Even more disturbingly, the researchers found they could easily conceal a 200 gram pancake of putty designed to have the same X-ray deflecting properties as plastic explosives by molding it around a passenger’s torso. The simulated bomb’s detonator, made from a different material, was hidden in the would-be bomber’s belly button.
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Scanner images showing a subject with no explosives (left) versus more than 200 grams of simulated plastic explosives molded around his torso, with the detonator hidden in his belly button.
In the explosive example, as with the other hidden weapons, the researchers admit they had to experiment with different setups several times before finding one that left no trace in the scanner’s images. But they won’t share all the concealment tricks they learned. “We’re not trying to to provide recipes to attack actual devices in the field,” says UCSD researcher Keaton Mowery.
In addition to their physical attacks, the researchers also experimented with more inventive digital ones. They found that they could infect the scanner with malware—most practically for an attacker by picking the lock on the scanner’s cabinet and physically installing the malware on the PC inside. Once installed, that malware could be programmed to selectively replace the scan of any passenger with a fake image if he or she wore a piece of clothing with a certain symbol or QR code, as shown in the image below.