Security expert Robert Siciliano explains how the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings transformed event security worldwide, from hundreds of officers and helicopters to the "If you see something, say something" campaign. He argues that while many measures are largely symbolic, they still raise the difficulty for attackers, and that intelligence work like infiltrating networks and monitoring communications remains essential for prevention.
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As Tsarnaev appeared in court, an armed U.S. Coast Guard vessel patrolled the waters nearby. It's just one of the many reminders of what happened in Boston more than a year ago. How else has the United States and other parts of the world changed as a result of what happened in Boston? I'm joined now from Boston by Robert Siciliano. He's a security expert with Hotspot Shield. Thanks so much for joining us. Uh, the year after the bombing in 2014, police doubled the amount of security at that race. There's something like 3,500 officers there. Is that the new normal now?
Yeah, actually, I ran that race. I ran the 2013. I got stopped at mile 26 amongst the carnage. It was awful. And then I ran the 2014, and there were law enforcement, it seemed, every 150, 200 feet. There were helicopters the whole time I ran, all above head. Everywhere you looked, there was some authority figure, with, uh, boots and eyes, uh, paying attention to what was going on at all times. And that seems to be the, uh, the new normal that we're experiencing throughout the world.
Robert, let me ask you, you know, is it possible at all to prevent something like the marathon bombings from happening again? After all, this is just a couple of young men with pressure cooker bombs hidden in backpacks. Uh, we look at what's happened since that time. We've got these lone wolf cases in Canada, the UK, Australia. How do law enforcement, how do they try and combat these sort of things?
You know, security professionals coined the term security theater, which means, you know, they're essentially putting on a big show to deter crime, to deter terrorist threats. But, you know, having all of these layers of protection in place does in fact make it that much more difficult for bad guys to essentially do their job. Can these things be prevented 100%? Absolutely not. But they can be deterred and in some cases stopped. You know, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a saying, a slogan that says, "If you see something, you say something," essentially getting all of the participants and spectators also involved in the process of security.
Uh, in other parts of the world, security tends to be, you know, increased after a major terrorist event. Uh, in Mumbai, for example, after the hotel attacks in 2008. But today, security experts say it's impossible to shield these hotels from a future attack. What sort of things can people themselves be doing to keep themselves safe? I mean, you mentioned keeping your eyes open, obviously, is one phase of this, but what can they do when they're traveling?
You know, it's all about situational awareness, right? That's the fundamentals of personal security, is being aware of every situation you're in, knowing what's going on 50 to 100 feet around the perimeter of your body at all times. If something seems wrong, it certainly is wrong. You know, we pay attention to our intuition when something doesn't seem right. If you respond and acknowledge that, then chances are you can deter something. You know, paying attention to these signals all about and around us is really the best best way to deter crime.
Robert, one final question for you. After 9/11, we saw just huge increases in security at airports. After the Boston Marathon, you mentioned it yourself, you ran in the race, huge security increases. We mentioned Mumbai at these hotels. But, but doesn't this kind of illustrate that, that after something happens, there's that influx, and yet the, the terrorists look for different openings? I mean, How do you go about trying to prevent that next event? Because it's not likely to be at a sporting event or at the airport or somewhere where you see increased security, is it?
It's about being persistent. It's about infiltrating these criminal organizations and monitoring the chatter, listening and looking for signs of wrongdoing, having, um, you know, Having good guys on the inside, uh, is essentially plants or moles, uh, looking or listening for things that, uh, might be going wrong, planning attacks and so forth, is one way that the U.S. and other governments are infiltrating these criminal organizations.
All right, Robert Siciliano joining us from Boston. Thanks so much.
