TSA investigates leak of sensitive data

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how a leak became a flood. More specifically, the agency wants to know how a 2008 copy of its standard operating procedures for all airport security checkpoints was released in its entirety on the Internet.

The document disclosed plenty of secrets, including screening procedures at metal detectors, explosive residue testers, and other elements of airport security. It also revealed that TSA selects travelers for screening if their passports are issued by any one of 12 specific countries.

The TSA document, dated June 30, 2008, is stamped "Sensitive Security Information," according to U.S. News and World Report. It describes sensitive, but not classified information.

"The Transportation Security Administration has become aware that an outdated version of a standard operating procedures document was improperly posted by the agency to the Federal Business Opportunities website wherein redacted material was not properly protected," the agency said in a statement. "TSA takes this matter very seriously and took swift action when this was discovered. A full review is now underway."

The leak is a massive problem for the TSA, and underscores just how easy it is for essential information to become public. Maybe the TSA was derelict, or maybe the system doesn't include enough safeguards to keep this kind of data from becoming public. Nevertheless, it shows some of the vulnerabilities of government information, and the lack of tough protections to help keep the information secret.

For more on this leak:
- see this U.S. News and World Report article

Related Articles:
IG: TSA employees are privacy pros
TSA turns to biometric security for airline crews