Researcher Evan Booth: How To Weaponize Tax-Free Airport Goods

New submitter MickeyF71 writes "At the Hack in the Box security conference security expert Evan Booth shares the results of his two year research on the effectiveness of airport security. He demonstrates how easy it is to produce lethal weapons from goods easily bought from the tax-free section at most airports." Google's translation of the Dutch in that link isn't ideal. For those who prefer English to Dutch, Booth's presentation at CarolinaCon 2013 (YouTube video) may be a better bet.

Comments

First Post

[PPH]

I'll be reading TFA while standing in the TSA security line at the airport.

Re:First Post

[Nerdfest]

If the TSA guys could read they'd probably give you an hard time.

They needed research for this?

[Anonymous Coward]

Go into any duty free shop and make a bee line to the liquor section. There's something wonderfully flammable stuff there.

Although, for some of those Scotches, if a terrorist were to use them, you'd see Fark headlines like: "The Horror! 30 year old Scotch murdered in terrorist act! A plane and people died too."

Re:They needed research for this?

[sribe]

You've watched too many action movies.

When someone splashes alcohol in your face and lights it, the very last
thing you will be thinking about is beating them up. You WILL be thinking
about you face being on fire.

I think it's you that's watched too many movies--booze does not burn all that well. While splashing alcohol in 1 person's face and lighting it might, possibly, incapacitate that person, it is not any way to incapacitate the entire flight crew and all the other passengers. The end result would be an attacker struggling to not suffocate, because it is actually very hard to breathe when hog-tied, and especially with one or more knees in your back.

Oh, by the way--you do realize there's fire extinguishers on board, and the flight attendants know where they are and how to use them? Right? So what do you think they're going to do with the fire extinguisher after they empty it? ;-)

Re:They needed research for this?

[AJWM]

But planes have been hijacked with knives before 9/12/2001.

Fixed that for you.

Re:They needed research for this?

[Opportunist]

Ok, I'm obviously not the only one who got that.

9/11 was like the trojan horse (the original one, not the malware). It was a once in a lifetime, actually, once in history stunt. It will never ever work again. The reason it worked was simply cooperation on the side of the attacked. Yes, cooperation. Not in the sense that they actually helped them, but that they didn't resist thinking that it's "only" a simple plane hijacking.

Try it again and at the very least 50% of the people in the plane will be all over you. Quite seriously, if I let you continue, I will die anyway. If I fight you, I have a fighting chance to survive. Cut, bruised and maybe lethally stabbed, but there's a chance.

Re:WTH does tax-free have to do with the subject o

[larry bagina]

The TSA recently changed policies to allow pocket knives, nail clippers, hockey sticks, and box cutters back on planes. Box cutters, you'll remember, were used on 9/11/2001. The reality is, many prohibited items pass through security on a daily basis. You've heard stories about people the TSA failing their own security checks (fake bombs, guns, etc). You probably haven't heard any stories about the TSA actually stopping a terrorist. This is not because they're too modest to tell anyone.

All is not lost, since cockpit doors are still locked during the flight and passengers know a plane hijacking no longer means "free trip to cuba" but "you will die" which changes the dynamic (c.f United Airlines flight 93).

Re:Ruining it for everyone

[Imagix]

True story: Passing security, my wife had her nail clippers confiscated. As soon as we cleared security, we walked into one of the shops and bought another pair of nail clippers. What was the point of seizing them at security? Equally true story: we bought water in the security area in our originating airport. Transferred planes in London, and they seized the water. BTW: do they somehow scan all of the merchandise that was brought into the secured area, like the bottled water that you can't bring across security?

Re:Ruining it for everyone

[turkeyfeathers]

The replacement clippers you bought in the shop were made of approved inert metal. The ones you tried to smuggle on the aircraft could well have been made of plutonium. You and a few of your terrorist buddies put your plutonium nail clippers together and... BOOM! So you see, the policy was effective. Now please report to Guantanamo Bay.

Re:Rubbish weapons

[Bogtha]

The weapons in the photos look scary, but I bet they'd be really rubbish in real life. For example, the club is made from a rolled up magazine and some Liberty statuettes. It is small, not very heavy, not very sharp, and would probably fall apart if it was used.

You'd be surprised at how effective seemingly benign things like this are. It sounds akin to a Milwall brick.

Re:WTH does tax-free have to do with the subject o

[BubbaDave]

Heh, the *boom* will be when you try to compress acetylene above 15psi.

A few liters of acet-oxy mix makes a nice boom but little damage, I've had a quart sandwich bag of mix go off in my hands, not even a tingle.

30 gal trashbag with a nice lean mix will audibly echo in the hudson valley for at least 190 seconds, assuming your ears were plugged for the boom.

Re: WTH does tax-free have to do with the subject

[BubbaDave]

I wanna hang out with this guy..

Bring ear protection.