The biggest problem with homeland security as it’s been presented to us is this: How do you know you’re secure if you can’t even provide a coherent definition for the word?
That’s the question that comes to mind as I consider several so-called secure phone lines run by the Department of Homeland Security.
Perhaps secure means the lines are encrypted, and therefore nobody can eavesdrop on them. That, unfortunately, does not seem to be the case.
Consider the “secure” emergency lines that the Department of Homeland Security has installed to each of the 50 state governors’ offices. They virtually never ring — with calls from DHS.
“Every time that phone rings, it’s telemarketers,” Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner told USA TODAY.
Minner says that when her line rings, it’s someone offering a time-share condominium or the latest deal on long-distance phone service.
“I wonder about the security of that line,” Minner said.
She said other governors have reported similar interruptions, such as the caller who chirps, “Hello! Are you satisfied with your long-distance service provider?”
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle reported getting a similar call in 2003. The caller jangled nerves and the phone just as U.S. troops were launching ground combat in Iraq. — USA TODAY
So the answer? They’re putting all the emergency lines on the national Do Not Call list of telephone numbers whose subscribers do not want calls from telemarketers. Some security.
There’s one more “secure” line I want to mention, though: It’s 202-282-8000. That’s the main number for the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C., and it’s posted prominently on the government department’s Web site.
Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal reporter Kent Cockson had occasion to call that number while researching whether Gov. Jeb Bush’s wife Columba had immigrated legally to the U.S. Predictably, he was told that the government couldn’t release that information because it was “protected.” This is the bizarre conversation as he reported it:
“I would like to verify the citizenship status of Columba Bush, the wife of Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Could you switch me to someone who can help?”
“Sir,” said the voice, “that information is protected. Are you with the press?”
I replied that I was, repeating what I had said at the outset of the call.
“Sir,” the voice said again, “this is a secure line.”
“Well,” I answered, “that may be, but the phone number is clearly shown on the Homeland Security Web site.” — Pensacola News Journal
Now maybe I read one too many spy novels, but I thought secure phone lines were supposed to be, well, at least not generally known to the public. And maybe scrambled, too. Or perhaps this is all the communications security we can expect from Homeland Security.
P.S. Columba Bush immigrated legally.
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Q
Jun 18, 2006
the biggest problem with DHS is they were created with a lsit of objectives , so far to date they have not completed any of them.
they spend their time hunting movie pirates, and shutting down torrent sites instead.
they were suppose to take control of and retrain and reorganized the air marshal program, it never happened. theres a whole list of tother things they were supposed to do, like build survailance at all ports of entry, and they haven’t done that. so the answer is no the line isn’t secure, because security is an illusion. theres no such thing as something being completely safe. the safest thing we can do, is to stop pissing off all the other countries and giving them reasons to bomb us, that would cost nothng.
Blah
Jun 20, 2006
Well, that’s what you get when you create a new government agency and staff it with the worst from all the other government agencies.
As to secure lines. There are several types of secure lines. Most you can call with a regular phone, but to “go secure” you need to synchronize keying over to secure. Those governors had to be lied to, or were not taught how to use a switchover style secure phone (STU-III http://www.tscm.com/stu.html
Michael Hampton
Jun 20, 2006
Without the line being scrambled as such, what could it possibly mean for the line to be “secure”? Just that it’s not listed in the phone book?!
Jim
Jun 26, 2006
The lines do get scrambled. As Blah mentioned, the STU-IIIs or the new STEs are telephones that can access regular POTS lines or government only DSN phone lines. The phones have a crypto device that’s inserted and allows you and the other person to “go secure” at which point all further communication is scrambled. If the phone lines we’re being tapped, it was just record loud screeching. On a side note, you both sound like robots when you speak.
Michael Hampton
Jun 26, 2006
I still can’t figure out the mysterious “This is a secure line” comment from the Department of Homeland Security. Most journalists don’t have STU-III equipment at home… I certainly don’t.
Jim
Jun 26, 2006
Probably just using it incorrectly to describe an unlisted number. If HOMESEC really wanted lines that were used soley for emergencies they could have implemented DSN lines.
I wonder if Batman ever had this problem with the batphone?
bemo
Sep 06, 2006
“This is a secure line” means that if you have the proper authority and you need to discuss classified inforamation then we have the means to “go secure”, so be careful of what you say until that point. “This is an unsecure line” means we don’t have the means to go secure and the authentication of this communication is inherently unsecure so don’t slip up.
Allan
Apr 05, 2007
You know, I’ve always wondered what those secure lines that they mentioned in Alias numerous times. I just assumed that I was a direct line that was encrypted so that no body could listen in, not even the operator or wire tappers. I mean, if you want a secure line, just use an encrypted VOIP service for crying out loud!