TSA Using Covert Operatives to Test Security Measures

The Transportation Security Administration uses undercover testing to see how secure the nation’s airports are. Now the Government Accountability office is looking at that strategy to see if the tests are actually working.

In an article in the Hawai’i Reporter, Jim Kouri says the GAO has been examining the TSA’s strategy of covert testing of the nation’s transportation system. TSA conducted the tests from September 2002 to June 2007, and the GAO report looks at whether or not the TSA is using the tests to help mitigate security vulnerabilities.

“TSA has designed and implemented risk-based national and local covert testing programs to achieve its goals of identifying vulnerabilities and measuring the performance of the aviation security system, and has begun to determine the extent to which covert testing will be used in non-aviation modes of transportation,” Kouri says. “TSA’s Office of Inspection (OI) used information on terrorist threats to design and implement its national covert tests and determine at which airports to conduct tests based on the likelihood of a terrorist attack.”

But the report found that OI did not systematically record the causes of test failures or practices that resulted in higher pass rates for tests, and without that, TSA might be limited in its ability to mitigate any vulnerabilities.

“TSA’s Administrator and senior officials are routinely briefed on covert test results and are provided with test reports that contain recommendations to address identified vulnerabilities,” Kouri says” However, TSA lacks a systematic process to ensure that OI’s recommendations are considered and that the rationale for implementing or not implementing OI’s recommendations is documented.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?3208ab71-b25f-4a91-a8fe-1c472238d14c