surprised by the incompetence of governmental bureaucracy, please email me about my new perpetual motion machine that taps the unlimited energy of herbal pills.

Re:Should have used dumb terminals.

[codegen]

Look for around 33 million illegal aliens.

Which is about the entire population of Canada.

Re:One born every minute.

[MadUndergrad]

"'This OS is totally new and improved and does not have the problems our last one did.'"

Nope, it has a whole new set of problems!

Fine print: it also has all the problems of the last one.

So that would make this

[teamhasnoi]

the first undoucumented Mexican virus?

I'm confused. Who will clean my Walmart now?

Spellcheckers do not catch all misspellings.

[lifebouy]

I guess all those boarders better make a run for the border.

border
1 : an outer part or edge.

boarder
one that boards.