DECEMBER 31, 2007 | I was recently pulled onto a TV news spot to talk about "swatting," a new type of prank that I hadn't heard of until recently. I’m sure our kids are becoming aware of this – but since it could result in someone getting hurt or killed and possibly landing a child who pulls this prank in prison for five to 20 years, it's probably something we should discuss with them. I’m not aware of this discussion getting underway at any company, school, or shopping mall yet, but I figure it's only a matter of time.
Swatting is the practice of penetrating the Caller ID service – which is evidently not particularly secure – and then calling in a request for a SWAT response to a remote location, while making the call appear as if it's coming from that location. In short, someone calls in a terrorist attack, an armed robbery, kidnapping, hostage situation, or other false report that would require a high-level armed response by law enforcement.
Law enforcement responds to what it believes is a real call, and the victim suddenly faces armed police officers with no sense of humor and on hair triggers, thinking they are walking into a potential firefight. This is not a bright idea. Death may ensue.
Think of the homeowner awakened by what he thinks is a break-in, and then grabbing the family gun. This would be even more dangerous at a school or company, where the arriving officers could, for example, mistake a fleeing student for the non-existent attacker, or an armed plain-clothed security guard for a terrorist.
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This is no prank and is a very real threat.
Would if someone really bad (e.g. terrorist) wanted to use swatting as a way to disable our response to real emergency?
If a group of 5 kids can do it....anyone can do it.
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