Terrorist Threat Assessments – Leaked Through P2P File Sharing
September 12th, 2007 | Published in All Articles, Data Loss, Government, News Articles
CHICAGO – September 12, 2007 (PRNewswire-USNewswire)
Confidential Documents Show How to Attack Chicago’s Metra and CTA Transit Systems – Commuters at Significantly Higher Risk, authored by consulting firm Booz-Allen Hamilton illustrating Chicago’s mass transit system vulnerabilities to terrorist attack were leaked on the internet via a P2P File sharing network according to Larry Yellen an investigative reporter with WFLD Fox News in Chicago.
Mr. Yellen reported yesterday that he used a P2P program called LimeWire to obtain these documents. Federal Transit Administration commissioned Booz-Allen Hamilton to conduct terrorist threat assessment studies of 35 of the nation’s bus and rail systems to determine their vulnerability to terrorist attack. The leaked documents illustrate specific terrorist vulnerabilities to Chicago’s Metra and CTA transit systems.
US Representative Mark Kirk said, “It’s a stunning security lapse because it gives several important directions for a terrorist in how to attack the system. If you can download it on your home computer, then an Al-Qaeda operative in Germany can do it too.” Judy Pardonnet, a Chicago Metra spokesperson, called this “a serious breach of security.” The Federal Transit Administration has asked Booz-Allen Hamilton to identify the source of the leak.
P2P file sharing networks began in 1999 with the advent of Napster and are used today to share music and movies. By loading P2P software, such as LimeWire, on a home or work computer, individuals can access the computers of others who have also installed a P2P program.
If the program is not set-up properly or if exposed to certain viruses, a P2P user’s entire hard drive is available for anyone using a P2P program to view and to upload documents. Mr. Yellen demonstrated on television how he used a P2P program to find and obtain the leaked terrorist threat assessments authored by Booz-Allen Hamilton.
This latest P2P leak follows congressional testimony given by Tiversa CEO Robert Boback on July 24, 2007 in which he testified to the wide range of corporate and government documents available on P2P file networks including 34 classified documents and those similar to the terrorist threat assessments found by Mr. Yellen.
In June of this year, a Pfizer employee disclosed over 17,000 past and current Pfizer employees’ personal data via a P2P file sharing networks. Just last week, a man was arrested in Seattle, Washington using consumer data obtained through P2P file sharing networks to commit ID theft and fraud.