TSA Luggage Lock Master Keys Are Compromised

An anonymous reader writes: As the FBI demand encryption master keys for Apple, Microsoft and Google made devices, photographs of the master keys for the TSA Travel Sentry suitcases have now been published in multiple places online (more links in later articles). Cory Doctorow points out this makes it much easier for thieves to open luggage undetectably, without leaving any signs of lock picking. Whilst many have argued that the locks aren't designed to provide real security, the most important thing is that this shows the risk of backdoors in security systems, especially since the TSA has not given any warning about this compromise, which seems to have occurred in 2014 or earlier.

Comments

I always assumed they were

[drinkypoo]

I always assumed that these keys had been figured out long, long ago. If there's people in Afghanistan who can make you an AK-47 by hand, there must be people in China who can just not assemble the locks and take the parts to a smith (where do you think TSA locks are made?) and get a key made. I'd be surprised if you can't just buy the keys on aliexpress.

if "married with children" were made today

[Anonymous Coward]

al bundy would be a tsa screener...

seriously - is there ANY job you'd be more embarrassed to say a spouse, child (they actually BREED?!?), etc had? "hey, joe, did I see your boy in a blue shirt at o'hare the other day" "naw, man, my boy cooks meth! he's the next jesse pinkman!"