US Customs Apps Put Travelers' PII at Risk

guest · Jul 23, 2021

US Customs Apps Put Travelers' PII at Risk
OIG Audit Shows Consumer Applications Inadequately Protected
July 23, 2021
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/oig-us-customs-apps-put-travelers-pii-at-risk-a-17132

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not always protected its Mobile Passport Control applications, making travelers' personally identifiable information vulnerable to exploitation, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General.

CBP, which is responsible for securing travelers' data from cybersecurity threats, has oversight over six MPC apps, which are designed to expedite millions of travelers through CBP's inspection process. The OIG audit, conducted from March 2020 to April 2021, yielded eight recommendations to improve security hygiene.
Click to expand...

The OIG also found that CBP did not implement specific hardware and software configuration settings on MPC servers to protect them from vulnerabilities as required under Department of Homeland Security policy. CBP "incorrectly believed it could phase in the settings," the report says.

"Unless CBP addresses these cybersecurity vulnerabilities, MPC apps and servers will remain vulnerable, placing travelers' PII at risk of exploitation," the OIG concludes.
More than 10 million travelers used the apps between July 2017 and December 2019, according to the report.
Click to expand...

CBP to Form Oversight Team
CBP says it will form an oversight team in fiscal 2022 that will monitor MPC applications to help ensure the security of travelers' PII.
Click to expand...

OIG: "CBP Has Placed Travelers’ PII at Risk of Exploitation"
(PDF): https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2021-07/OIG-21-47-Jul21.pdf

Log in or Sign up

US Customs Apps Put Travelers' PII at Risk

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

US Customs Apps Put Travelers' PII at Risk

guest Guest

Useful Searches