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September 6, 2008 2:45:12 AM CDT

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Congressional Report Blames TSA for Botched Website

Posted Jan 11, 08 10:40 PM CST in Technology 

(Newser) – The TSA awarded a website design and maintenance contract to a firm with whom an administration official had close personal and professional ties, ComputerWorld reports. The site, meant to handle individual requests to have names removed from the TSA’s no-fly list, lacked even rudimentary encryption mechanisms and was not hosted on government servers, making it a ID theft risk.

Launched in March of 2006, the faulty TSA site remained in operation until its security flaws were noticed by a university student in February of 2007. The Department of Homeland Security has established a new site, and the more than 230 people who used the original have been informed that their personal data could have been intercepted.

Source ComputerWorld

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The TSA's site was supposed to let individuals dispute their place on the no-fly list.(AP Photo/Ric Feld, file)   (Associated Press)
Congress has found that the TSA is at fault for the creation of a website riddled with security holes. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)   (Associated Press)
A replacement website is now being run by the DHS. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)   (Associated Press)
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Department of Homeland Security  • Internet security  • identity theft  • TSA  • phishing  • encryption


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