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Comment by dangerlibrary | Hacker News Reader

Theoretically, how many of these (or similar) techniques would work against the millimeter wave scanners currently deployed in US airports?

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We don't have one of those machines to test on, so we can't say for sure.

We think it's likely that they went through the same sort of evaluation process that put the Secure 1000 into service, and that they should be publicly reviewed by independent researchers.

Don't the millimeter wave machines perform a 360 degree scan? That would at least eliminate the really facepalm-inducing "put your gun on the side of your body" attack.

Doesn't seem that way. The sensor revolves around the subject being scanned, but the images that have always been shown as coming from the machine are just front and back images.

From L3's sales site for the ProVision MMW machine, sample images:

http://storage.pardot.com/16582/23361/product_provision_L_3_...

Their "ATD" model that includes image analysis to automatically flag "anomalies" only seems to show front and back, too.

http://storage.pardot.com/16582/23381/products_ait_ProVision...

In 2012, the "TSA Out Of Our Pants" guy previously documented the "conceal a metal object on the side of your body" attack, and did so against the MMW machines with the ATD software on them:

http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/1b-of-nude-...

Interesting. I always assumed it was doing a 360 scan. The sample images do seem to hint at a 2D scan, though the ATD front & back cartoon should be enough to highlight anomalies anywhere on the traveler's body.

It's too bad the "TSA Out Of Our Pants" guy didn't have a hidden camera accomplice to film his entire trip through security.

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