Schneier on Security

Israel Torres • October 20, 2004 8:10 AM

Hi Bruce,

Regarding your comments in the latest issue of Crypto-Gram
Disrupting Air Travel with Arabic Writing
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0410.html#4

… nowhere in the article below does it state the usage of the Arabic language. In fact it states Farsi, which is also called Persian. Arabic is an entirely different language (though there are similarities). Let’s please not ball up everyone in the middle east to be ‘arabs’ as it were. I’m sure this email is one of many regarding this misinformation, please correct it.

Israel Torres

— snip original article reference —
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/09/21/flight.canceled.ap/index.html

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) — Midwest Airlines canceled a flight ready to take off for San Francisco after a passenger found a note in Farsi in the company’s in-flight magazine and alerted the crew.

The plane, carrying 118 passengers and five crew members, had already pulled away from the gate at Mitchell International Airport Sunday evening. It returned to the gate, the passengers got off, security authorities were notified, all luggage was checked and the aircraft was inspected. Nothing was found.

The passengers were put up in nearby hotels and booked on a Monday morning flight.

The writing was in Farsi, the language used in Iran, said airline spokeswoman Carol Skornicka. She said she didn’t know exactly what the writing said but was similar to a prayer, “something of a contemplative nature.”

• This is a copy of the email sent to you OCT 15 2004 –