Originally Posted by
Italy98
Many companies have security features in place that would allow you to go to "I need flowers for mom's birthday.com" while blocking "who is the hottest pole dancer.com", along with not being able to install unauthorized software. Plus we don't know if this specific computer was connected to a secure network or a separate computer setup for use during time off or slow periods.
No filtering solution is 100%. And the computer in question was inside one of the booths where the agents sit to actually clear folks.
Yes, it is entirely possible that they have implemented some security measures to help protect those systems. I'm sure that there is a firewall of some sort involved and also probably also some local client security solution in place. That still doesn't mean that allowing access is a secure action.
Consider a similar situation. Boeing is claiming that they can have the same wiring in the 787 carry both flight control data and IFE communication. Even with "security" solutions in play no one in their right mind would agree that it is a secure implementation.
The real question is whether those computers are or should be considered secure. Considering the access that I assume they have to the passport data, I would hope that they are secure. If they are, they should be isolated.