Noted White Hat hacker and security expert Moxie Marlinspike (not his real name) was recently detained at New York’s JFK airport as he returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic, Wired reports. Marlinspike says he was met at the plane’s gate by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He was led to a detention room, where an investigator confiscated his computer and cell phones.
After trying to access the devices to copy the data, Marlinspike was instructed to give up his encryption keys. He refused and was eventually allowed to leave with his property about four and a half hours later. Marlinspike does not plan to use the devices again saying, “They could have modified the hardware or installed new keyboard firmware.”
Marlinspike gained notoriety in hacking circles last year when, at the Black Hat security conference, he disclosed a serious web vulnerability that allows attackers to fake security certificates. Marlinspike has been experiencing increased scrutiny for months. Ticketing agents can only issue him tickets after calling a Department of Homeland Security phone line. He has also been told by airline personnel that he is on a federal watchlist. Feel safer yet?
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