IronKey: The World's Most Secure Flash Drive: "Data encryption is becoming so important that the Executive Office of the President of the United States is recommending all government agencies encrypt all mobile devices and computers (pdf). IronKey's hardware-encrypted flash drives and online protection services are ideal for companies who want to secure their endpoints and protect their data from leaking into the hands of unauthorized people. Equip your employees, sales people and your best customers and partners with IronKey devices, and enjoy the peace of mind that always-on hardware encryption can bring."
If you are interested in buying the Iron Key for your corporation, contact me at lvenditti@totalrecallcorp.com for a quote on quantities.
Saturday, September 29
DHS video shows potential impact of cyberattack
DHS video shows potential impact of cyberattack: "The short film, created by Idaho National Laboratories, shows the results of a simulated attack on a power network, including a turbine that dramatically overheats and shuts down. The test, known as the Aurora Generator Test, happened in March when researchers investigated the impact of a vulnerability that has since been fixed, the AP reported. 'They've taken a theoretical attack and they've shown in a very demonstrable way the impact you can have using cyber means and cyber techniques against this type of infrastructure,' Amit Yoran, former U.S. cybersecurity chief for the Bush administration, told the AP. 'It's so graphic. Talking about bits and bytes doesn't have the same impact as seeing something catch fire.'"
Deutsche demolition probed for payments to mob-linked firm
Deutsche demolition probed for payments to mob-linked firm: "Prosecutors are probing allegations that a mob-linked demolition firm slipped no-show jobs into the ill-fated Deutsche Bank demolition project, the Daily News has learned. Among those suspected of getting paid without doing any work is Bruce Greenberg, the convicted-felon brother of reputed Gambino associate Harold Greenberg, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. Harold Greenberg was barred from getting any financial benefits from the Deutsche Bank job because of his criminal past."
Judge: NYC can make cabbies get GPS, credit card machines
Judge: NYC can make cabbies get GPS, credit card machines: "A federal judge yesterday refused to stop the city from requiring all yellow cabs to be equipped with Global Positioning Systems and credit card machines."
Dolphin spotted swimming in Coney Island Creek
Dolphin spotted swimming in Coney Island Creek: "The graceful aquatic mammal was spotted in Coney Island Creek by fishermen about 2 p.m. and it hung around for a couple of hours before swimming back out to sea."
Former FBI agent now a senior pastor at Brooklyn church
Former FBI agent now a senior pastor at Brooklyn church: "Retired FBI agent Lucian Gandolfo, whose career highlights include putting away gangsters and ex-con Martha Stewart, is now fully involved in his other vocation - as a minister. Gandolfo, who was ordained in 1996 and has a doctorate in theology, will be installed tomorrow as senior pastor of the Trinity Tabernacle, an evangelical church in Gravesend, Brooklyn."
COPPOLA 'FAMILY' STOLEN | AP | International News | Latest World News | Current
COPPOLA 'FAMILY' STOLEN AP International News Latest World News Current: "September 29, 2007 -- BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Francis Ford Coppola said yesterday he lost 15 years of computer data, including writings and family photographs, when robbers raided his Argentine studio. "
FBI'S THREE-FRONT WAR ON TERRORISTS | AP | International News | Latest World News | Current
FBI'S THREE-FRONT WAR ON TERRORISTS AP International News Latest World News Current: "Robert Mueller, addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in Manhattan, said the United States is fighting a three-tiered threat from terrorists. On top is the traditional al Qaeda organization, and the second level is comparable to 'al Qaeda franchises' - small groups with ties to an established terrorist organization. The third threat comes from homegrown extremists inspired by al Qaeda's message of violence. The results in that struggle are not easily translated to numbers or statistics, he said."
Cyber Security Awareness Month
SANS Internet Storm Center; Cooperative Network Security Community - Internet Security - isc: "October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and the Internet Storm Center is going to focus on one security awareness subject per day. We plan to provide useful information for information security professionals who want to educate their users but do not have a ready set of awareness tips. "
ABC News: 21.7 Million Lbs. of Ground Beef Recalled
ABC News: 21.7 Million Lbs. of Ground Beef Recalled: "TRENTON, N.J. Sep 29, 2007 (AP) Font Size E-mail Print Share The Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded its recall of frozen hamburger patties to include 21.7 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria that sickened more than a dozen people in eight states. The recall of products distributed to retail grocery stores and food service institutions in the United States was a drastic increase from the 332,000 pounds recalled Tuesday.
Related Stories Burgers May Have Caused 21 to Get . The recall represents all Topps products with either a 'sell by date' or a 'best if used by date' between Sept. 25 this year and Sept. 25, 2008. The Elizabeth-based company said this information is found on a package's back panel. All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend, the company said."
Related Stories Burgers May Have Caused 21 to Get . The recall represents all Topps products with either a 'sell by date' or a 'best if used by date' between Sept. 25 this year and Sept. 25, 2008. The Elizabeth-based company said this information is found on a package's back panel. All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend, the company said."
Retailer Steve & Barry's Gets Surveillance Upgrade @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11797&siteSection=305: "Retailer Steve & Barry's is getting a security upgrade in the form of track-based video surveillance system. The casual clothes retailer signed a contract with security systems vendor Sentry Technology Corporation to deliver the company's CCTV solutions in 33 stores as well as the distribution center for Steve & Barry's. "
Grocer Finds Security Cameras Help Identify Scam @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11807&siteSection=305: "The CBS affiliate in Sunrise, Fla., reports that surveillance cameras helped a local grocery store avoid a slip-n-fall liability. The story of the cameras' usage, reported by CBS4, is that a grocery store's camera system caught evidence of a woman planning and executing a slip-n-fall scam."
Bush Signs Maritime, Air Cargo Inspection Bill @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12049&siteSection=305: "In a decision that will have a major impact on how cargo moves through the global supply chain, President George W. Bush officially signed into law ?H.R. 1 Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007? earlier this month. This bill, which was signed off on by the United States Senate and House of Representatives in late July, is expected to significantly alter how maritime and air cargo is inspected. The bill calls for the 100-percent scanning of maritime cargo?before it?s loaded onto vessels heading for the United States?to be required within the next five years. "
As NASCO Honors Its Own, Industry Faces Change @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12613&siteSection=305: "Recognized were two individuals; one was a young man named Tim Foster from Pittsburgh who worked as a security officer for U.S. Steel and had to be the 'first responder' to a serious employee accident that left a plant worker in a life-threatening health condition. nine stories up in the air. The other was none other than Guido 'Rick' Massimei from U.S. Security Associates. Rick was honored with the Colonel Minot Dodson Award to recognize of long-time commitment and service to the private security industry. ".......
As one New York-based security firm told me as we discussed this issue of regulation, "Nevada can be a real problem, as can other states if they don't offer reciprocity." The challenge for this particular man's security officer services and protection detail company is that client's don't know state boundaries, and while a client may focus 90 percent of your work in the state you are licensed, you might need to be in a non-reciprocal state in two weeks and not have the license to do it.
"If there's going to be more licensing and regulation for our industry," said the company owner, "then it really needs to come from the national level. I don't mind being regulated and having to meet national standards -- and I think it would be good for us to weed out the bad companies -- but at our size, we can't go from state to state to meet all the individual rules and licenses."
As one New York-based security firm told me as we discussed this issue of regulation, "Nevada can be a real problem, as can other states if they don't offer reciprocity." The challenge for this particular man's security officer services and protection detail company is that client's don't know state boundaries, and while a client may focus 90 percent of your work in the state you are licensed, you might need to be in a non-reciprocal state in two weeks and not have the license to do it.
"If there's going to be more licensing and regulation for our industry," said the company owner, "then it really needs to come from the national level. I don't mind being regulated and having to meet national standards -- and I think it would be good for us to weed out the bad companies -- but at our size, we can't go from state to state to meet all the individual rules and licenses."
Pentagon Has Near And Long-Term Biometrics Strategy @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12630&siteSection=305: "Turning to DoD's long-term needs, Dee said that 'CENTCOM is not the end all to the Department of Defense's requirements.' In classic DoD style, the Pentagon plans to go through the operational user community to learn what the various combatant commanders need, he said."
Monday, September 24
Vote to arm university officers in Regents' hands
Welcome to Security Director News
http://www.securitydirectornews.com/index.php?p=article&id=sd200709sDr6Fi
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa--The Iowa Board of Regents voted last week to develop a comprehensive security policy for Iowa's three public universities that would include arming qualified campus police officers.Directors of public safety at those schools say a comprehensive security policy is what their officers need to be prepared in any situation.
http://www.securitydirectornews.com/index.php?p=article&id=sd200709sDr6Fi
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa--The Iowa Board of Regents voted last week to develop a comprehensive security policy for Iowa's three public universities that would include arming qualified campus police officers.Directors of public safety at those schools say a comprehensive security policy is what their officers need to be prepared in any situation.
Friday, September 21
Weighing in on School Video Surveillance Policies @ The Latest SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12364&siteSection=306: "A new 'best practices' policy from the Arkansas School Boards Association suggests how to deal with video surveillance footage captured at the state's public schools. Not surprisingly, the suggested policy (download it from the ASBA [MSWord document]), which was released earlier this summer, does not get into details of frame rate, or video resolution, or any technical specifics. Rather, the ASBA looks at such issues as how to transfer video footage to other schools, whether video surveillance clips should be attached to the student record, and how the campus should be notified that cameras are being used. "
SBInet Virtual Border Fence Still Not Successful @ The Latest SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12413&siteSection=306: "TUCSON, Ariz. -- Because of a software glitch, the first high-tech 'virtual fence' on the nation's borders remains inoperable, three months after its scheduled debut. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he is withholding further payment to the prime contractor, Boeing Co., until the success of the pilot project stretching 28 miles near the border southwest of Tucson."
2 Students Shot at Delaware State Univ. @ The Latest SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12417&siteSection=306: "DOVER, Del. -- Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, and the campus was locked down as police searched for a gunman, officials said. Classes were canceled for the day and students were being kept inside. 'They've been directed to stay in their dorms,' said Carlos Holmes, a university spokesman. 'We don't know where the shooter's at.' At the university's main entrance, swing-arm gates were down to prevent people from driving onto campus. The students were shot near the Memorial Hall gymnasium around 1 a.m., according to a news release on the university's Web site."
Student Brings Fake Bomb into Logan Airport @ The Latest SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12431&siteSection=306: "BOSTON -- A 19-year-old student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology walked into Boston's Logan International Airport on Friday with a fake bomb strapped to her chest and was arrested at gunpoint, authorities said. Star Simpson, who is from Hawaii, wore a computer circuit board, wiring and a putty that later turned out to be Play-Doh strapped over her black hooded sweat shirt and in plain view, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport. 'She's extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used,' Pare told The Associated Press. 'And she's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue.'"
Blackwater License Revoked in Iraq @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12335&siteSection=305: "BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government said Monday that it was revoking the license of an American security firm accused of involvement in the deaths of eight civilians in a firefight that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade."
Monday, September 17
'Jihadi' Images, Detonator Video Found
'Jihadi' Images, Detonator Video Found: "TAMPA - A laptop computer deputies found when they pulled over two University of South Florida students in South Carolina contained a video made by one of the men showing how to use a toy to detonate a bomb remotely, a federal prosecutor said Friday. On that video, the student, Ahmed Mohamed, said the detonator could 'save one who wants to be a martyr for another day, another battle,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer said. The prosecutor said that video was posted by Mohamed on YouTube, a popular Web site."
Armed student's motives unclear Dearborn
Armed student's motives unclear Dearborn: "His face painted black, Houssein Zorkot entered a park in east Dearborn Sept. 8, cocked an AK47 he had bought the same day, and then tried to flee police after they confronted him, authorities say. Were those the actions of a confused young man or those of a potential terrorist with ill intentions?"
Bush Selects Ex-Judge as Attorney General Nominee - washingtonpost.com
Bush Selects Ex-Judge as Attorney General Nominee - washingtonpost.com: "President Bush today announced his nomination of retired federal judge Michael B. Mukasey to become the nation's 81st attorney general, moving to install a law-and-order conservative at the Justice Department to help wage the war on terrorism while hoping to avoid a confirmation fight with Senate Democrats."
US investigates into Blackwater incident - Yahoo! News
US investigates into Blackwater incident - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON - The State Department moved quickly Monday to tamp down anger and possible repercussions after the alleged killing of eight Iraqi civilians by a private security firm hired to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq. "
Sunday, September 9
New group to help first responders with ID cards - Network World
New group to help first responders with ID cards - Network World: "But complying with the FIPS 201 standard can be expensive, and the consortium thinks that it can help local departments cut costs by offering them a helping hand with the process. 'What we're trying to do is make it easier and more effective for first responders to be FIPS-compliant... so they can go and do their jobs,' said Howard Schmidt, the former cybersecurity advisor to the White House, and a backer of the project. "
Schlage Keyless Deadbolt Locks
Schlage Keyless Deadbolt Locks: "Schlage King Cobra 2 (KC-2) keyless metal electronic locks integrate with the company’s Access Control Management System and are rated ANSI/BHMA Grade 2. They are suitable for apartment, condo, student and military housing applications and have a low susceptibility to kick-in, drilling and wrench attacks. Each lock can accommodate up to 1,000 users and operates with an iButton rather than a key to lock or unlock a door. To use, residents touch their iButtons to the sensor on the face of the lock. Property managers can use supplier software to personalize each iButton so that only one device is needed to gain access to necessary areas of the property. Service professionals can program time-and-date-controlled access. The locks are available in two styles and eight finishes to complement various interiors. Visit securitysolutions.com/productinfo or schlage.com. "
Dedicated Micros Analog Camera Series
Dedicated Micros Analog Camera Series: "Dedicated Micros’ analog camera line includes box, dome and pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) domes. They are available in standard or vandal-resistant versions. The hot-swappable PTZ dome cameras are available with various housings and installation accessories. Users can select from high or standard resolution, color, true day/night (TDN) and wide dynamic range formats. Visit securitysolutions.com/productinfo or dedicatedmicrosus.com. "
Judge overturns portion of PATRIOT Act
Judge overturns portion of PATRIOT Act: "Congress passed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act in 2001, granting law enforcement the power to request information on phone calls and e-mail correspondence from electronic communication service providers. In 2006, Congress reauthorized and amended portions of the law to only allow government agents to require that NSL recipients remain silent on the existence of such orders only if the Director of the FBI or a special agent-in-charge designated by the Director has certified that such disclosure would be dangerous. Following the reauthorization of the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice reported that the use of National Security Letters had climbed quickly at the FBI. The federal law enforcement agency used NSL requests 39,000 times in 2003, 56,000 times in 2004 and 47,000 times in 2005, according to the OIG report. Judge Marrero stayed the ruling until the government can appeal."
BBC NEWS | Technology | Mobile phone technology turns 20
BBC NEWS Technology Mobile phone technology turns 20: "Mobile phone technology turns 20 Nokia's 1100 is the world's best-selling handset The technology behind the mobile phone is celebrating its 20th anniversary. On 7 September 1987, 15 phone firms signed an agreement to build mobile networks based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications. Mobile phone technology turns 20 Nokia's 1100 is the world's best-selling handset The technology behind the mobile phone is celebrating its 20th anniversary. On 7 September 1987, 15 phone firms signed an agreement to build mobile networks based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications. "
Happy Birthday Cellular/Mobile Communications*****In September of 1987 I worked for Cellular One in Syracuse, within 6 months I lead the sales team as the top revenue producer! Jeff Rubenstein sold his company off in 1988 and walked away with over $25 Million...Not a bad call Jeff! LVenditti
Happy Birthday Cellular/Mobile Communications*****In September of 1987 I worked for Cellular One in Syracuse, within 6 months I lead the sales team as the top revenue producer! Jeff Rubenstein sold his company off in 1988 and walked away with over $25 Million...Not a bad call Jeff! LVenditti
Monday, August 27
City Council Bill Would Take Out City's Styrofoam - August 23, 2007 - The New York Sun
City Council Bill Would Take Out City's Styrofoam - August 23, 2007 - The New York Sun: "New York City restaurants and government agencies could soon face a ban on Styrofoam-type fast food containers if the City Council passes a bill introduced yesterday."
Google Reader (100+)
Google Reader : "We couldn't help but stop at this one, which shows Helmsley posing with Imelda 'Steel Butterfly' Marcos, the wife of former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Also pictured is Rick 'Loins of Doom' Hilton, father of Paris. To have three people who have unleashed such hardship on the world gathered in one photograph is a rare sight indeed. "
BBC NEWS | England | London | Man arrested over wi-fi 'theft'
BBC NEWS England London Man arrested over wi-fi 'theft': "Man arrested over wi-fi 'theft' A man has been arrested in connection with using a wi-fi broadband connection without permission. He was initially detained by two Police Community Support Officers in Chiswick, west London, on Tuesday. They became suspicious when they saw the 39-year-old using his laptop outside a house in Prebend Gardens. When questioned he admitted to using someone else's unsecured wi-fi broadband connection. He has been bailed pending further inquiries. The case is now being handled by the Metropolitan Police's computer crime unit. Det Con Mark Roberts said: 'This arrest should act as a warning to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to illegally use other people's broadband connections.' Dishonestly obtaining free internet access is an offence under the Communications Act 2003 and a potential breach of the Computer Misuse Act. Man arrested over wi-fi 'theft' A man has been arrested in connection with using a wi-fi broadband connection without permission. He was initially detained by two Police Community Support Officers in Chiswick, west London, on Tuesday. They became suspicious when they saw the 39-year-old using his laptop outside a house in Prebend Gardens. When questioned he admitted to using someone else's unsecured wi-fi broadband connection. He has been bailed pending further inquiries. The case is now being handled by the Metropolitan Police's computer crime unit. Det Con Mark Roberts said: 'This arrest should act as a warning to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to illegally use other people's broadband connections.' Dishonestly obtaining free internet access is an offence under the Communications Act 2003 and a potential breach of the Computer Misuse Act. "
BBC NEWS | Technology | Millions hit by Monster site hack
BBC NEWS Technology Millions hit by Monster site hack: "The vast majority of those affected by the attack are based in the US. Monster estimates that less than 5,000 people outside the US had their details stolen in the attack. Monster said it had more than 73 million CVs in its database. The vast majority of those affected by the attack are based in the US. Monster estimates that less than 5,000 people outside the US had their details stolen in the attack. Monster said it had more than 73 million CVs in its database. "
ABC News: Arabic Public School Draws Protests
ABC News: Arabic Public School Draws Protests: "One of the city's newest public schools is named for poet who promoted peace and published his most famous work while living in New York, but there has been little peace for the Khalil Gibran International Academy. "
Broncos Beef up Security @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12048&siteSection=305: "IRVING, Texas - Dave Abrams became the Denver Broncos' shadow in January. His official title is vice president of security. After Darrent Williams was shot and killed Jan. 1 following a nightclub party, the Broncos created the position. Abrams spent 37 years in the Denver Police Department. He worked in SWAT, homicide, internal affairs, patrol and was gang captain. He retired as a deputy chief. The Broncos hired him to help the players in many ways, but foremost he teaches them how to protect themselves."
Bush Signs Maritime, Air Cargo Inspection Bill @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12049&siteSection=305: "The bill calls for the 100-percent scanning of maritime cargo?before it?s loaded onto vessels heading for the United States?to be required within the next five years. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may extend the deadline by two-year increments, if necessary. It also calls for the scanning of all cargo on passenger planes within the next three years. The bill will require specific annual benchmarks on the percentage of maritime cargo containers headed for the U.S., an analysis of how to best incorporate existing maritime security initiatives, including the Container Security Initiative and C-TPAT, and an analysis of the scanning equipment, personnel, and technology needed to reach the 100-percent container scanning objective. On the air cargo side, the Transportation Security Administration will be charged with establishing a system to screen all cargo transported on passenger aircraft operated by domestic or foreign air carriers."
ABC News: Attorney General Gonzales Resigns
ABC News: Attorney General Gonzales Resigns: "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stepped down from his post Monday, after months of growing criticism from Congress. "
My personal prediction for his replacement is Fran Townsend! Laurie
My personal prediction for his replacement is Fran Townsend! Laurie
Friday, August 24
"Strategy Game Trains Cops and Firefighters"
PC World (08/23/07) ; McMillan, Robert
Graduate students from the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering are collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a real-time strategy game that allows police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders to practice emergency scenarios. The game, Ground Truth, is realistic because events in the game occur in real time, putting added pressure on first responders to act swiftly. Jim Pointer, the medical director of Alameda County's Emergency Medical Services Agency, recently completed an intense session of Ground Truth that called for him to oversee a city's response to a toxic chemical spill. During the scenario, he was responsible for managing traffic barriers, putting hazmat teams and police cars in position to respond to the spill, and managing medical collection points while keeping an eye out for toxic plumes. Pointer says the game is fun, educational, and has great promise. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III game provided inspiration for Ground Truth, which could eventually receive funding from private industry or even the Homeland Security Department.(go to web site)
Graduate students from the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering are collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a real-time strategy game that allows police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders to practice emergency scenarios. The game, Ground Truth, is realistic because events in the game occur in real time, putting added pressure on first responders to act swiftly. Jim Pointer, the medical director of Alameda County's Emergency Medical Services Agency, recently completed an intense session of Ground Truth that called for him to oversee a city's response to a toxic chemical spill. During the scenario, he was responsible for managing traffic barriers, putting hazmat teams and police cars in position to respond to the spill, and managing medical collection points while keeping an eye out for toxic plumes. Pointer says the game is fun, educational, and has great promise. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III game provided inspiration for Ground Truth, which could eventually receive funding from private industry or even the Homeland Security Department.(go to web site)
"Missouri Task Force Recommends How to Make College Campuses Safer"
Kansas City Star (08/21/07) ; Wagar, Kit
Missouri's Campus Security Task Force has released a set of 33 guidelines designed to make the state's college campuses safer. The task force, formed in the wake of April's shootings at Virginia Tech, recommends creating a "culture of preparedness" by coordinating response plans with local police and fire departments. The guidelines also say that schools should train faculty, staff, and students on what they should do in the case of an emergency. Although the report describes Missouri colleges as safe, it also shows that while 86 percent of the schools have an emergency plan, less than 30 percent have coordinated with local police and fire departments. About two-thirds of the schools have a system in place for identifying and managing troubled students, but just 40 percent of the schools participate with nationally accredited crisis training programs. The report also suggests that colleges expand counseling services and train staff on how to assess students that could present a threat. Many of the recommendations in the report could be addressed by colleges for a low cost, especially considering the increased state funding that they should receive in the next three years.(go to web site)
Missouri's Campus Security Task Force has released a set of 33 guidelines designed to make the state's college campuses safer. The task force, formed in the wake of April's shootings at Virginia Tech, recommends creating a "culture of preparedness" by coordinating response plans with local police and fire departments. The guidelines also say that schools should train faculty, staff, and students on what they should do in the case of an emergency. Although the report describes Missouri colleges as safe, it also shows that while 86 percent of the schools have an emergency plan, less than 30 percent have coordinated with local police and fire departments. About two-thirds of the schools have a system in place for identifying and managing troubled students, but just 40 percent of the schools participate with nationally accredited crisis training programs. The report also suggests that colleges expand counseling services and train staff on how to assess students that could present a threat. Many of the recommendations in the report could be addressed by colleges for a low cost, especially considering the increased state funding that they should receive in the next three years.(go to web site)
"Va. Tech Review Recommends Steps to Avert Another Tragedy"
Washington Post (08/23/07) P. B1 ; Jenkins, Chris L.; Horwitz, Sari
The latest recommendations from three review committees in the wake of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech focus on university communication systems improvements, better privacy issue training for staff members, increased security for students and faculty, and reforms for the university's counseling system to ensure troubled students get the help they need. In terms of communication recommendations, the review committees indicated electronic banners in classrooms and hallways could be used to alert students to emergencies, and a location system could be used to pinpoint where students are should emergencies arise. Security recommendations included the use of locks on the inside of classroom doors to prevent killers from entering classrooms at random. The review panels also indicated changes be made to the counseling system to increase monitoring of students deemed a possible danger to themselves or others. Additionally, student health records should be shared among university staff to ensure monitoring systems are functional; it is not clear whether Virginia Tech's officials shared information on the April 16 gunman. Parents, however, continued to criticize university officials for not locking down the campus to prevent more student and faculty deaths, but the officials rebutted, "A lockdown is simply not feasible on a campus the size of a small city."(go to web site)
The latest recommendations from three review committees in the wake of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech focus on university communication systems improvements, better privacy issue training for staff members, increased security for students and faculty, and reforms for the university's counseling system to ensure troubled students get the help they need. In terms of communication recommendations, the review committees indicated electronic banners in classrooms and hallways could be used to alert students to emergencies, and a location system could be used to pinpoint where students are should emergencies arise. Security recommendations included the use of locks on the inside of classroom doors to prevent killers from entering classrooms at random. The review panels also indicated changes be made to the counseling system to increase monitoring of students deemed a possible danger to themselves or others. Additionally, student health records should be shared among university staff to ensure monitoring systems are functional; it is not clear whether Virginia Tech's officials shared information on the April 16 gunman. Parents, however, continued to criticize university officials for not locking down the campus to prevent more student and faculty deaths, but the officials rebutted, "A lockdown is simply not feasible on a campus the size of a small city."(go to web site)
"Can a Government Remotely Detect a Terrorist's Thoughts?"
New Scientist (08/11/07) Vol. 195, No. 2616, P. 24 ; Marks, Paul
The U.S. Homeland Security Department's Project Hostile Intent (PHI) has the ambitious goal of projecting "current or future hostile intentions" among the 400 million people who enter the country each year through remote behavior analysis systems, according to DHS representative Larry Orluskie. He explains that PHI intends to identify physical markers (blood pressure, heartbeat, facial expressions, etc.) associated with hostility or the desire to deceive, and apply this knowledge toward the development of "real-time, culturally independent, non-invasive sensors" and software that can spot such behaviors. Such sensors could include infrared light, heart rate and respiration sensors, eye tracking, laser, audio, and video. For four years, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has been using the Screening Passengers through Observation Techniques (SPOT) program to detect suspicious people through study of micro-expressions--involuntary facial telltales that indicate attempts to deceive--but the process is costly and arduous, and is not something a baggage screener or customs official can do in addition to their regular duties. The automation of the SPOT program, with computers instead of people screening for micro-expressions and other suspicious bodily indicators, is the impetus behind PHI. Experts doubt that such capability could be accomplished by the end of the decade, if at all, and are skeptical that such systems could identify hostile micro-expressions in a potential terrorist, given the lack of knowledge about and complexity of such expressions. Another unknown factor is whether such signs could be spotted hours or even weeks before a terrorist incident. There is also the danger that innocents who are highly emotional or aggravated due to stress might be flagged as potential terrorists.(go to web site)
The U.S. Homeland Security Department's Project Hostile Intent (PHI) has the ambitious goal of projecting "current or future hostile intentions" among the 400 million people who enter the country each year through remote behavior analysis systems, according to DHS representative Larry Orluskie. He explains that PHI intends to identify physical markers (blood pressure, heartbeat, facial expressions, etc.) associated with hostility or the desire to deceive, and apply this knowledge toward the development of "real-time, culturally independent, non-invasive sensors" and software that can spot such behaviors. Such sensors could include infrared light, heart rate and respiration sensors, eye tracking, laser, audio, and video. For four years, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has been using the Screening Passengers through Observation Techniques (SPOT) program to detect suspicious people through study of micro-expressions--involuntary facial telltales that indicate attempts to deceive--but the process is costly and arduous, and is not something a baggage screener or customs official can do in addition to their regular duties. The automation of the SPOT program, with computers instead of people screening for micro-expressions and other suspicious bodily indicators, is the impetus behind PHI. Experts doubt that such capability could be accomplished by the end of the decade, if at all, and are skeptical that such systems could identify hostile micro-expressions in a potential terrorist, given the lack of knowledge about and complexity of such expressions. Another unknown factor is whether such signs could be spotted hours or even weeks before a terrorist incident. There is also the danger that innocents who are highly emotional or aggravated due to stress might be flagged as potential terrorists.(go to web site)
"Office Computer Monitoring Gets More Sophisticated"
A growing number of companies are implementing new software that automatically monitors employee messages and documents for compliance with security regulations. Because sensitive data can escape through multiple digital channels, companies afraid of insider thefts and data breaches are using technology to oversee employee emails, Web postings, instant messages, and offline documents. Some programs can detect when specific keywords are entered in Web forms or documents, and will then warn the user or thwart the action. Similar technologies dig deeper, reviewing information with databases and documents in file services, and can stop files from being moved to portable devices such as USB drives. Discovering sensitive information in an unsuitable spot is essential to ensuring that the data is not accidentally disseminated. While such software typically warns compliance officers of such sightings, software will increasingly repair such messes automatically. And yet, because these technologies are relatively new, software will sometimes mistakenly block an item or generate irritating streams of pop-up alerts. In addition, less than 1 percent of discovered violations are actually disobeying any rules, and the majority of those infringements are accidental. Moreover, criminals can circumvent the technology. However, in a world where reputation and ethics require vigilant oversight, employers and employees are anticipated to accept the growth of compliance-watchdog technologies.(go to web site) Bergstein, Brian
Sale of Major League Baseball Caps With Gang Colors
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294409,00.html
"Major League Baseball … is very concerned about the issue," said Silvia Alvarez, the league's director of multicultural and charitable communications, in a statement. She indicated that MLB would encourage and support the pulling of these caps from stores.
The Coalition to Protect our Children said the group would continue its efforts to stop the sale of caps with gang colors and symbols and plans to hold gang-awareness workshops for families in the community.
"Major League Baseball … is very concerned about the issue," said Silvia Alvarez, the league's director of multicultural and charitable communications, in a statement. She indicated that MLB would encourage and support the pulling of these caps from stores.
The Coalition to Protect our Children said the group would continue its efforts to stop the sale of caps with gang colors and symbols and plans to hold gang-awareness workshops for families in the community.
Firm Hired to Monitor Gambling on Open
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/24/sports/tennis/24tennis.html?ei=5088&en=c6ed2f5075e292d0&ex=1345608000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
After a sports summer rocked by a gambling scandal involving the former N.B.A. referee Tim Donaghy and a betting investigation involving a match played by the fourth-ranked men’s tennis player Nikolay Davydenko, the United States Tennis Association has hired a consulting firm to detect and monitor potential gambling activity at the United States Open.
The firm of SafirRosetti, run by Howard Safir, a former city police commissioner, has begun work at the Billie Jean King United States National Tennis Center, the site of the Open.
Besides monitoring areas throughout the grounds — included those restricted to players, their entourages and medical personnel — the firm will try to keep tabs on all betting activity surrounding the Open.
After a sports summer rocked by a gambling scandal involving the former N.B.A. referee Tim Donaghy and a betting investigation involving a match played by the fourth-ranked men’s tennis player Nikolay Davydenko, the United States Tennis Association has hired a consulting firm to detect and monitor potential gambling activity at the United States Open.
The firm of SafirRosetti, run by Howard Safir, a former city police commissioner, has begun work at the Billie Jean King United States National Tennis Center, the site of the Open.
Besides monitoring areas throughout the grounds — included those restricted to players, their entourages and medical personnel — the firm will try to keep tabs on all betting activity surrounding the Open.
On the Front Line in the War on Terrorism
http://city-journal.net/html/17_3_preventing_terrorism.html
Cops in New York and Los Angeles offer America two models for preventing another 9/11.
Three time zones, 3,000 miles, and a cultural galaxy apart, New York and Los Angeles face a common threat: along with Washington, D.C., they’re the chief American targets of Islamic terror. And both cities boast top cops, sometime rivals—the cities are fiercely competitive—who know that ensuring that a dog doesn’t bark will determine their legacies. After investing millions of dollars in homeland security, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly of New York and Chief William J. Bratton of L.A. can both claim counterterror successes. What can we learn from their approaches? And will they be able to continue preventing terrorist attacks in their cities?
On the face of it, the nation’s two biggest metropolitan forces seem to have adopted kindred counterterrorism strategies. Both have roving SWAT or “Emergency Service Unit” teams, equipped with gas masks and antidotes to chemical and biological agents. Both have set up “fusion” centers to screen threats and monitor secret intelligence and “open-source” information, including radical Internet sites, and both have started programs to identify and protect likely targets. Both have tried to integrate private security experts into their work. Both conduct surveillance that would have been legally questionable before September 11. Both have sought to enlist support from mainstream Muslims and have encouraged various private firms to report suspicious activity.
Cops in New York and Los Angeles offer America two models for preventing another 9/11.
Three time zones, 3,000 miles, and a cultural galaxy apart, New York and Los Angeles face a common threat: along with Washington, D.C., they’re the chief American targets of Islamic terror. And both cities boast top cops, sometime rivals—the cities are fiercely competitive—who know that ensuring that a dog doesn’t bark will determine their legacies. After investing millions of dollars in homeland security, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly of New York and Chief William J. Bratton of L.A. can both claim counterterror successes. What can we learn from their approaches? And will they be able to continue preventing terrorist attacks in their cities?
On the face of it, the nation’s two biggest metropolitan forces seem to have adopted kindred counterterrorism strategies. Both have roving SWAT or “Emergency Service Unit” teams, equipped with gas masks and antidotes to chemical and biological agents. Both have set up “fusion” centers to screen threats and monitor secret intelligence and “open-source” information, including radical Internet sites, and both have started programs to identify and protect likely targets. Both have tried to integrate private security experts into their work. Both conduct surveillance that would have been legally questionable before September 11. Both have sought to enlist support from mainstream Muslims and have encouraged various private firms to report suspicious activity.
Saturday, August 18
Biometrics and security in Iraq | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
Biometrics and security in Iraq Tech news blog - CNET News.com: "As state-level officials and other critics push back hard against the federal Real ID mandate here at home, the U.S. government is reporting success abroad with a biometric ID system it has installed in Iraq. The automated biometric identity system being used by the Iraqi government now holds more than 350,000 sets of fingerprints, photos and retina scans, and 'we increase the database by 4,000 or 5,000 each week,' Army Lt. Col. John W. Velliquette Jr. said in a teleconferenced briefing this week. Velliquette runs the fingerprint and retina scanning center in Baghdad's International Zone. Iraqis are expected to assume full operation by next summer. The system is used to verify the identity of members of the Iraqi police and military, prisoners and prison guards, and authorized gun owners. (The guns must be kept in homes; they're not to be carried out in the streets.) It's also used to identify criminals and suspects in criminal cases, Velliquette said. 'We will get criminal hits; we get 10 to 20 a week from the minister of Interior.'"
Senate rejects extra $300 million for Real ID | CNET News.com
Senate rejects extra $300 million for Real ID CNET News.com: "Action by a divided U.S. Senate on Thursday raises new questions about the fate of a contentious plan to outfit Americans with new digital identification cards by 2013. By a 50-44 vote mostly along party lines, the chamber set aside a Republican-backed amendment to a homeland security spending bill that would have spread $300 million across the states to help them implement the so-called Real ID Act. The Senate also agreed unanimously to adopt an amendment, proposed by vocal Real ID critic Max Baucus (D-Mont.), which prohibits the use of any of the spending bill's funding for 'planning, testing, piloting, or developing a national identification card.' The votes leave just $50 million in additional Real ID grants for states in the the final bill, which passed by an 89-4 vote late Thursday and is now headed to the president's desk. President Bush has previously vowed to veto the entire measure, but it was not immediately clear whether that was still the case."
BBC NEWS | Technology | Bluetooth helps Facebook friends
BBC NEWS Technology Bluetooth helps Facebook friends: "A team of UK researchers is combining the power of social network Facebook with communications tool Bluetooth to learn more about human interactions. Bath University scientists have created a tool which can use the unique ID of Bluetooth devices, like a mobile phone, to build new friendship networks. Users register with the Facebook tool, called Cityware, that tracks encounters in the real world via Bluetooth. It is part of a wider project A team of UK researchers is combining the power of social network Facebook with communications tool Bluetooth to learn more about human interactions. Bath University scientists have created a tool which can use the unique ID of Bluetooth devices, like a mobile phone, to build new friendship networks. Users register with the Facebook tool, called Cityware, that tracks encounters in the real world via Bluetooth. It is part of a wider project "
ABC News: I Spy: Inside an Air Force Spy Plane
ABC News: I Spy: Inside an Air Force Spy Plane: "At virtually any moment — day or night — you can look up and know that somewhere over Earth there's a U-2 pilot at the edge of outer space, watching and listening. The U-2 is the most famous spy plane in history. Developed in secret for the CIA more than 50 years ago, the U-2 first detected the movement of Soviet nuclear weapons into Cuba, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the U-2 is not just a piece of Cold War history; it has been quietly brought into the space age and is now flying more than ever."
At Issue on College Campus: The Right to Bear Arms @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11933&siteSection=305: "RICHMOND, Virginia -- Some U.S. college students want the right to carry guns on campus, saying they should have the ability to protect themselves in the event of a shooting like the one that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech this spring Andrew Dysart, a George Mason University senior, has organized a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which hopes to convince state legislators to overturn a Virginia law that allows universities to prohibit students, faculty and staff members with gun permits from carrying their weapons on campus."
FTC Leaks Whole Foods' Corporate Strategy @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=12018&siteSection=305: "WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators filed court documents Tuesday outlining concerns that stores in competitive markets would close and consumers would face higher prices if Whole Foods Market Inc.'s $565 million purchase of Wild Oats Markets Inc. is completed. The Federal Trade Commission documents revealed that Whole Foods plans to close 30 or more Wild Oats stores, a move that the company believes would nearly double revenue for some Whole Foods stores."
Registered Traveler Program Launched at San Francisco International Airport - Government Technology
Registered Traveler Program Launched at San Francisco International Airport - Government Technology: "Aug 16, 2007, News Report Mayor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced the opening of a new airport security fast-pass program that will help registered passengers speed through screening check points at San Francisco International Airport safely and securely. "
ABC News: A City's Eyes: Do Cameras Reduce Crime?
ABC News: A City's Eyes: Do Cameras Reduce Crime?
The New York Police Department is creating a web of surveillance in lower Manhattan that will eventually include 3,000 public and private security cameras to track terrorists. By the end of this year, 116 license plate readers will monitor cars moving through the area, which is the city's financial district. (AP Photo)
The New York Police Department is creating a web of surveillance in lower Manhattan that will eventually include 3,000 public and private security cameras to track terrorists. By the end of this year, 116 license plate readers will monitor cars moving through the area, which is the city's financial district. (AP Photo)
Friday, August 17
The Exploding Market for Video Analytics
"The Exploding Market for Video Analytics"Access Control & Security Systems (07/01/07) Vol. 50, No. 7, P. 12
Frost & Sullivan research analyst Dilip Sarangan predicts that the market for video analytics technology will increase to more than $400 million by 2012, nearly a sevenfold increase from the $60 million posted in 2005. "The market for video analytics is poised to explode," says Sarangan. "The explosive nature of the market is tied to the increased need for more proactive surveillance, the elimination of human error, the convergence of physical and electronic systems, and increased scalability." Alan Lipton, CTO of ObjectVideo in Reston, Va., concurs, saying, "[Video analytics] has already become table stakes in the world of government security and quasi-government security…and now, for the first time, we're seeing analytics becoming a requirement in the commercial world."(go to web site)
**** My technology preference is Vidient, www.vidient.com Mark Steffler and I are working closely together, offering product briefings. Call me to schedule a briefing at your office! 917-596-3037, Laurie Venditti. If you call Mark directly please mention that you were referred from my site. Tks, Laurie
Frost & Sullivan research analyst Dilip Sarangan predicts that the market for video analytics technology will increase to more than $400 million by 2012, nearly a sevenfold increase from the $60 million posted in 2005. "The market for video analytics is poised to explode," says Sarangan. "The explosive nature of the market is tied to the increased need for more proactive surveillance, the elimination of human error, the convergence of physical and electronic systems, and increased scalability." Alan Lipton, CTO of ObjectVideo in Reston, Va., concurs, saying, "[Video analytics] has already become table stakes in the world of government security and quasi-government security…and now, for the first time, we're seeing analytics becoming a requirement in the commercial world."(go to web site)
**** My technology preference is Vidient, www.vidient.com Mark Steffler and I are working closely together, offering product briefings. Call me to schedule a briefing at your office! 917-596-3037, Laurie Venditti. If you call Mark directly please mention that you were referred from my site. Tks, Laurie
Thursday, August 16
Michael McCann -President, McCann Protective Services, LLC
I had the pleasure of meeting with Michael McCann, the former Chief of Security of the United Nations, In addition to serving as a Security Subject Matter Expert appearing on the Network News like MSNBC & CNN, Mike also serves as a personal and trusted advisor in New York City and beyond. His company McCann Protective Services LLC delivers discreet and customized security services for the diplomatic community, corporate executives, celebrities and their families.
Mike McCann's Bio
President of McCann Protective Services, LLC. Mike served as Chief of Security for the UN, McCann was responsible for the protection of delegates, staff, visiting dignitaries, and other visitors at the United Nations headquarters and at conferences and meetings organized by the United Nations held in the United States and overseas. In addition to his responsibilities for the safety of the Secretary-General and other senior UN officials, McCann provided strategies and executive direction for UN security operations, including emergency preparedness, crisis management plans and the development of uniform security standards and practices for UN offices globally. The UN Security and Safety Service are recognized internationally for its diversity, professionalism and ability to carry out its mission under challenging circumstances. McCann is a former senior ranking officer from the New York City Police Department. Prior to working at the UN, McCann was a Commanding Officer of Investigative Support for the New York City Police Department where he led the Intelligence Division’s international officials visiting New York City. http://www.mccannprotectiveservices.com/about/profile_michael_mccann.php
Jack J. O’Connor Co-Founder - John J. O’Connor is the Co-Founder of McCann Protective Services, LLC. In 1970 Mr. O’Connor founded OCS Security, a company that provided security services to the New York tri-state region. Over the course of 35 years, OCS grew to 1500 employees with an annual revenue of 30 million dollars. OCS was recognized as a leading security firm providing high quality security services. It was recently acquired by Initial Security. Prior to co-founding McCann Protective Services and being the CEO of OCS Security, O’Connor also had a distinguished career with the the NYPD. His career included many challenging assignments as a Detective Sergeant. He supervised many sensitive criminal investigations, provided protection for foreign dignitaries and presidential candidates
News Clips - CNN, MSNBC, etc.
http://www.mccannprotectiveservices.com/news/viewmedia?id=3852
Wednesday, August 15
NYPD EYES NEW RADICALIZED WAVE
Bookstores, cafes and the Internet are breeding grounds for a new wave of free agent, homegrown terrorists who are every bit as deadly as the foreign operatives behind the 9/11 attacks, according to a chilling NYPD intelligence report released today.
"A dangerous radicalization process is turning frustrated young Muslim men into potential killers who easily blend into society," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after releasing the report.
"The people who take this path come from all walks of life," Kelly said at a news conference. "We cant know who for certain will take the radicalization process to its ultimate end, but we can trace their movement through distinct phases along this path."
Kelly's assessment was backed by an intelligence assessment by NYPD terror analysts, which examined domestic plots thwarted since the 2001 World Trade Center attack. http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152007/news/regionalnews/nypd_eyes_new_radicalized_wave_regionalnews_philip_messing_and_leonard_greene.htm
"A dangerous radicalization process is turning frustrated young Muslim men into potential killers who easily blend into society," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after releasing the report.
"The people who take this path come from all walks of life," Kelly said at a news conference. "We cant know who for certain will take the radicalization process to its ultimate end, but we can trace their movement through distinct phases along this path."
Kelly's assessment was backed by an intelligence assessment by NYPD terror analysts, which examined domestic plots thwarted since the 2001 World Trade Center attack. http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152007/news/regionalnews/nypd_eyes_new_radicalized_wave_regionalnews_philip_messing_and_leonard_greene.htm
Monday, August 13
Buffalo, N.Y., Announces Security Camera Pilot Program - Government Technology
Buffalo, N.Y., Announces Security Camera Pilot Program - Government Technology: "Buffalo, N.Y., Mayor Byron W. Brown this morning announced the installation of a security camera pilot project that will test the technology prior to the installation of a citywide system. Mayor Brown was joined by Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson, Deputy Commissioner Dan Derenda, BPD Chief of Staff Joseph Strano and Captain Mark Makowski, who oversees all City Homeland Security matters."
Wednesday, August 8
GIS Integration
http://www.govtech.com/pcio/125490 This push toward greater integration resulted from CIOs moving beyond viewing GIS simply as a mapping tool, said Chris Thomas, state and local government manager for ESRI, a GIS vendor. "They started to realize they need a central repository so that the GIS data isn't sitting in silos, and so they don't have duplicative GIS efforts in different departments."As more municipalities create enterprise GIS departments, Thomas said, the level of interest in combining GIS data with other systems is getting stronger. He gave the example of Philadelphia's creation of executive dashboards that combine GIS data and legacy financial systems. "It's exciting to see," he added. "The kinds of things we were expecting to see a few years ago are happening now."
Narrowing the Focus - Jim McKay
New data-linking technologies are giving north Texas homeland security, law enforcement and emergency management officials a keen edge. The new tools enable investigators to search and link data by geography, and allows them to identify trends or clusters of events. Officials also use a mining technology to search and group similar data, providing a visual presentation of each data group.
Together, they allow investigators at the North Texas Fusion Center (NTFC) to search millions of documents and identify trends without having to peruse each file.
The NTFC is one of many fusion centers in the country whose function is to exchange and analyze data that might relate to homeland security threats. The NTFC is unique because it deals with all hazards - man-made and natural disasters.
The NTFC collaborates with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Operations Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Activity Intelligence Center, the FBI Dallas Emergency Response Network and the local FBI office concerning detection and prevention of critical all-hazards situations.
"We have a very strong focus on prevention instead of the normal response, recovery, detection," said Kelly Stone, director of homeland security for Collin County, where the facility began operations in February 2006. "That's what's a little different about us. These tools are really beneficial to meeting the mission and answering the needs that are associated with the type of queries and access that you need to accomplish that."
http://www.govtech.com/gt/print_article.php?id=126364
Together, they allow investigators at the North Texas Fusion Center (NTFC) to search millions of documents and identify trends without having to peruse each file.
The NTFC is one of many fusion centers in the country whose function is to exchange and analyze data that might relate to homeland security threats. The NTFC is unique because it deals with all hazards - man-made and natural disasters.
The NTFC collaborates with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Operations Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Activity Intelligence Center, the FBI Dallas Emergency Response Network and the local FBI office concerning detection and prevention of critical all-hazards situations.
"We have a very strong focus on prevention instead of the normal response, recovery, detection," said Kelly Stone, director of homeland security for Collin County, where the facility began operations in February 2006. "That's what's a little different about us. These tools are really beneficial to meeting the mission and answering the needs that are associated with the type of queries and access that you need to accomplish that."
http://www.govtech.com/gt/print_article.php?id=126364
Tuesday, August 7
Counterterrorism Blog: An Arrest in California for Material Support of Terrorism in Southeast Asia
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click here to view the post.
Al Qaeda member: U.S. embassies prime targets - CNN.com
Al Qaeda member: U.S. embassies prime targets - CNN.com
(CNN) -- U.S. Embassies and American interests "at home and abroad" are prime targets for terrorist attacks, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn said in a newly released al Qaeda-produced video. "We shall continue to target you at home and abroad just as you target us at home and abroad ... ," Gadahn -- also known as Azzam the American -- says in the video provided to CNN by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism. Later in the video, which is about an hour long and takes the form of a documentary, the self-proclaimed American jihadist makes explicit threats against the United States and U.S. interests, singling out embassies and consulates
(CNN) -- U.S. Embassies and American interests "at home and abroad" are prime targets for terrorist attacks, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn said in a newly released al Qaeda-produced video. "We shall continue to target you at home and abroad just as you target us at home and abroad ... ," Gadahn -- also known as Azzam the American -- says in the video provided to CNN by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism. Later in the video, which is about an hour long and takes the form of a documentary, the self-proclaimed American jihadist makes explicit threats against the United States and U.S. interests, singling out embassies and consulates
Al Qaeda Cell May Be Loose in U.S., British Plot Hints - August 6, 2007 - The New York Sun
Al Qaeda Cell May Be Loose in U.S., British Plot Hints - August 6, 2007 - The New York Sun
WASHINGTON — As an American-born spokesman for Al Qaeda threatens to blow up American embassies abroad, intelligence gleaned from last month's British "doctors plot" of car bombers suggests that a Qaeda cell is on the loose in the American homeland. E-mail addresses for American individuals were found on the same password-protected e-mail chains used by the United Kingdom plotters to communicate with Qaeda handlers in Europe, a counterterrorism official told The New York Sun yesterday. The American and German intelligence community now believe the secure e-mail chains used in the United Kingdom plot have provided a window into an operational Qaeda network in several countries. "Because of the London and Glasgow plot, we now know communications have been made from Al Qaeda to operatives in the United States," the counterterrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This plot helps to connect a lot of stuff. We have seen money moving a lot through hawala networks and other illicit finance as well." But this source was careful to say that at this point no specific information, such as names, targets or a timeline, was known about any particular plot on American soil. The e-mail addresses that are linked to Americans were pseudonyms…
WASHINGTON — As an American-born spokesman for Al Qaeda threatens to blow up American embassies abroad, intelligence gleaned from last month's British "doctors plot" of car bombers suggests that a Qaeda cell is on the loose in the American homeland. E-mail addresses for American individuals were found on the same password-protected e-mail chains used by the United Kingdom plotters to communicate with Qaeda handlers in Europe, a counterterrorism official told The New York Sun yesterday. The American and German intelligence community now believe the secure e-mail chains used in the United Kingdom plot have provided a window into an operational Qaeda network in several countries. "Because of the London and Glasgow plot, we now know communications have been made from Al Qaeda to operatives in the United States," the counterterrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This plot helps to connect a lot of stuff. We have seen money moving a lot through hawala networks and other illicit finance as well." But this source was careful to say that at this point no specific information, such as names, targets or a timeline, was known about any particular plot on American soil. The e-mail addresses that are linked to Americans were pseudonyms…
Sunday, August 5
Watchdog eyeing up CCTV - Law & Policy - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com
Watchdog eyeing up CCTV - Law & Policy - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com: "Watchdog eyeing up CCTV
Too intrusive? You decide...
Tags: privacy, information commissioner, data protection act, cctv
By Tim Ferguson
Published: Friday 3 August 2007
Show related
articlesCCTV operators may soon be banned from recording people's voices if a new code of practice for the technology's use is approved.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a new set of guidelines for the use of CCTV, now open for public consultation.
The updated guidelines suggest CCTV must not be used to record conversations between members of the public as it is 'highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified'."
Too intrusive? You decide...
Tags: privacy, information commissioner, data protection act, cctv
By Tim Ferguson
Published: Friday 3 August 2007
Show related
articlesCCTV operators may soon be banned from recording people's voices if a new code of practice for the technology's use is approved.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a new set of guidelines for the use of CCTV, now open for public consultation.
The updated guidelines suggest CCTV must not be used to record conversations between members of the public as it is 'highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified'."
Benefits of Video Analytics in a CCTV System - VideoAnalytics.net - Your IVS Source
Benefits of Video Analytics in a CCTV System - VideoAnalytics.net - Your IVS Source: "Video analytics offers many benefits to a new or existing CCTV system. The following are some benefits that allow you to effectively monitor your CCTV system."
Teaching hacking helps students, professors say
Teaching hacking helps students, professors say: "As a professor of computer science at the City College of San Francisco, Bowne wanted to find a way to make computer security accessible to the average student. So, following his trip to DEFCON last year, he talked with the administrators at CCSF and got permission to start up a class with a hacking lab. The first course -- called 'Ethical Hacking and Network Defense' -- was an total success, he told attendees at the DEFCON on Friday."
FOXNews.com - American Terrorist Threatens U.S. in New Al Qaeda Video - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News
FOXNews.com - American Terrorist Threatens U.S. in New Al Qaeda Video - International News News of the World Middle East News Europe News: "CAIRO, Egypt — An American member of Al Qaeda threatened foreign diplomats and embassies in the Islamic world calling them 'spy dens' in the terror network's latest video released Sunday.
The 1 hour, 17 minute-long video also featured a computer animated recreation of a March 2006 suicide attack that killed U.S. diplomat David Foy in Karachi, Pakistan and testimony from a man who claimed to be the bomber.
'We shall continue to target you, at home and abroad, just as you target us, at home and abroad, and these spy dens and military command and control centers from which you plotted your aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq,' said Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzan al-Amriki."
The 1 hour, 17 minute-long video also featured a computer animated recreation of a March 2006 suicide attack that killed U.S. diplomat David Foy in Karachi, Pakistan and testimony from a man who claimed to be the bomber.
'We shall continue to target you, at home and abroad, just as you target us, at home and abroad, and these spy dens and military command and control centers from which you plotted your aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq,' said Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzan al-Amriki."
Cameras, GPS used to combat bridge failures | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
Cameras, GPS used to combat bridge failures Tech news blog - CNET News.com: "A key to preventing tragedies like the Minnesota bridge collapse earlier this week is surveillance, according to Aging Infrastructures.
The small company, a division of Sensible Security, sets up cameras and monitoring systems like GPS to gauge the health of things like bridges, road and other structures. It could become a growing market. "
The small company, a division of Sensible Security, sets up cameras and monitoring systems like GPS to gauge the health of things like bridges, road and other structures. It could become a growing market. "
DEF CON - Hacking conference infiltrated by 'media mole' - Network World
DEF CON - Hacking conference infiltrated by 'media mole' - Network World: "That's what organizers of the 15th annual DefCon hacking conference are telling attendees Friday, after being tipped off that the TV news program Dateline NBC has sent a producer with a hidden camera to investigate the show."
Tuesday, July 31
The IronKey Flash Drive: Ultra-Secure Data Storage, Doesn't Open Chastity Belts, Self-Destructs - One of the most secure portable data storage solutions on the market - Softpedia
The IronKey Flash Drive: Ultra-Secure Data Storage, Doesn't Open Chastity Belts, Self-Destructs - One of the most secure portable data storage solutions on the market - Softpedia: "The IronKey Flash Drive: Ultra-Secure Data Storage, Doesn't Open Chastity Belts, Self-Destructs - One of the most secure portable data storage solutions on the market"
In our ultra-technological society, data (and especially very sensitive documents) have become a very valuable commodity and thus the target of many criminals (usually known as hackers, but not necessarily). This is the reason why most users who work with very important documents on a daily basis are generally looking for portable data storage devices that provide very high levels of security and that's exactly the type of device we'll talk about as follows, namely the IronKey, a flash drive that addresses most of the possible security threats these storage solutions might be subjected to (actually, it acts like a chastity belt that keeps the user's data untouched).
****Purchase these secure flash drives from me at Total Recall Corporation. Special pricing for my network is $139.75 please use (LV Secure) as your discount code when placing your order.
In our ultra-technological society, data (and especially very sensitive documents) have become a very valuable commodity and thus the target of many criminals (usually known as hackers, but not necessarily). This is the reason why most users who work with very important documents on a daily basis are generally looking for portable data storage devices that provide very high levels of security and that's exactly the type of device we'll talk about as follows, namely the IronKey, a flash drive that addresses most of the possible security threats these storage solutions might be subjected to (actually, it acts like a chastity belt that keeps the user's data untouched).
****Purchase these secure flash drives from me at Total Recall Corporation. Special pricing for my network is $139.75 please use (LV Secure) as your discount code when placing your order.
Monday, July 30
ABC News: Dog Who Searched for WTC Survivors Dies
Thank you Jake, for your service.
ABC News: Dog Who Searched for WTC Survivors Dies: "A black Labrador who became a national canine hero after burrowing through white-hot, smoking debris in search of survivors at the World Trade Center site died Wednesday after a battle with cancer."
ABC News: Dog Who Searched for WTC Survivors Dies: "A black Labrador who became a national canine hero after burrowing through white-hot, smoking debris in search of survivors at the World Trade Center site died Wednesday after a battle with cancer."
Sunday, July 29
www.securitydreamer.com - Steve Hunt's site - Analytics Piece
April 05, 2007
Object Video and Cisco Share a Board Member
We are all assuming that Cisco is sniffing around video analytics. Will it buy Object Video? If it wants to make the biggest splash initially, that would certainly be a good choice – though arguably not the choice with the best long termimplications for the channel and integration with other Cisco hardware and software initiatives.
A Cisco press release making its rounds these days is the announcement that Cisco and Object Video now share a board member. Here is an excerpt from the PR:
Powell, 43, is currently a Senior Advisor of Providence Equity Partners and Chairman of the MK Powell Group. He was nominated by President William J. Clinton to a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission in 1997. He was designated Chairman by President George W. Bush in 2001 and served until 2005. Previously, Powell served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice. Before joining the Antitrust Division, Mr. Powell was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP, and just prior to joining the firm clerked for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before starting his legal career, Powell served as a policy advisor to Secretary of Defense, Richard B. Cheney. Additionally, Powell's experience includes military service as an armored cavalry officer in the United States Army. Powell earned a bachelor's degree in Government from the College of William and Mary and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Powell is a member of the Board of Trustees of the RAND Corporation and the Aspen Institute. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of ObjectVideo and CMWare, Inc. He also currently serves as Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary.
Object Video and Cisco Share a Board Member
We are all assuming that Cisco is sniffing around video analytics. Will it buy Object Video? If it wants to make the biggest splash initially, that would certainly be a good choice – though arguably not the choice with the best long termimplications for the channel and integration with other Cisco hardware and software initiatives.
A Cisco press release making its rounds these days is the announcement that Cisco and Object Video now share a board member. Here is an excerpt from the PR:
Powell, 43, is currently a Senior Advisor of Providence Equity Partners and Chairman of the MK Powell Group. He was nominated by President William J. Clinton to a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission in 1997. He was designated Chairman by President George W. Bush in 2001 and served until 2005. Previously, Powell served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice. Before joining the Antitrust Division, Mr. Powell was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP, and just prior to joining the firm clerked for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before starting his legal career, Powell served as a policy advisor to Secretary of Defense, Richard B. Cheney. Additionally, Powell's experience includes military service as an armored cavalry officer in the United States Army. Powell earned a bachelor's degree in Government from the College of William and Mary and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Powell is a member of the Board of Trustees of the RAND Corporation and the Aspen Institute. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of ObjectVideo and CMWare, Inc. He also currently serves as Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary.
FresnoBee.com: Local: French conglomerate eyes Pelco
FresnoBee.com: Local: French conglomerate eyes Pelco: "French conglomerate eyes PelcoIt's in talks with the Clovis company, but the nature of any deal is not clear"
Saturday, July 28
Education Campus Security Meeting Planned for Aug. in Virginia @ The Latest for Security Executives SecurityInfoWatch.com
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11754&siteSection=305: "Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will host a campus security conference Aug. 13 at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The event comes in the wake of the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech, where a 23-year-old Fairfax County student gunned down 27 students and five faculty members before killing himself."
The event comes in the wake of the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech, where a 23-year-old Fairfax County student gunned down 27 students and five faculty members before killing himself."
Thursday, July 26
When Whippersnappers and Geezers Collide - New York Times
When Whippersnappers and Geezers Collide - New York Times: "this is the first time in history that four generations — those who lived through World War II, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y — are together in the workplace."
Military, families at risk to data exposure by SAIC - IT Security News - SC Magazine US
Military, families at risk to data exposure by SAIC - IT Security News - SC Magazine US: "A federal contractor has said it put hundreds of thousands of military households at risk for identity theft by sending their personal information, including Social Security numbers, over the internet through an unencrypted channel."
Some say schools giving Muslims special treatment - USATODAY.com
Some say schools giving Muslims special treatment - USATODAY.com
Some public schools and universities are granting Muslim requests for prayer times, prayer rooms and ritual foot baths, prompting a debate on whether Islam is being given preferential treatment over other religions. The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to build foot baths for Muslim students who wash their feet before prayer. An elementary school in San Diego created an extra recess period for Muslim pupils to pray. At George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Muslim students using a "meditation space" laid out Muslim prayer rugs and separated men and women in accordance with their Islamic beliefs. Critics see a double standard and an organized attempt to push public conformance with Islamic law… Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, which promotes separation of mosque and state, says he is concerned about the accommodations. "Unusual accommodations for one faith at the cost of everybody else doesn't fall on the side of pluralism," he said...
Some public schools and universities are granting Muslim requests for prayer times, prayer rooms and ritual foot baths, prompting a debate on whether Islam is being given preferential treatment over other religions. The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to build foot baths for Muslim students who wash their feet before prayer. An elementary school in San Diego created an extra recess period for Muslim pupils to pray. At George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Muslim students using a "meditation space" laid out Muslim prayer rugs and separated men and women in accordance with their Islamic beliefs. Critics see a double standard and an organized attempt to push public conformance with Islamic law… Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, which promotes separation of mosque and state, says he is concerned about the accommodations. "Unusual accommodations for one faith at the cost of everybody else doesn't fall on the side of pluralism," he said...
U.S. Tracks Saudi Bank Favored by Extremists - WSJ.com
U.S. Tracks Saudi Bank Favored by Extremists - WSJ.com
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia -- In the 1940s, two Bedouin farm boys from the desert began changing money for the trickle of traders and religious pilgrims in this then-remote and barren kingdom. It was a business built on faith and trust, Sulaiman Al Rajhi once told an interviewer, and for many years he would hand gold bars to strangers boarding flights in Jidda and ask them to give the gold to his brother on their arrival in Riyadh. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the bank also set off an intense debate within the U.S. government over whether to take strong action against its alleged role in extremist finance. Confidential reports by the Central Intelligence Agency and other U.S. agencies, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, detail for the first time how much the U.S. learned about the use of Al Rajhi Bank by alleged extremists, and how U.S. officials agonized over what to do about it.
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia -- In the 1940s, two Bedouin farm boys from the desert began changing money for the trickle of traders and religious pilgrims in this then-remote and barren kingdom. It was a business built on faith and trust, Sulaiman Al Rajhi once told an interviewer, and for many years he would hand gold bars to strangers boarding flights in Jidda and ask them to give the gold to his brother on their arrival in Riyadh. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the bank also set off an intense debate within the U.S. government over whether to take strong action against its alleged role in extremist finance. Confidential reports by the Central Intelligence Agency and other U.S. agencies, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, detail for the first time how much the U.S. learned about the use of Al Rajhi Bank by alleged extremists, and how U.S. officials agonized over what to do about it.
Al Qaeda seen in search of nukes - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
7/26/07 Al Qaeda seen in search of nukes - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
Al Qaeda terrorists are continuing to plan attacks against the United States and are seeking nuclear and other unconventional arms for the strikes, a senior Pentagon official told Congress yesterday. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, told a joint House committee hearing that al Qaeda has conducted terrorist attacks against more than two dozen nations since September 11. "Al Qaeda has and will continue to attempt visually dramatic mass-casualty attacks here at home, and they will continue to attempt to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials," Gen. Clapper said in discussing the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on threats to the United States. "And if they're so successful in obtaining these materials, we believe they would use them." He spoke before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Gen. Clapper said that al Qaeda has "reconstituted some of its command and support network" in tribal Pakistan along the Afghan border but that the estimates finding are "not a surprise."…
Al Qaeda terrorists are continuing to plan attacks against the United States and are seeking nuclear and other unconventional arms for the strikes, a senior Pentagon official told Congress yesterday. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, told a joint House committee hearing that al Qaeda has conducted terrorist attacks against more than two dozen nations since September 11. "Al Qaeda has and will continue to attempt visually dramatic mass-casualty attacks here at home, and they will continue to attempt to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials," Gen. Clapper said in discussing the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on threats to the United States. "And if they're so successful in obtaining these materials, we believe they would use them." He spoke before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Gen. Clapper said that al Qaeda has "reconstituted some of its command and support network" in tribal Pakistan along the Afghan border but that the estimates finding are "not a surprise."…
VideoSave - Secure Off-site Video Storage
VideoSave - Secure Off-site Video Storage: "VideoSave is the next generation in video recordkeeping, remote business management and surveillance. The VideoSave service takes advantage of inexpensive and universally available broadband connections to capture video from any location and transmit the video to VideoSave’s VideoVault secure data center. Through a standard web browser, the live or recorded video is then available at anytime, from anywhere."
LV...Bob Crowe is someone I have known for over 20 years. He has over 30 years of experience in Security Solutions, Video & Access Control. He has found a niche` to offer off site storage for video solutions. If you reach out to him, please mention that I sent you... tks, Laurie
LV...Bob Crowe is someone I have known for over 20 years. He has over 30 years of experience in Security Solutions, Video & Access Control. He has found a niche` to offer off site storage for video solutions. If you reach out to him, please mention that I sent you... tks, Laurie
Crisis on Campus
Crisis on Campus: "Crisis on Campus
May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy
The news was bad the morning of April 16, and as the hours unfolded, it only got worse.
In a residence hall on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, two students had been shot to death. A couple of hours later, the tragedy multiplied by horrific proportions as across campus, students and instructors — 30 in all — were gunned down in a classroom building.
As the gruesome details emerged of the worst shooting incident in U.S. history, educators and administrators at schools and universities absorbed yet another painful reminder of the threats and dangers that can rise up at a moment's notice and shatter the belief that education institutions are safe havens from the ills of the outside world."
May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy
The news was bad the morning of April 16, and as the hours unfolded, it only got worse.
In a residence hall on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, two students had been shot to death. A couple of hours later, the tragedy multiplied by horrific proportions as across campus, students and instructors — 30 in all — were gunned down in a classroom building.
As the gruesome details emerged of the worst shooting incident in U.S. history, educators and administrators at schools and universities absorbed yet another painful reminder of the threats and dangers that can rise up at a moment's notice and shatter the belief that education institutions are safe havens from the ills of the outside world."
New Products
New Products: "Catching Criminals In The Act
SPOTLIGHT: 3VR Searchable Surveillance System with CrimeDex
3VR Security Inc. has introduced a searchable surveillance system that speeds up the process of criminal identification and helps stop a crime as it is occurring"
****Note from Laurie - 3VR has entered into a strategic relationship with Vidient which offers behavioral analytics. Vidient recognized the sheer power of the backend 3VR search capabilities. The founders of 3VR came from non other than Google!
3VR is trying to make facial rec work, most of the issues are with the backend processing but let's not forget the critical camera selection and placement to be able to capture enough of a face to run the analyis. As far as facial recognition I am keeping my eye on what L1 ID Solutions is deploying. L1 has a pilot with Law Enforcement right now, I am keeping track of how that goes. It's going to make a great deal of sense for integrating analytics and facial recognition so when some one is identified, an alert is automatic. Time is everything when you get to this level of covert identification
SPOTLIGHT: 3VR Searchable Surveillance System with CrimeDex
3VR Security Inc. has introduced a searchable surveillance system that speeds up the process of criminal identification and helps stop a crime as it is occurring"
****Note from Laurie - 3VR has entered into a strategic relationship with Vidient which offers behavioral analytics. Vidient recognized the sheer power of the backend 3VR search capabilities. The founders of 3VR came from non other than Google!
3VR is trying to make facial rec work, most of the issues are with the backend processing but let's not forget the critical camera selection and placement to be able to capture enough of a face to run the analyis. As far as facial recognition I am keeping my eye on what L1 ID Solutions is deploying. L1 has a pilot with Law Enforcement right now, I am keeping track of how that goes. It's going to make a great deal of sense for integrating analytics and facial recognition so when some one is identified, an alert is automatic. Time is everything when you get to this level of covert identification
The stalker in your pocket - Network World
The stalker in your pocket - Network World: "The stalker in your pocket
By Mike Elgan, Computerworld, 07/20/07
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For more than a century, nosey people, both professional and amateur, have used microphones and cameras to listen to and watch unsuspecting targets. "
By Mike Elgan, Computerworld, 07/20/07
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For more than a century, nosey people, both professional and amateur, have used microphones and cameras to listen to and watch unsuspecting targets. "
Wednesday, July 25
DISPATCH Monthly Magazine - DHS Interop Grants Available
DISPATCH Monthly Magazine - DHS Interop Grants Available: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that $968 million in matching grants is available to local agencies for buying, deploying and training for interoperable communications systems offering voice, data or video services. The grants were authorized by Congress in 2006, and have been allocated by formula to the 50 states, D.C. and U.S. territories. Check the allocations here, or read more information about the grants here. "
LexisNexis News - Latest News from over 4,000 sources, including newspapers, tv transcripts, wire services, magazines, journals.
LexisNexis News - Latest News from over 4,000 sources, including newspapers, tv transcripts, wire services, magazines, journals.: "The man in charge of the US military's defense of the American homeland says he believes there are al-Qaeda cells in the US, or people working to create them. The head of the US Northern Command, Air Force General Victor Renuart, tells the Associated Press that the military needs to create two more brigades to respond to chemical, biological and nuclear threats in the US. Currently, there is only one such brigade. "
FOXNews.com - MySpace Finds 29,000 Sex Offenders With Profiles on Its Site, State Officials Say - Technology News | News On Technology
FOXNews.com - MySpace Finds 29,000 Sex Offenders With Profiles on Its Site, State Officials Say - Technology News News On Technology: "RALEIGH, N.C. — MySpace.com has found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders with profiles on the popular social networking Web site — more than four times the number cited by the company two months ago, officials in two states Tuesday."
Tuesday, July 24
Kodak sells its first CMOS camera sensor--to itself | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
Kodak sells its first CMOS camera sensor--to itself Tech news blog - CNET News.com: "CMOS, which stands for complementary metal oxide semiconductor, is the ordinary process by which computer processors and memory are made. Most digital camera sensors today are built with the more specialized CCD, or charge-coupled device, technology. "
Monday, July 23
Intel Chief Worried About U.S. Terror Cells
ABC News: Intel Chief Worried About U.S. Terror Cells: "Their attempt is to cause mass casualties,' said Adm. Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence, on NBC's 'Meet the Press' program. 'Second [priority] is political and possibly economic disruption.'
Just days ago, a new National Intelligence Estimate found al Qaeda has strengthened its ability to attack the United States. McConnell said al Qaeda is seeking the means to launch chemical, biological and possibly nuclear attacks. But the likeliest threat is harder to detect.
'What we see currently is primarily a focus on explosives -- explosives that can generate a large explosion, but they're put together with commercially available material,' he said.
McConnell says small numbers of al Qaeda operatives are in this country raising funds. But he said he knows of no al Qaeda cells in the country that are capable of launching a strike at this time.
'I worry that there are sleeper cells in the U.S.,' McConnell said. 'I do not know.' "
Just days ago, a new National Intelligence Estimate found al Qaeda has strengthened its ability to attack the United States. McConnell said al Qaeda is seeking the means to launch chemical, biological and possibly nuclear attacks. But the likeliest threat is harder to detect.
'What we see currently is primarily a focus on explosives -- explosives that can generate a large explosion, but they're put together with commercially available material,' he said.
McConnell says small numbers of al Qaeda operatives are in this country raising funds. But he said he knows of no al Qaeda cells in the country that are capable of launching a strike at this time.
'I worry that there are sleeper cells in the U.S.,' McConnell said. 'I do not know.' "
Sunday, July 22
From the SANS Institute - Don't open unsolicited PDF's or Excel File attachments
Recent change in Stock-Spam Tactics (PDF and excel)
Published: 2007-07-22,Last Updated: 2007-07-22 19:14:00 UTCby Kevin Liston (Version: 1)
....This morning I did a bit of comparison with symbols identified in the few PDF files that I had left in my mailbox. Looking at this small sample it seems that these schemes are just as effective in manipulating the stock price as text-only and image-based spam messages.
The consequence of this is that there exists a large population of people with a fair amount of assets in the stock market that willingly open up unsolicited PDF files. This makes for a concerning scenario when a arbitrary-code-execution vulnerability is identified in popular PDF readers.
A reader submitted a report that they were receiving a large number of spam messages consisting of an Excel file. Examination of this file showed that it contained a Pump and Dump message. This could serve as an indicator of another shift if tactics. The VERY interesting part is that the formatting of this Excel file is extremely similar to the first PDF version reported by Maarten. This group appears to target German stock market. I look forward to US penny-stock schemes to employ this technique shortly. I'm similarly concerned about the number of people who will open unsolicited Excel files too.
Published: 2007-07-22,Last Updated: 2007-07-22 19:14:00 UTCby Kevin Liston (Version: 1)
....This morning I did a bit of comparison with symbols identified in the few PDF files that I had left in my mailbox. Looking at this small sample it seems that these schemes are just as effective in manipulating the stock price as text-only and image-based spam messages.
The consequence of this is that there exists a large population of people with a fair amount of assets in the stock market that willingly open up unsolicited PDF files. This makes for a concerning scenario when a arbitrary-code-execution vulnerability is identified in popular PDF readers.
A reader submitted a report that they were receiving a large number of spam messages consisting of an Excel file. Examination of this file showed that it contained a Pump and Dump message. This could serve as an indicator of another shift if tactics. The VERY interesting part is that the formatting of this Excel file is extremely similar to the first PDF version reported by Maarten. This group appears to target German stock market. I look forward to US penny-stock schemes to employ this technique shortly. I'm similarly concerned about the number of people who will open unsolicited Excel files too.
Object Video Stumbling And Other Predictions for 2007
http://www.securitydreamer.com/2007/01/here_are_some_o.html
ioimage continues to set the bar higher and higher with reliable, easy-to-deploy video analytics. Expect further announcements that keep it at the forefront of intelligent video innovation.
>>>LV - I will be researching ioimage to see just where they have been deployed. In this survey/analysis, I don't see Vidient. I reached out to Security Dreamer and posted this comment/inquiry..."Thank you all for your insight. Yes I do...to the question about a company who is looking to embrace leading integrators for their deployments. Vidient has taken this step forward. In my research, which relies significantly on input from financial giants, I was lead to Vidient. I would be interested to see what you think of their technology offering. "
ioimage continues to set the bar higher and higher with reliable, easy-to-deploy video analytics. Expect further announcements that keep it at the forefront of intelligent video innovation.
>>>LV - I will be researching ioimage to see just where they have been deployed. In this survey/analysis, I don't see Vidient. I reached out to Security Dreamer and posted this comment/inquiry..."Thank you all for your insight. Yes I do...to the question about a company who is looking to embrace leading integrators for their deployments. Vidient has taken this step forward. In my research, which relies significantly on input from financial giants, I was lead to Vidient. I would be interested to see what you think of their technology offering. "
FBI to Universities - Watch out for Spies
June 2007 BOSTON -- The head of the FBI's Boston office is warning the region's top universities to be on the lookout for foreign spies or potential terrorists who might be trying to steal unclassified, yet sensitive, research.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11378&siteSection=305
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11378&siteSection=305
Schools score higher on Cyber Security than Physical Security
The CDW-G School Safety Index reveals that districts are having greater success with cyber security than physical security. Key findings from the School Safety Index include:
• School districts rely too heavily on technical solutions to protect networks and buildings and need to focus more attention on educating students about physical and cyber dangers
• Tech-savvy students are putting the district network and themselves at risk by sidestepping IT security procedures through measures like proxy servers
• Districts rely heavily on the telephone to communicate with faculty and parents during emergencies
• Lack of budget, staff resources and proper security tools limit districts' ability to protect themselves
"The School Safety Index helps educational stakeholders understand the broad spectrum of tools available to them to improve both cyber and physical security," said Bob Kirby, senior director K-12, CDW-G. "CDW-G examined a broad range of security topics, from data monitoring and building access to security software and safety education. The index shows the potential for schools to do more – especially in the areas of safety education and emerging communication technologies."
By understanding the baseline, CDW-G hopes districts will use the index to examine their particular security issues and how to address them better, Kirby noted. http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11463&siteSection=305
• School districts rely too heavily on technical solutions to protect networks and buildings and need to focus more attention on educating students about physical and cyber dangers
• Tech-savvy students are putting the district network and themselves at risk by sidestepping IT security procedures through measures like proxy servers
• Districts rely heavily on the telephone to communicate with faculty and parents during emergencies
• Lack of budget, staff resources and proper security tools limit districts' ability to protect themselves
"The School Safety Index helps educational stakeholders understand the broad spectrum of tools available to them to improve both cyber and physical security," said Bob Kirby, senior director K-12, CDW-G. "CDW-G examined a broad range of security topics, from data monitoring and building access to security software and safety education. The index shows the potential for schools to do more – especially in the areas of safety education and emerging communication technologies."
By understanding the baseline, CDW-G hopes districts will use the index to examine their particular security issues and how to address them better, Kirby noted. http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11463&siteSection=305
Study: Major Retailers Misperceive Shrink
....In addition to these findings, the 20-question study also looked at other issues, including the use of loss prevention technologies. While all respondents said their organizations have digital recording systems, just over one-fifth (21.4 percent) of these respondents say in-store personnel monitor CCTV cameras continuously. More than one-fifth (21.4 percent) of those with CCTV systems say in-store personnel rarely monitor cameras. Importantly, almost two-thirds (65.5%) of respondents think implementing new technology is very important for their companies’ loss prevention endeavors.
The loss prevention survey targeted a sample of 107 major US retailers selected from mass merchants, department stores, pharmacy/drug stores, apparel, grocery and specialty stores (books, auto parts, home technology, and others). The project was conducted by the Loss Prevention Research Council under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Scicchitano, Dr. Tracy L. Johns and Dr. Read Hayes, all researchers associated with the University of Florida.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11601&siteSection=305
The loss prevention survey targeted a sample of 107 major US retailers selected from mass merchants, department stores, pharmacy/drug stores, apparel, grocery and specialty stores (books, auto parts, home technology, and others). The project was conducted by the Loss Prevention Research Council under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Scicchitano, Dr. Tracy L. Johns and Dr. Read Hayes, all researchers associated with the University of Florida.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/article.jsp?id=11601&siteSection=305
IBM announced in June plans to acquire leading application security vendor Watchfire for an undisclosed amount
"Watchfire is a recognized industry leader in the security and compliance market that will further strengthen our ability to help customers mitigate risk by integrating security, quality testing and compliance testing requirements early in the software development process — before vulnerabilities are exposed," Danny Sabbah, general manager of IBM Rational Software, said in the statement.
Sabbah said today on a conference call that the market for security vulnerability scanning tools are one of the IT security space's fastest growing segments.
http://www.scmagazine.com/us/news/article/662742/ibms-mind-security-watchfire-buy/
Sabbah said today on a conference call that the market for security vulnerability scanning tools are one of the IT security space's fastest growing segments.
http://www.scmagazine.com/us/news/article/662742/ibms-mind-security-watchfire-buy/
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