Scramble to keep breached TSA documents offline

The headaches continue for the Transportation Security Administration over the breach of a sensitive airport screening manual [1] that was published on the Internet by a government worker.

Three Republican lawmakers want the Department of Homeland Security to figure out how to bar or prosecute whistleblower sites that reposted the manual. They also asked about enacting regulations that would bar such publication in the future.

It turns out the sensitive document was taken down from the TSA site, but not before it was grabbed and republished by sites like Cryptome and Wikileaks.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last week, Reps. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), Charles Dent (R-Penn.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) asked about how DHS and TSA have "addressed the repeated reposting of this security manual to other websites," and questioned if any legal action could be taken to "compel its removal."

There's a reason why lawmakers and law enforcement officials are upset about this breach. The 93-page manual provided details about which passengers are more likely to be targeted for secondary screening at airports, who's exempt from screening and how foreign dignitaries are screened.

"TSA screeners and equipment were utilized by the Secret Service frequently during the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns to augment Service Personnel and continue to be used by the Secret Service at National Special Security Events," they wrote to DHS.

For more on this TSA breach:
- see this Wired article [2]

Related Articles:
TSA investigates leak of sensitive data [3]
IG: TSA employees are privacy pros [4]
TSA turns to biometric security for airline crews [5]