Insider Threats

 Insider Threats

When you go to the airport for a flight, there are many measures TSA uses to insure passengers are not bringing illegal or harmful items on the flight. But, have you ever wondered if someone who works at the airport could be an inside agent who helps smuggle illegal items through security? This can happen through a screener who willfully allows drugs to go through a x-ray machine, or a airport worker bringing in firearms through a restricted door and handing it off to a passenger. TSA has been well aware of these threats and has many mitigation strategies they use to stop this from happening.

    There are approximately 1.8 million airport workers across the United States who are closely monitored by security measure set by TSA. These measures include vetting prospective airport employees, restricting access to sensitive areas by badging restrictions, and randomly searching workers. In 2018, TSA started analyzing employees social media accounts to prevent potential threats from applying to a higher up job with access to restricted areas within the airport. TSA's security measures have gone as far as installing sensors at badging checkpoints to ensure workers can't "piggyback" behind another worker who swiped their badge. Some other measures TSA has to prevent airport workers from smuggling items in the airport are handheld metal detectors, pat down searches, badge checks, canine teams, and camera surveillance.

    With all of these security measures, TSA has been successful at mitigating insider threats. An example of this goes back to November of 2022, when two flight attendants attempted to smuggle narcotics through a Miami airport after flying back from Brazil. The flight attendants were subjected to a random check at US customs where they found three different narcotics in their flight bags. With all of these security measures in place, the only thing I would recommend them to do is to keep a database of all past insider threats as well as potential insider threats. This would help prevent potential criminals from gaining access to restricted areas, and it would be easier to make a connection between a past threat and a future one. Are there any other security measures you would recommend for insider threats?

References:

Office, U. S. G. A. (2023, January 23). The quest to combat insider threats at our nation's airports. U.S. GAO. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.gao.gov/blog/quest-combat-insider-threats-our-nations-airports

Schlappig, B. (2022, November 18). Off-duty delta flight attendants caught smuggling drugs. One Mile at a Time. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://onemileatatime.com/news/delta-flight-attendants-smuggling-drugs/