From: kraiwut@samart.co.th
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 22:42:25 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Profiling/pc security at Ben-Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19971104141539.00678200@pop.samart.co.th>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Profiling/personal computer security at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv
I just had a rather unholy experience in Israel. Maybe someone with
expertise can email me a few suggestions with regards to securing a PC at
start up.

On Nov. 2nd I arrived three hours early to Ben Gurion Airport  for my flight
to Bangkok(via Amman, Jordan). While standing in line before the check-in
counters I listened to   Shin Bet representatives interrogating passengers.
When my turn came the friendly skies  turned dark. Apparently my responses
to the standardized  questions became  an unwelcome indictment. 
I believe a few things contributed to my being selected: 
1) jobless but carrying a generous roll of C notes and a stack of trav. checks
2) purchased a one-way the day before from an Arab travel agent(with credit
card, not cash)
3) declined an Israeli stamp in my passport(*red flag*)
4) numerous stamps from Arab countries; travelled overland from Sinai
5) I rented a car from an Arab agency located in East Jerusalem
These characteristics qualified me for a trip to the back room where they
opened my bag and discovered a computer. 

"Why didn't you tell me you had a computer?" the Shin Bet trainee demanded
in a somewhat agitated tone. "Because you didn't ask",  I replied. 

A few moments later someone emerged from yet another  back room and asked me
something stupid about the computer's  battery. I removed the battery as
requested. He then asked to see the computer ostensibly to send it through a
machine to determine  if it  was actually a well-disguised  bomb. That was
his  pretense as the computer disappeared for more than 45 minutes. About 5
minutes after he left with the computer someone else walked into the room
and gave me the floppy that I always leave in that drive. I assume that this
means that  they began working on the machine as soon as they left the room
with it. Later someone else from another building came to look at the
computer so I guess this means that they have a few guys who swing between
the four departure terminals checking on progress or doing whatever. 

When the guy returned my computer there was a half inch crack on the side of
my Toshiba that hadn't been there when he left with it. Perhaps they took a
hammer and chisel to my hardware.  I started it up and found that  the
Windows 95 password was compromised(no flames, please). I know that you can
by-pass the Win95 password by going to the DOS mode, then tweaking
something. However, I don't think that was done as  the network
configuration was altered and some sort of recent Win95 utility was
installed( and it wasn't mine). I say recent because I have a newer version
Win95  on my desktop so the slight differences are easily apparent to me.
The shut down option has a different("shut down and allow user to log on")
something or other than was there before.

Now the password feature is fucked and the battery management feature isn't
working either. I have PGP5.0 installed and a few other easy-to-use crypto
and stego programs but nothing was said about those. I have three documents
encrypted with PGP but I seriously doubt that they were found. They opened
four documents in WordPerfect but nothing in those documents is in the least
bit interesting. They easily could have copied the entire C drive and given
the machine back to me. Or they could snatch an identity or two and use them
for their own corrupt pursuits. 

What can I do to make the computer fucking impenetrable at start up? --- to
the point that they have to ask me for the password or  nothing moves. 

The whole episode was unfucking believable and that wasn't all. I had a $50
bill stashed in a small space in my backpack. While in the terminal waiting
to board I discovered it missing. One of the urchins who was protecting the
Jewish state from terrorism burned me. The adapter for my Canon printer is
missing as well. 


In short, the Israelis are unscrupulous bastards who deserve a suitcase
nuke. I am convinced of this after having visited the  tragedy known as the
Occupied Territories--- but that is another matter.

I wrote down most of the questions used for their  profiling scheme. If
anyone is interested I will send them if requested. If anyone is interested
in creating a page dedicated to these profiling schemes(American, Israeli,
anyone)  I would be happy to contribute. 

send security suggestions to: hico@hotmail.com