Threat Posed by Insiders in Aviation
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Threat Posed by Insiders in Aviation
Airports are busy places. They are vulnerable to threats. Such threats may come from insiders. An insider can be defined as someone who uses their knowledge or access to the airport to cause harm. It can be anyone ranging from employees to contractors. The role of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to ensure the safety of airports and the skies. TSA has put in place twenty layers of security including customs and border protection, no-fly list and passenger pre-screening, joint terrorism task force, travel document checker, checkpoint security officers, transportation security inspectors, random employee screening, and transportation security specialists – explosives. Any of those TSA employees could be an insider, including those tasked with identifying insiders. For example, some TSA screeners were arrested for allowing huge consignment of drugs to pass through the X-ray machines. The biggest asset of an insider is proper knowledge of the target location. They usually have a very good idea of how everything inside the airport operates. They have knowledge of all sensitive parts, blind spots, and weaknesses of the airport. Insiders work to fully exploit such vulnerable places in an airport to their advantage. Insiders are motivated by many things including money and terrorism. Some are just angry at how they are treated at work and view it as a way at getting back at the organization. Insiders use various methods to conduct their attacks. They include destruction of infrastructure or assets at the airport, allowing access of airport systems to unauthorized third-parties, stealing of airport assets, disclosure of sensitive information to unauthorized third-parties, and smuggling of drugs and other contraband items. Not all insiders intend to cause harm at the airport. Some do so by not following set procedures. Such an omission can lead to the same level of harm that would have been caused by an insider who intends to cause harm.
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Indeed, complacency is a threat to aviation security. TSA has outlined various ways in which security is enhanced at airports. Sometimes people feel frustrated when they are made to pass through many security checks, but it is for their safety and the safety of the nation at large. Transportation Security Administration’s failure of 67 out of 70 tests carried out around the nation (95% failure rate), twice, is alarming. It shows that a lot of people somewhere are not doing their job properly. They are doing much less than what they are supposed to do. People concentrate fully on their work when accidents happen. Normally, people put their guard down a little bit. The enemy takes advantage of complacency and strikes at the opportune time. The effects are usually devastating. Adding more layers to an existing multi-layered system is not a good idea if the existing system is not working as expected. It will only serve to increase problems to the existing system. The safest time to fly is after an accident because everyone is alert and doing their job well. Everyone is working to identify what caused the accident. Complacency should be discouraged since its effects can be devastating. This can be done by dismissing airport employees who seem complacent.
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