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

This shouldn't come as a surprise

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

I spent ten years as a government contractor and this shouldn't surprise anyone. First Homeland Security runs Windows which in itself isn't bad if it's properly patched and maintained.
The danger comes from the the people in government who control the money who have no technical knowledge. This is positively RAMPANT in government. Many times agencies just go with the cheapest bid and contractors give cheaper bids by hiring fairly inexperienced and not so knowledgable techs.

Many government agencies can get by with using Windows but really important agencies whose security cannot be left to chance should not be using Windows....period. Sadly Homeland Security and NSA are both starting to deploy more Windows units and that's only going to be bad for everyone.

Biggest reason why? Strong security requires techs that actually have technical knowledge and can do more than just set up insecure boxes by pointing and clicking. Big difference between *nix and Windows?
*nix needs techs with a decent amount of computer aptitude.
Windows does not
The person attacking you, or entity, or rogue state will not be using script kiddies. This only gets worse from here. "Homeland Security" is fast becoming an oxymoron.