5 ms·

Big metal box in a very public place? I feel like I'm channeling Bruce Schnier here but I'll say it anyways... If I was a bad guy and wanted to plant something

Big metal box in a very public place? I feel like I'm channeling Bruce Schnier here but I'll say it anyways... If I was a bad guy and wanted to plant something very bad in plain site, this is exactly how I'd do it. How long do you think it would take the good guys to figure out it's evil? I'd think hours at least. This is something like I'd expect to read in that Movie Plot contest he runs every year.

gist 11y ago
I once installed a construction cam and made up a label which indicated it was from the local township and even put a phone number on it. Nobody every questioned it (but it was on a residential street).
shostack 11y ago
At least they were smart enough not to have LED Mooninites on it. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_Mooninite_panic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_Mooninite_panic
Mo3 11y ago
The three exclamation marks in "Do not unplug!!!" made me suspicious immediately. I know this is kinda funny coming from a German but seriously, the department of homeland security can't type properly? I would've called 911 on that box immediately.
- pkinsky 11y ago
  I'm guessing that, if unplugged, they continue to run off battery power and send an alert to the nearest homeland office.
  - Mo3 11y ago
    Sure and I would very much hope so considering how much your government spent on these things but I was replying to that guy who said that they could be fakes set out by malicious people. And, judging by the very unprofessional sign and the fact that it is sitting completely by itself in a public street connected to a street light, that's not a very far-fetched thought..
- ryanlol 11y ago
  You would have called 911... on a box? What the fuck?
  - Mo3 11y ago
    A box sitting completely by itself in a public street connected to a street light, with an unprofessional sign on it? Hell yeah! Every 12 year old could build that box, print the sign and connect it to the street light. And thousands of people walk right by it, see the fancy Homeland Security badge that you can find within seconds on the internet and assume that the person who used a standard tool to open a street light had every right to do so. This might sound a bit paranoid I assume but remember we're talking about a hot zone for potential attack plans right now.. And where I'm from, official things are marked very clearly and undeniably, not with random phone numbers on it that no one bothers to cross-check anyway.. But with 911 (our equivalent at least) on it to be called in case of an emergency. And not with three god damn exclamation marks in the header. 13 year old Call of Duty players and our 14 year old intern do that..
    - ryanlol 11y ago
      That's exactly the type of stuff that slows down response times for legitimate calls. 911 is for emergencies, not for bad sign design. >official things are marked very clearly and undeniably Yes I am sure they all have timestamped PGP signed messages signed with the official german government keys.
      - Mo3 11y ago
        I assure you that if you found that box sitting there and called 911 and they sent someone out to check it out, no one would ever question the legitimacy of your call. You seem to be forgetting where this box was located. The bad sign design by itself is not absolutely convincing of course but considering all circumstances, the location of the box, the maybe somewhat real danger of terrorism in exactly this area, the easy build and also the psychological aspects.. Yeah, this would be a legitimate call to at least the local PD. Also I am talking about logical undeniability.. And I think you know already..
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  OFFICIAL BUSINESS!!! NOT A BOMB!!!
  - gcb0 11y ago
    now i have to try that on my water bottle next time i fly.
- emmelaich 11y ago
  I thought you were joking with the three exclamation marks so I then bothered to read the article. You weren't joking. I think this must be prank. Surely.
tlrobinson 11y ago
"How long do you think it would take the good guys to figure out it's evil? I'd think hours at least." Indeed... "there are about 20 sub-divisions of Homeland Security it might belong to"
fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
Hours? You're giving them far too much credit.
tn13 11y ago
The fact that the reporter called up Homeland security and they could not figure it out is far more scary. I wonder how the local law enforcement allowed this.
- ryanlol 11y ago
  Why would they not? If it was an actual bomb they'd undoubtedly try to make it look much less obnoxious, and nobody would notice.
DonHopkins 11y ago
It's a PST-JITB: Portable Security Theatre Jack-In-The-Box.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

gist 11y ago

I once installed a construction cam and made up a label which indicated it was from the local township and even put a phone number on it. Nobody every questioned it (but it was on a residential street).

shostack 11y ago

At least they were smart enough not to have LED Mooninites on it. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_Mooninite_panic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_Mooninite_panic

Mo3 11y ago

The three exclamation marks in "Do not unplug!!!" made me suspicious immediately. I know this is kinda funny coming from a German but seriously, the department of homeland security can't type properly? I would've called 911 on that box immediately.

pkinsky 11y ago
I'm guessing that, if unplugged, they continue to run off battery power and send an alert to the nearest homeland office.
- Mo3 11y ago
  Sure and I would very much hope so considering how much your government spent on these things but I was replying to that guy who said that they could be fakes set out by malicious people. And, judging by the very unprofessional sign and the fact that it is sitting completely by itself in a public street connected to a street light, that's not a very far-fetched thought..
ryanlol 11y ago
You would have called 911... on a box? What the fuck?
- Mo3 11y ago
  A box sitting completely by itself in a public street connected to a street light, with an unprofessional sign on it? Hell yeah! Every 12 year old could build that box, print the sign and connect it to the street light. And thousands of people walk right by it, see the fancy Homeland Security badge that you can find within seconds on the internet and assume that the person who used a standard tool to open a street light had every right to do so. This might sound a bit paranoid I assume but remember we're talking about a hot zone for potential attack plans right now.. And where I'm from, official things are marked very clearly and undeniably, not with random phone numbers on it that no one bothers to cross-check anyway.. But with 911 (our equivalent at least) on it to be called in case of an emergency. And not with three god damn exclamation marks in the header. 13 year old Call of Duty players and our 14 year old intern do that..
  - ryanlol 11y ago
    That's exactly the type of stuff that slows down response times for legitimate calls. 911 is for emergencies, not for bad sign design. >official things are marked very clearly and undeniably Yes I am sure they all have timestamped PGP signed messages signed with the official german government keys.
    - Mo3 11y ago
      I assure you that if you found that box sitting there and called 911 and they sent someone out to check it out, no one would ever question the legitimacy of your call. You seem to be forgetting where this box was located. The bad sign design by itself is not absolutely convincing of course but considering all circumstances, the location of the box, the maybe somewhat real danger of terrorism in exactly this area, the easy build and also the psychological aspects.. Yeah, this would be a legitimate call to at least the local PD. Also I am talking about logical undeniability.. And I think you know already..
fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
OFFICIAL BUSINESS!!! NOT A BOMB!!!
- gcb0 11y ago
  now i have to try that on my water bottle next time i fly.
emmelaich 11y ago
I thought you were joking with the three exclamation marks so I then bothered to read the article. You weren't joking. I think this must be prank. Surely.

tlrobinson 11y ago

"How long do you think it would take the good guys to figure out it's evil? I'd think hours at least." Indeed... "there are about 20 sub-divisions of Homeland Security it might belong to"

fnordfnordfnord 11y ago

Hours? You're giving them far too much credit.

tn13 11y ago

The fact that the reporter called up Homeland security and they could not figure it out is far more scary. I wonder how the local law enforcement allowed this.

ryanlol 11y ago
Why would they not? If it was an actual bomb they'd undoubtedly try to make it look much less obnoxious, and nobody would notice.

DonHopkins 11y ago

It's a PST-JITB: Portable Security Theatre Jack-In-The-Box.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]