back to article Remember that lost memory stick from Heathrow Airport? The terrorist's wet dream? So does the ICO

Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) has been fined £120,000 by the UK's data watchdog for the loss of an unencrypted USB memory stick reportedly containing airport security data. The device misplaced by a HAL employee, as reported by El Reg, was said to house a trove of documents including routes and timings of airport security …

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    1. Hans 1
      Holmes

      I am not into security patrols at all and also thought that was a rather dumb strategy. Even Brinks know that, come on!!!!! Ok, they learned it the hard way ...

    2. Alan Brown Silver badge

      "the last thing you want is to execute these patrols in a predictable manner"

      OTOH you may run scheduled patrols and intersperse them with random unmarked ones to catch the numpties trying to dodge them.

  1. Christoph

    You only need a single hole in security to lose

    Search all the baggage and the passengers. Armed police everywhere. Strict controls on who can enter certain areas. Highly visible security everywhere you look. And then leave the security specs lying around on a USB stick.

    Someone is more into security theatre than actual risk analysis by real experts.

    1. Mr. Flibble

      Re: You only need a single hole in security to lose

      Security Theatre? That's airports generally... Well, and beig full of pointless no-cheaper-than-elsewhere shops...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm...

    ..."boardroom issue"

    In some of my experience the people in the boardroom are the ones that actually don't understand security and sometimes actually try to bypass it due to "do you know who I am?".

    Local councillors are notorious for it.

  3. Stevie

    Bah!

    Airport security is lax?

    Who knew?

    I mean, it's not like the baggage handlers are just hired off the street is it?

    Anyway, everyone knows the real threat is the bottle of shampoo or hand sanitizer passengers willfully try and smuggle on the plane.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    RE. Re. restrictive?

    Should probably have made it clear that I have been in this situation before.

    Decided that the "right" thing to do after verifying the contents on a standalone and then-fully-forensically-wiped machine was to hand the drives in anonymously.

    A prepaid padded envelope is actually available for this purpose if you ask the right people.

  5. anonymous boring coward Silver badge

    Have they heard of this thing called "encryption"?

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