DHS | Enforcement News

DHS Enforcement News: "Coast Guard Intercepts, Repatriates 30 Cuban, 34 Haitian Migrants
December 29, 2007 (Miami) - The crew of the Coast Guard CutterPea Island repatriated 30 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cubanãs, Cuba, and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Venturous repatriated 34 Haitian migrants to Port au Prince, Haiti, subsequent to three separate at-sea interdictions. More at USCG.mil"

Welcome to Security Director News

Welcome to Security Director News: "BALTIMORE—Petards, a surveillance system developer, last week announced that its parent company, Petards Group plc, sold its U.K. Government and Commercial software business including the company’s Universal Video Management System to BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies for $5 million."

The Moment We Soar Like An Eagle

Dear Laurie,
The votes are in, and we are proud to congratulate you for your outstanding literary achievement. The editors of The International Library of Poetry were thrilled to inform you that your poem was honored with the prestigious Editor’s Choice Award because of your artistic accomplishments and unique perspective--characteristics found in the most noteworthy poetic works. http://www.poetry.com/
http://www.poetry.com/Publications/display.asp?ID=P5573478&BN=999&PN=1

Guantanamo Terror Convict to Be Set Free - washingtonpost.com

Guantanamo Terror Convict to Be Set Free - washingtonpost.com: "ADELAIDE, Australia -- Convicted terror supporter David Hicks was due to walk free Saturday after more than six years of captivity in Guantanamo Bay and Australia, but will face strict controls on his movements after a court found he was still a security risk."

Homeland Security Intelligence: Just the Beginning

Homeland Security Intelligence: Just the Beginning: "Since the 11 September 2001 attacks, the federal government has proposed and implemented numerous new domestic intelligence programs to bolster its counter-terrorism capabilities. These domestic intelligence programs run the gamut from increased aerial surveillance to increased wiretap authority to the creation of passive surveillance systems to detect the presence of nuclear, chemical, or biological agents. Additional controversial domestic intelligence programs include the Justice Department’s proposed Operation TIPS for public reporting of suspicious activity, the modification of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to increase the use of information acquired in court-approved wiretaps, and the creation of the Total Information Awareness program—since renamed the Terrorism Information Awareness program—to determine whether large-scale data mining could be a feasible way to track or catch terrorists."

DHS puts cybersecurity toward top of 2008 to-do list

DHS puts cybersecurity toward top of 2008 to-do list: "Cybersecurity, immigration and border security, secure identification, and continuing to “institutionalize the department's functions” are the four areas that the department’s agenda will focus on in 2008, said Chertoff, who will mark his third year as secretary of DHS in February 2008."

Cyber Security Threats To Pipelines and Refineries

"Cyber Security Threats To Pipelines And Refineries"Pipeline & Gas Journal (11/07) Vol. 234, No. 11, P. 56 ; Williams, Tyler
The cyber security threat to critical infrastructure systems continues to be a clear and present danger. Terrorists and hackers that want to paralyze the United States could deal a devastating blow by disabling key infrastructure systems such as power plants, oil and gas pipelines and refineries. Pipelines are especially vulnerable because they tend to be located in unpoliced and isolated areas. Although the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system offers a measure of protection, an entire pipeline could be taken out of commission if an attacker gained access to a physical Ethernet port at a field site. An combined cyber and physical attack also poses major implications, particularly if an attacker accesses critical servers in a SCADA control center. By infiltrating a server in the control center, the hacker could feed false information to the asset owner, making it appear as though an event was in the making at a far off site in a bid to distract emergency sources at the site so that it could target another critical site at a separate location. While such an attack seems far-fetched, several power companies in the U.S. routinely report instances of hackers trying to circumvent their security to tap into their computer networks. A similar event took place in Estonia this spring after hackers pummeled the government and other Website with cyber attacks as retribution for the removal of a beloved Russian war memorial there.

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics - washingtonpost.com

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics - washingtonpost.com: "CLARKSBURG, W. Va. -- The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad."

City Is Doubling Police Program to Reduce Crime - New York Times

City Is Doubling Police Program to Reduce Crime - New York Times: "Every new police officer in New York City will be sent onto the streets of some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods as part of a broad anticrime operation that the authorities say has helped produce historic drops in crime, the city announced on Wednesday."