"Security breach at Sydney airport"

Friday, September 5, 2003

Security breach at airport 
Computers stolen by bogus technicians 
Reuters


Australia ordered an urgent review of customs security at Sydney
International Airport yesterday after two men dressed as technicians
walked into a top-security area and made off with two computers.

Australian customs officials confirmed that two mainframe computer
servers had been stolen from the airport's customs cargo processing and
intelligence centre on Aug 27.

``There will be a review of all security procedures at customs,''
Australian Customs Minister Chris Ellison said.

``The main thing we should realise is that we don't want to get carried
away with overstating the effect of the theft of these two computer
servers, but nonetheless we are treating it seriously, as you would any
security breach.''

Police and customs officials denied a report in the Sydney Morning
Herald newspaper that the computers held confidential files, including
top-secret communications between customs investigators, federal police
and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

A spokesman for Mr Ellison said that the computers did not store or
retain information, but were used for network communication.

The Herald reported that the theft had sparked a flurry of communication
between government departments.

``The Australian Federal Police and ASIO, the two chief guardians
against terrorism, fired off angry memos to customs officials, demanding
to know the extent to which their top-secret operations have been
compromised,'' it said.

The two men had identified themselves as employees of the airport's
computer services provider and were cleared to enter the customs
division's mainframe room, protected by top-level airport security
requirements. They spent two hours disconnecting the computers before
walking out past guards pushing the computers on trolleys.


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