TSA documents reveal New York airport's wave of security lapses

Sensitive documents leaked after a data exposure at an upstate New York airport have revealed several major security lapses in recent years.

Dozens of files seen by ZDNet list a catalog of security failings over the past few years at Stewart International Airport, about 60 miles north of Manhattan, which serves hundreds of thousands of passengers each year, including high-profile guests and private charter flights.

The cache build up a unique picture of insider threats, breaches, and lapses that acknowledge the difficulty in keeping airside security to a high standard, even at smaller airports.

In one such instance, documents seen by ZDNet show how airport staff was for an unknown period in 2010 unable to screen names against the US government's watchlist of suspected terrorists who were forbidden from flying in its airspace.

A response letter by the airport manager confirmed that the airport "did not have access to the list," and therefore badge-holding staff at the airport were not being screened properly.

The airport had to enlist the help of neighboring Westchester County airport to carry out the checks, the letter added.

Read more at http://www.zdnet.com/article/leaked-files-reveal-catalog-of-airport-secu...