What Examples of Security Theater Have You Encountered?

swillden writes "Everyone who pays any attention at all to security, both computer security and 'meatspace' security, has heard the phrase Security Theater. For years I've paid close attention to security setups that I come in contact with, and tried to evaluate their real effectiveness vs their theatrical aspects. In the process I've found many examples of pure theater, but even more cases where the security was really a cover for another motive." swillden would like to know what you've encountered along these lines; read on for the rest of his question below. swillden continues: "Recently, a neighbor uncovered a good example. He and his wife attended a local semi-pro baseball game where security guards were checking all bags for weapons. Since his wife carries a small pistol in her purse, they were concerned that there would be a problem. They decided to try anyway, and see if her concealed weapon permit satisfied the policy. The guard looked at her gun, said nothing and passed them in, then stopped the man behind them because he had beer and snacks in his bag. Park rules prohibit outside food. It's clear what the 'security' check was really about: improving park food vending revenues.

So, what examples of pure security theater have you noticed? Even more interesting, what examples of security-as-excuse have you seen?"

Comments

Passwords

[qoncept]

The DOD replaced reasonable passwords with Common Access Cards. The difference? Instead of having to find out someone's 8+ character alphanumeric password that changes every month, you need to have physical access to their card and need to know their 6 digit number that never changes. Meanwhile, everyone is forgetting their card in the reader when they go to lunch, so they can't get back on base -- but feel free to use it yourself in the meantime.

Re:MIT ITS passwords, and Microsoft File Servers

[TheRealMindChild]

In a similar vein, Microsoft file server passwords were originally checked only on the client, a fact which went undiscovered until Samba came along.

It wasn't just Microsoft. NFS at one point in my life was synonymous with "no fucking security". It trusted the UserID that you transmitted with it. UserID 0 was a handy value to use...

Re:The Iraq theater

[marxmarv]

Islam was a young religion when Christians first attacked the Middle East. How are you not supposed to harbor a grudge, or at the very least distrust, with that kind of introduction, especially when (usually wrongly) self-identified Christians indiscriminately hold a gun to Muslims' heads while their hated cousins steal their land, the "Christians" steal their natural resources, and both of the robbers tell themselves fairy tales to rationalize it?

Re:The Iraq theater

[Onan]

Comparisons between Hussein and Hitler are pretty facile.

Hitler was quite openly intent upon conquering most of three continents, and was part of a functional alliance that was directly attacking the US. He was at the head of an enormously powerful and aggressive military force, and represented a huge threat to both the world in general and the United States in particular.

Hussein, on the other hand, only engaged in war with two other countries: Iran, with the US's urging and support, and Kuwait, with the US's permission. He was quite happy with his role as the US's pawn, and enjoyed only mutual opposition with the one group that had attacked America. He ruled a nation that had been so devastated by a decade of bombings and sanctions that it was mostly ineffectual even within its own borders, much less outside them. He could not have been less of a threat.

Re:Frist Posty?

[dondelelcaro]

Traffic court is now very "secure"

That's generally because it's in the same building as family court. For those who don't know, family court is way more dangerous than criminal court.

Re:The Iraq theater

[1u3hr]

Iraq had a tyrant and was allied with Osama and other terrorist groups (similar to Hitler and Nazi Germany which I am comparing it to)

Sorry, you're sadly misinformed. Saddam was not an ally of al Qaeda. He was a nominal Muslim, but his policies were anathema to he fundamentalists. (He let women work and attend university, for instance.) Saddam was on al Qaeda's hit list, and he knew it. They wanted to get rid of corrupt, loose-living secularists like Saddam and install a theocracy, like the Taliban, in every Muslim country. Saddam was an evil dictator, but never, to my knowledge, took any action against the US outside the Middle East.