IMSecure

Do the C-TPAT approved container freight seals really provide security?

On , US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) mandated that all inbound containers headed for the United States must have an ISO/PAS 17712 standard container seal installed on the containers. This includes containers destined for foreign ports that are onboard any vessel making ports of call in the . But do these seals actually provide adequate security for shipping containers?

There are different types of seals that meet the ISO/PAS standard. One is the bolt seal. One problem with the bolt seal is that if only one is used on the right side, overlapping door, it can be defeated simply by bending the right door overlaps as shown in this YouTube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6pXlBWUrpc

Unfortunately the bolt seal can also be easily defeated with no evidence of tampering using a cordless drill as shown in this YouTube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXkl_y648rM

            Another type of seal is the cable seal. Although a cable is wrapped around both doors, again it can be defeated quite easily without detection of tampering. These YouTube videos demonstrate this vulnerability as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpdTFKQPkWY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJmq_JgkE-Q

            There is a bigger problem to worry about than seals not being tamper evident. What is the perpetrator that infiltrates the container doesn’t care if there is evidence of tampering. The container could be compromised in-route to the meaning by the time it was evident the container had been tampered with, it may be too late. There has been concern with terrorists trying to smuggle a WMD into the , but they could do just as much damage if the WMD was detonated in port or on a ship at port. The consequences of a WMD attack on the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach alone would have a severe economic impact on the entire country.

            There have been modifications to some seals that include RFID packages on seals. But RFID is only good for locating a container and still don’t give any real security. What is needed is a seal that is not easily defeated but can also transmit information on the condition of the seal and the container. Basically a communication seal, one that can transmit an attempt to gain entry into a container, where ever it might be, even the middle of the ocean. Until this type of security is achieved, we will continue to be vulnerable by using the ISO/PAS 17712 security seals.

Learn more about defeating cargo seals from The Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory

http://www.ne.anl.gov/capabilities/vat/defeat.html

http://www.ne.anl.gov/capabilities/vat/