SOP discussion
Dec 10, 2009 | 11:05 am
#421
Join Date: May 2008
Location: BOS
Programs: TSA TSO
Posts: 455
This just furthers my beliefs that workers are much more knowledgeable then the managers that oversee them.
Dec 10, 2009 | 12:02 pm
#423
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Houston
Posts: 8,957
In this case, it would appear that they were not as the oversight was a technical one that should have been attended to at the worker (and not the manager) level.
Dec 10, 2009 | 12:07 pm
#424
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 158
She Just Can't Get it Right
Wednesday 09 December:
Private Contractor Posted Secret TSA Screening Manual Online
"Napolitano also confirmed that a private contractor had posted the manual online. "
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/privat...ory?id=9291018
"A contract employee was responsible for not properly redacting a 93-page Transportation Security Administration operating manual that was put on a government procurement Web site, allowing computer users to recover blacked-out information by copying and pasting it into other documents, Napolitano said. TSA supervisors were also involved, she said. "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...120901883.html
Thursday 10 December:
The PDF redaction problem: TSA may have been using old software
"The problem with the release of a Transportation Security Administration security screening manual was not, as many news outlets reported yesterday, the fact that it appeared "out there on the Internet." As US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters this morning, according to the Washington Post, the TSA manual was supposed to have been posted on the Internet -- it was part of a cache of documents intentionally posted to a government procurement Web site."
http://www.betanews.com/article/The-...are/1260466899
Hold on the next version is now being formulated after consulting the Top Secret Upper Management SOP?
Private Contractor Posted Secret TSA Screening Manual Online
"Napolitano also confirmed that a private contractor had posted the manual online. "
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/privat...ory?id=9291018
"A contract employee was responsible for not properly redacting a 93-page Transportation Security Administration operating manual that was put on a government procurement Web site, allowing computer users to recover blacked-out information by copying and pasting it into other documents, Napolitano said. TSA supervisors were also involved, she said. "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...120901883.html
Thursday 10 December:
The PDF redaction problem: TSA may have been using old software
"The problem with the release of a Transportation Security Administration security screening manual was not, as many news outlets reported yesterday, the fact that it appeared "out there on the Internet." As US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters this morning, according to the Washington Post, the TSA manual was supposed to have been posted on the Internet -- it was part of a cache of documents intentionally posted to a government procurement Web site."
http://www.betanews.com/article/The-...are/1260466899
Hold on the next version is now being formulated after consulting the Top Secret Upper Management SOP?
Dec 10, 2009 | 12:21 pm
#425
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Blaming the software is a ridiculous cop-out. There have been proper redaction tools on the market for years. A good craftsman never blames his tools. So I guess blaming the software is right up the TSA's alley.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:07 pm
#426
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Posts: 102,077
Precisely. This is not a failing of technology, but this is yet another typical failing in TSA personnel and in TSA procedures.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:13 pm
#427
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,034
Heh...blaming software. I love it when people on the phones for companies or banks cite that reason. It's then they think they escape responsibility or blame.
I kindly remind them it's humans that write software and tell computers what to do.
I kindly remind them it's humans that write software and tell computers what to do.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:17 pm
#428
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I suspected it was going to be a blame old software issues. Oh wait, maybe they saw my post and based their latest press release on a FT post.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:21 pm
#429
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Posts: 12,523
This link to the Adobe PDF blog was in the Betanews item posted by OnTheAsile:
This was posted four years ago.
December 16, 2005
Redacting PDFs
Redaction, by definition, means removing information from documents. In the old days of paper, xacto knives were used to cut text from the paper and it was then photocopied with a black sheet of paper behind it.
As numerous folks have found out, covering up information in an electronic file is not the same as deleting it.
<SNIP>
There have been numerous cases recently where improper redaction led to accidental disclosures:
* A PDF distributed by the US government contained covered over text that was fully accessible. In this case, the user authored a document in Microsoft Word and used Word's Tables and Borders toolbar to set the background color to black. Thus, black text on a black background which was not visually readable, but does not eliminate the data. When the user converted the document to PDF, a simple search of the document revealed the text. Note here that Acrobat worked as advertised properly preserving every element of the document.
Redacting PDFs
Redaction, by definition, means removing information from documents. In the old days of paper, xacto knives were used to cut text from the paper and it was then photocopied with a black sheet of paper behind it.
As numerous folks have found out, covering up information in an electronic file is not the same as deleting it.
<SNIP>
There have been numerous cases recently where improper redaction led to accidental disclosures:
* A PDF distributed by the US government contained covered over text that was fully accessible. In this case, the user authored a document in Microsoft Word and used Word's Tables and Borders toolbar to set the background color to black. Thus, black text on a black background which was not visually readable, but does not eliminate the data. When the user converted the document to PDF, a simple search of the document revealed the text. Note here that Acrobat worked as advertised properly preserving every element of the document.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:25 pm
#430
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,890
+1 more vote for congress disbanding the TSA. This nonsense has gone on far too long and cost far too much. Hey Congress: Take the money from DHS and funnel it into debt repayment/healthcare. Far more productive use. Besides, the job market's starting to turn around and McDonald's/WalMart will be hiring again -- plenty of jobs available for the higher-ups that run the TSA and they'll just about have enough qualifications.
Dec 10, 2009 | 1:25 pm
#431
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Somewhere near BWI
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Posts: 3,654
I realize that there are multiple avenues to placing items on Fed BizOpps, but there is always a government employee as the contracting officer for any opportunities. While the private contractor may have done the redacting/posting, those actions would have been done with delegated authority and supposed oversight from a government employee.
Dec 10, 2009 | 2:00 pm
#432
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Houston
Posts: 8,957
Dec 10, 2009 | 2:12 pm
#433
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Dec 10, 2009 | 2:13 pm
#434
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,004
Dec 10, 2009 | 4:16 pm
#435
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,006
Gail Lives!!!!
This is reportedly a letter from Gail.
Date: December 9, 2009
To: All TSA Employees
From: Gale Rossides
Acting Administrator
Subject: 100 - Message from Acting Administrator Gale Rossides About the Posting of an Improperly Redacted Version of the Screening Management SOP
Last Sunday, our Blog Team was notified that an improperly redacted version of a 2008 Screening Management SOP was posted by TSA to the Federal Business Opportunities Web site as part of an attachment to a contract solicitation.
This is a very serious matter, and the Senior Leadership Team immediately worked to get the document taken down from the Web site Sunday night.
The Screening Management SOP is not the SOP used by Transportation Security Officers at airport checkpoints to screen members of the traveling public. In general, it provides instructions on management of the checkpoint, who and what needs to be screened, and exceptions to the screening process.
Weve already taken additional steps to prevent any attempts to use information from this document to elude airport security. Thorough post-incident analysis has determined that our systems are secure and that screening protocols have not been compromised and remain strong.
I take this matter very seriously, and I immediately asked for a full review by the TSA Office of Inspection. The review is underway, and at this time, five employees have been put on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the review.
This mistake, made by a few, damages the credibility of us all. Protecting sensitive information is critical to our mission, and I am relying on each and every one of you to exercise the utmost care when securing and using it.
We are confident our security is still strong, and the strongest element of our security is our people. I ask that you stay focused, watch for anomalies, and remain engaged.
Thank you for your service to our country and your support of one another.
To: All TSA Employees
From: Gale Rossides
Acting Administrator
Subject: 100 - Message from Acting Administrator Gale Rossides About the Posting of an Improperly Redacted Version of the Screening Management SOP
Last Sunday, our Blog Team was notified that an improperly redacted version of a 2008 Screening Management SOP was posted by TSA to the Federal Business Opportunities Web site as part of an attachment to a contract solicitation.
This is a very serious matter, and the Senior Leadership Team immediately worked to get the document taken down from the Web site Sunday night.
The Screening Management SOP is not the SOP used by Transportation Security Officers at airport checkpoints to screen members of the traveling public. In general, it provides instructions on management of the checkpoint, who and what needs to be screened, and exceptions to the screening process.
Weve already taken additional steps to prevent any attempts to use information from this document to elude airport security. Thorough post-incident analysis has determined that our systems are secure and that screening protocols have not been compromised and remain strong.
I take this matter very seriously, and I immediately asked for a full review by the TSA Office of Inspection. The review is underway, and at this time, five employees have been put on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the review.
This mistake, made by a few, damages the credibility of us all. Protecting sensitive information is critical to our mission, and I am relying on each and every one of you to exercise the utmost care when securing and using it.
We are confident our security is still strong, and the strongest element of our security is our people. I ask that you stay focused, watch for anomalies, and remain engaged.
Thank you for your service to our country and your support of one another.