TSA Master Keys

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/09/tsa_master_keys.html

by privong • 11 years ago

299 140 11 years ago

Seems to still be a lot being done in the name of security theater in the US, and just wasting dollars on the TSA, for what appears to be very little effect.

Who's really profiting there? Is it just for the employment of people that otherwise wouldn't have a job? Or are the majority of citizens there really made to feel more secure by having them? I'd have to say some defense contractor is getting a bit fatter off this.

Seems like a ridiculous waste of money.

cryoshon• 11 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chertoff#Body_scanners

"Michael Chertoff has been an advocate of enhanced technologies, such as full body scanners.[25] His lobbying firm Chertoff Group (founded 2009) represents manufacturers of the scanners.[26][27]"

"Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under Presidents George W. Bush and (for one day) Barack Obama, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act."

It isn't just a defense contractor, it's the former head of the DHS who implemented these policies and gets kickbacks from body scanner use. He set up the nationwide deployment of the scanners, then profited directly. It's corruption to the extreme.

harkyns_castle7• 11 years ago

It's bizarre it can happen. Surely the wheels have to fall off that out of control cart soon.

Spooky233• 11 years ago

The upshot of TSA is that because it's a single government organization, it's easy to identify the costs and quality of operations.

Pre-TSA, we were wasting the same or more amount of money on private contractors of dubious quality. But you didn't really know how much, as the cost was spread across thousands of airline/airport authorities/municipal government combinations.

harkyns_castle7• 11 years ago

Definitely a way to find a silver lining hehe. Maybe we're getting better at shining a light on things, and they'll crawl back into the slime over a generation or two.

grandalf• 11 years ago

Are you sure it was the same amount of money? Before the TSA, airport security agents were very minimally trained and there were no expensive body scanner machines.

I would not be surprised if the TSA version of airport security cost 10x the previous version.

dragonwriter2• 11 years ago

I would be very surprised if the federalized version wasn't much more expensive -- for one thing, because its centralized its a bigger and more profitable target for vendor lobbying for requirements that necessitate the purchase of particular goods and services (whole body scanners, etc.)

mindslight• 11 years ago

The true cost dwarfs what any budget says - the time that everyone wastes (getting to the airport needlessly early, waiting in line, being molested, missing flights, obessing over packing the "wrong" thing, and inventorying your luggage immediately after landing). When you add this up, how many human lifespans has the TSA killed?

coldpie2• 11 years ago

Seems like a ridiculous waste of money.

The people paying for it (US citizens and those who travel into or through the US) would surely see it as a waste. But the people profiting don't, and the people profiting are the same people who make the laws mandating them.

I opt out of the naked scanners every time I fly. Just tell the TSA clown trying to herd you into the naked scanner the magic phrase "I'm opting out." After a 5 minute wait, some other clown will come over and molest you, and then you're free to go.

I do this as a little protest against a system I see as stupid and illegal. If everybody opted out, the system would get so backed up that they would have to change their policies. I'm doing my part, and I encourage you to do yours next time you fly. (Unless you're not white, in which case you should probably just keep your head down :-/ )

harkyns_castle7• 11 years ago

I'd do it if I have cause to fly into the States again, but I can't help but think its not really going to help much. From my youthful experiences at being a knob, I'd say don't piss off food makers/deliverers, or airline staff. I once annoyed a Qantas security lady, and I noticed it for a fair few trips afterwards. Then again, with wealthy interests controlling the US, I can't really see what will help at this stage. Its a descent into corruption and mess, but I can't judge how quickly it'll crumble.

drjesusphd• 11 years ago

I do the same. Keep up the good fight!

pfooti• 11 years ago

I also opt out every time. At one point the FSM came to me in a dream and told me that I shalt not go through a pornoscanner. And who am I to doubt the word of noodle?

scurvy2• 11 years ago

I always opt out of the "rapey-scan", then smile and groan a little whenever they pat me down. I also travel about 30-40 segments a year, so I get my kicks frequently. It's surprising how often that "TSA Precheck is closed" or the TSA Pre metal detector beeps just for me.

edward• 11 years ago

Reminds me of this story:

Jail keys changed after TV lapse http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5145026.stm

brk• 11 years ago

I doubt these images really did all that much for people who wanted a set of TSA keys. The locks themselves are widely available and it's easy to reverse engineer a key if you have the lock (especially multiple copies of the lock to destroy and test on).

If anything, this just made it easier for casual lazy people to get a set of images for keys they'll never make :)

Tepix• 11 years ago

Source needed.

andyjohnson0• 11 years ago

Make a working key from scrap metal by reverse engineering a lock

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-working-key-from-scra...

boredinballard• 11 years ago

http://www.lockwiki.com/index.php/Impressioning

hyperpape• 11 years ago

It seems like the real value of the picture was that it made it obvious how insecure the system was.

gozo• 11 years ago

The tiny locks and keys kind of make it obvious that it's not so much insecure as it was never ment to be secure.

kitd• 11 years ago

Can you reverse engineer a master key from one sample lock though? Genuine question, IDK.

mikeash6• 11 years ago

Should be doable as long as you have the non-master key for that lock too. A standard key lock works by having pins which are separated into two pieces. The key lines up the boundaries with the cylinder, which allows the cylinder to turn. Master key systems are typically done by having the pins be separated into three pieces, which allows two positions to turn the cylinder. One position is used by the normal key, and one is used by the master key. Having the normal key will let you figure out which is which, and then you can figure out the master key from that.

gmaslov• 11 years ago

The way I understand master keys work is that the lock has two "breaks" in each pin, instead of just one. So each pin has two positions that allow the lock to open, and you don't know which one belongs to the master key.

I think at least two locks would be required, and depending on how many pins and possible positions there are, more might be needed in case of a collision.

tempodox• 11 years ago

Not only is this another impressive demonstration of incompetence, but by disseminating the idea that people's luggage could be “secure” and “backdoored” at the same time, they're actually destroying what security has existed before. They should pivot to be the “Transport Endangerment Agency”.

flavor8• 11 years ago

Most luggage isn't really secure in the first place. It takes less time to open up a suitcase with a good knife than it does to unzip many suitcases. The idea that a little padlock will protect your suitcase from thieves is laughable. Like physical mail, the system is based on trust, and trying to patch security onto it is difficult.

aneidon• 11 years ago

Sure, but if someone cuts your suitcase open with a knife it'll be much more obvious than if they used the master key to open it and then zipped it shut again.

nly• 11 years ago

Well, this is nothing new. Most widely-accessible/affordable physical security is only there to introduce enough of a hindrance so insurance companies will actually pay out if when the worst happens.

mtgx2• 11 years ago

At least then you can claim someone tampered with it. What if they steal your laptop from your baggage. Can you still claim you had it in there? Unless they open it right before the cameras (and they'll know where those are), you won't be able to do that.

acdha3• 11 years ago

A knife leaves obvious traces. Using a key both avoids making it immediately obvious and adds ambiguity – since most bag theft happens as part of organized rings inside airports, that's significant because it allows the airlines to avoid paying compensation by requiring hard proof that something expensive was actually in the bag when it entered the system and missing before you left.

michaelfeathers• 11 years ago

Most luggage isn't really secure in the first place

Nothing is secure, really. I'm continually amazed that people want to see security as a binary thing.

chrisBob• 11 years ago

His suggestion about seals is the most valid point. None of the locks are really locks. A TSA compliant lock that records the time when it was opened might be useful, but otherwise a seal provides a lot more value.

The zip tie idea is fine except that my checked bag is the only place I can put something capable of cutting one.

deelowe• 11 years ago

What about corporate travelers taking prototypes and other sensitive items in pelican cases or similar luggage?

mikeash6• 11 years ago

Padlocks protect you from baggage handlers getting a little on the side while on the job. If a baggage handler slices your bag open with a knife, that's going to be noticed quickly, and the odds of being caught are high. If the bag is unlocked and he can merely unzip it, pocket something valuable, and replace it, then that may not be discovered for many hours or even days, and the odds of being caught are much lower.

Obviously they don't protect you from someone who simply steals your entire bag, to open it at leisure away from the airport. But something doesn't have to protect against every conceivable threat in order to be useful.

Locks on your luggage is like locks on your front door. A lock on a normal house door is easily defeated with a crow bar or a strong leg. But they're still useful to keep out people who are willing to use the door knob but not actually break down the door.

BuildTheRobots• 11 years ago

If you're stealing from a zip-closed bag, don't bother with a knife -use a ballpoint pen (and then you can do it back up again leaving no obvious evidence) :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5mvvZl6pLI

edit: s/suitcase/zip-closed bag/

ctdonath4• 11 years ago

Solution: take a gun. Seriously.

In stark contrast with the requirement that TSA be able to open your luggage (unlocked or backdoored), if you declare a firearm in your checked luggage the TSA cannot - by law - have the means to open your [hard-shell] luggage, YOU must retain the key or combination and must be present to open it when inspected.

(Of course, traveling legally with a gun has its own litany of issues, but for those of us who are OK with the basic concept may find doing so helpful against TSA's security theater.)

cheald• 11 years ago

Many photographers travel with a flare gun or starter pistol in their equipment case specifically for this reason. The $10/hour grunt workers can't get access to your super-expensive equipment if you're transporting a gun and have the case properly secured.

codyb• 11 years ago

Could you declare a gun and not carry one? And then claim you forgot it if anyone checks?

omginternets2• 11 years ago

Bring a starter-pistol. They qualify as firearms with regards to TSA regulations, are legal in every state, and are often trivial to bring abroad.

x0x0• 11 years ago

Make sure not to fly to New York. They will enforce state firearms laws when you return to the airport and attempt to check your gun.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/nyregion/lawful-handguns-d...

stewartbutler• 11 years ago

Workaround: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/09/expensive_cam...

ksherlock• 11 years ago

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20141130/NEWS02/141139966 -- third picture in the slide show.

GordonS• 11 years ago

Much higher quality images here: https://imgur.com/a/JQD7l

Spooky233• 11 years ago

The whole proposition here is ridiculous. "we must assume any adversary can open any TSA "lock""

No shit.

We're not talking about a bank vault here -- it's luggage. Does anyone, anywhere, have any expectation whatsoever that a luggage lock provides meaningful security? I think I opened my mom's luggage lock with my sister's hairpin when I was 6 years old, and I have zero lock picking skills.

coldpie2• 11 years ago

The article isn't about the usefulness of TSA's locks, it's an allegory about backdoors, and another humorous take on the TSA's utter incompetence.

abhv• 11 years ago

Schneier's post is a re-blog of Nicholas Weaver's original story here:

https://www.lawfareblog.com/tale-three-backdoors

rogeryu• 11 years ago

So luggage handlers can open my suitcase, put in some drugs, and at the other end I can get caught for having drugs in my luggage?

They should setup a service where you checkin your luggage, they check it for drugs or illegal stuff, they seal it, and at arrival you get your suitcase with the guarantee that it had no drugs at checkin.

mtgx2• 11 years ago

Don't give them anymore business model ideas.

leephillips• 11 years ago

If the authorities want to frame you they don't have to go to so much trouble. The officer just uses the drugs in his pocket. The problem is the laws, clearly.

alistairSH• 11 years ago

I assume the goal isn't to frame you, but to smuggle drugs.

Baggage handler/TSA agent at airport #1 opens baggage, places drugs inside, calls baggage hander/TSA agent at airport #2 with luggage brand and traveler name.

When flight arrives, hander #2 intercepts baggage. At this point, they either take the whole suitcase, or remove the drugs and the traveler is none the wiser.

mseebach• 11 years ago

I think Bruce Schneier has a term for coming up with theoretical threats and then "fixing" that threat through an elaborate system.

3pt14159• 11 years ago

The counter measure to this is loudly speaking out, not other systems. When enough people speak out a system gets a reputation. It is how we understand a country as being corrupt or hostile. If they want to frame you, it is really, really easy. The problem they have is they can only frame a couple dozen people before they lose a huge amount of trust.

donkeyd• 11 years ago

Them taking out the drugs at arrival would be a better plan I think.

mikeash6• 11 years ago

Just bring your own drugs. What are the odds of two people putting drugs in the same suitcase?

SyneRyder• 11 years ago

You've just described the conspiracy theory behind the Schapelle Corby drugs case in Australia, who claimed the drugs she'd been caught with in Indonesia must have been planted by a baggage handler:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Bag-handler-theory-ov...

At the time, the case & defence theory was so high profile that Australian airports had a service to seal your luggage in layers of shrink-wrap before your overseas flight, so you could know if your luggage had been tampered with by baggage handlers and prevent it being "Schapelle'd":

https://www.choice.com.au/travel/on-holidays/luggage/article...

As for the TSA locks, the Prestolock TSA Search Alert locks come with a green/red indicator to show if the lock has been opened by a TSA key. Though the TSA tend to leave a notice in your bag as well saying it was opened for inspection.

FireBeyond• 11 years ago

Yeah, I can't say I had much sympathy for Schapelle:

It was claimed that she was the unwitting victim of a domestic airport transshipping smuggling ring, who would stuff drugs in unwitting passengers bags and pick them up at the other end. Her lawyer later admitted that this theory and the 'evidence' the defense presented around it was his invention, to the point where he was disbarred.

She claimed that she had never been involved with marijuana nor had anyone in her family. Photos and other evidence surfaced showing her smoking, and before and after her trial, family members including her mother were charged with drug offenses, including 'supply' offenses, not just possession.

Photos of her surfaced with known drug dealers and smugglers. The most damaging of these was with a drug smuggler. Schapelle claimed that the photo was from 'years ago' and that she had disavowed contact after learning of his involvement. The Indonesian prosecution showed that the photo was taken at the jail where she was being held pre-trial.

I'm not a smoker, but definitely pro-legalization. But her case was exactly that, full of conspiracy theories that had little to no backing in reality.

hellbanner• 11 years ago

My google-fu is lacking, but recently (last year?) an inmate escaped thanks to their cellmate who was a master jeweler & had a full kit in his cell. A photograph of the guard's keys was smuggled in and the jeweler cut a key for the inmate to escape.

stingraycharles• 11 years ago

I think this is the story you are talking about: http://www.news.com.au/national/killer-escaped-prison-after-...

Vexs3• 11 years ago

THE design for a key that allowed a convicted killer to escape from a Territory prison was printed on the cover of a booklet given to all inmates, it has been revealed.

Pahahaha. That sounds like something you'd find in an ARG puzzle, but this was a prison. Kinda curious how the other prisoner had jeweler's equipment in his cell, it seems like that could be pretty dangerous. Good behavior?

tptacek3• 11 years ago

Was it ever possible to have a secure lock held by tens of thousands of people with a secure master key, even if the authentic master keys were never revealed?

kabdib2• 11 years ago

This. One thing that kills escrow systems dead is the complacent spread of authority.

You start with critical keys that are closely held. Over time other parties express the need for access ("Okay, if you promise to be good"). Nothing bad happens (that anyone can prove...) so over time more entities are brought into the circle of trust. Eventually the dog-catcher has access to your stuff.

There's no way these keys haven't already broadly leaked (I mean, before these pictures).

dragonwriter2• 11 years ago

Really, it doesn't matter if they've broadly leaked or not -- from very early on in the "TSA must have your keys" period, theft by TSA agents from luggage was a noteworthy problem. The spread of authority may be a problem, but when the original authority isn't trustworthy in the first place, problems start long before any spread.

tptacek3• 11 years ago

I'm asking a different question.

Forget about leaks for a second.

If a mechanical engineer can get their hands on 1,000 sample locks and keys (for instance: by simply buying them) and then imaging them, is it that difficult to reverse engineer the skeleton key system?

jonknee• 11 years ago

I had a TSA lock and it lasted exactly one trip. They searched the bag (found a note inside) and didn't lock the case back up, I never saw the lock again. Ridiculous.

whaaaaaaat• 11 years ago

spoiler alert: don't check your luggage

mzs• 11 years ago

For luggage it's usually on a zipper with two sliders, which you just pull on the tape to separate, look inside, do whatever you like while in there, and then move the sliders back and forth twice to re-close, so it never really mattered.

Vexs3• 11 years ago

I'm kinda surprised that key number 2 on the imgur mirror is a dimple lock. Those are generally used for more high security things than crap tsa travel locks; they're expensive too. Key 4 doesn't surprise me though.

https://imgur.com/a/JQD7l

explorigin• 11 years ago

Dimple locks are not at all for high-security, they are less common though.

They can easily be defeated with a deep-drilled blank wrapped in aluminum foil.

AUmrysh• 11 years ago

Many dimple locks can be picked with just some tension on the cylinder and a ball pick. The common cheap Bell brand lock at wal-mart or amazon [1] is easily picked like this. All you do is stick the ball pick in the back of the keyway, apply your tension, and wiggle the pick around the keyway as you pull it out. You might have to insert it a few times, but I've been able to reliably open one of those in about 10 seconds.

1: http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Sports-7015777-CATALYST-U-Lock/dp...

scurvy2• 11 years ago

There's a comment in the original post about bags with firearms requiring a non-TSA lock. Has anyone travelled with a firearm as a maneuver to secure their luggage? Seems lengthy, but probably works. I'd imagine you need to check-in in a different area and not the front desk?

Edit: I just watched the YouTube video posted below. Looks like we're just dealing with a flawed system.

kungfooey• 11 years ago

There was a talk about this by Deviant Ollam at The Last HOPE in NYC in 2008. Mp3 Link: http://www.thelasthope.org/media/audio/64kbps/Packing_and_th...

More info: http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/

samstave• 11 years ago

Look at this video I made a while back about handgun locks...

https://youtu.be/BjkRVNFkjaw

151552• 11 years ago

I do not fly anywhere without a firearm (save for non-free cities such as SF and NYC).

This method absolutely works.

My luggage is a very large pelican case.

I'd imagine you need to check-in in a different area and not the front desk?

Yes, and at some airports you get your very own line (which is almost never busy). I've saved multiple hours at certain major airports because of the separate screening procedures/lines.

Most of the time, though, you'll just go to a normal desk, say "I need a firearms declaration," and they'll check you in as-normal, until your bag needs to be screened. At that point, you'll go to another area, unlock the bag for the TSA (if it alarms) and receive a hand-screening.

chillacy• 11 years ago

Benefits also include having your baggage held by an employee and requiring your ID to reclaim it, which should also reduce baggage theft as well. I've heard of photographers packing their expensive gear with cheap starter guns (used for racing) in order to get this benefit.

davrosthedalek• 11 years ago

It's sad that so many comments concentrate on whether luggage is secure in the first place. Of course it is not. The real issue is that having a backdoor makes a new class of attacks possible. A wilful or accidental leak, for example. Or you can reverse engineer the master key if you have enough locks.

The big impact is that one leak kills the security of all locks (of that type).

I don't think this would necessarily be the case when looking at (publicly) backdoored encryption. Here, you could have an individual backdoor key for each "lock". Of course, the mass storage of backdoor keys make a mass-leak also more probable.

pmontra• 11 years ago

I usually pay to wrap my luggage with plastic, see www.cnbc.com/2014/04/02/travelers-pay-to-protect-luggage-with-plastic-wrap.html I do it more to protect the suitcase than its content. I think it defeats the purpose of a TSA lock. Is it still allowed in the USA?

MCRed2• 11 years ago

The TSA has resulted in millions in stolen items, and not caught a single "terrorist". Its procedures are a joke, it is irradiating everyone, or if they opt out, molesting them, which is a crime in all 50 states... not to mention every single TSA search is a violation of USC 18-242.

The existence of this organization proves that both Bush and Obama and the Democrats and Republican parties are corrupt and irrational... and more interested in their own power than in benefiting the country.

happyscrappy3• 11 years ago

The worst damage an individual can do to the environment, short of starting a tire fire at the dump, is to fly. Save the environment and avoid the TSA, don't fly.

krastanov• 11 years ago

I am pretty sure that in terms of person-miles per gallon flying is comparable to automobiles. Are you referring to some secondary damage that flying causes?

kuschku3• 11 years ago

Actually, flying is better than almost all cars sold in the US (except for the VW Up!, which comes close).

An Airbus A380 uses the equivalent energy of 3l gasoline per passenger per 100km. This is a mileage of 80mpg.

Only rail is more efficient.

happyscrappy3• 11 years ago

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/fly_vs_d...

nsxwolf• 11 years ago

I used to buy those TSA approved locks with the master lock. They would just cut them off anyway.

adultSwim• 11 years ago

Oops

rdl3• 11 years ago

I generally use either a pelican case with abloy protec 2 321 or 330 padlocks (essentially the least pickable), or a pacsafe anti theft suitcase with tsa lock and seals. Not perfect, but beyond casual or even local LEO surreptitious entry.

nsajko• 11 years ago

OT but, I wonder what would happen if i had items in my luggage encased in a block of plastic?

darksim905• 11 years ago

Hey everyone :)

If someone happens to have questions about these keys, we don't physically have them. But we plan on making our own versions & finding the right blanks. If you think you can help, or want to know more, you can always reach out to myself or @Irongeek_ADC.

If you happen to know Solidworks & how to trace objects, I'd like to really get to know you.

Cheers :)

TSA Master Keys

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