-
As demand for cybersecurity professionals grows, shortages are felt
Federal agencies, contractors, and tech companies compete with each other for cyber security work force; measuring the size of the cyber security sector is difficult, but surveys show demand for technical expertise is skyrocketing; the number of jobs posted on ClearanceJobs.com by companies and recruiters looking for professionals with active federal security clearances has jumped 11 percent to 6,100 openings this year from fewer than 5,500 in the same time period last year; Maryland wants to become U.S. cybersecurity capital
-
-
Airport screening specialist Reveal Imaging acquired by SAIC
SAIC acquires Reveal Imaging Technologies of Bedford, Massachusetts; Reveal was founded in 2002 in response to the U.S. government’s mandate for aviation security screening after the attacks of 9/11. The company has developed imaging technologies for screening airport baggage and detecting explosives in checked luggage
-
-
Detroit public schools outsource security
Detroit Public Schools (DPS) fired all of its 226 security officers Friday and hired a private company to provide in-school security; the move will save the district an estimated $5.5 million through a one-year contract
-
-
Elephant Talk launches ValidSoft voice-biometric solution for secure authentication
Dutch company Elephant Talk launches a speaker verification platform to improve secure authentication; Elephant Talk’s CEO Patrick Carrol: “The ongoing maturity of the voice biometric market will result in the greater uptake of solutions that seamlessly integrate voice biometrics for remote verification”
-
-
BIO-key shows mobile biometric identification and authentication platform
BIO-key believes that the world now is a place with 24/7 access to information from mobile devices; application providers and enterprise IT professionals have been struggling with how they can quickly, conveniently, and accurately establish the identity of remote users looking to access their sites and applications; the company offers a mobile fingerprint identification solution
-
-
U.S. Army in $7.9 million contracts for biometrics help
Virginia-based Stanley has been awarded two contracts worth $7.9 million to support of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center Language Technology Office at Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Stanley will provide expertise for a range of programs related to the development of biometric and forensic-related applications, management, maintenance, and operation of government-owned network equipment
-
-
U.K. Border Agency approves Pearson's test security methods
Students who want to study in the United Kingdom must prove their proficiency in English before being granted a student visa; Pearson, the authors of the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), relies on multiple layers of biometrics — palm vein scanning, digital signatures, and test day digital photographs of applicants — to ensure that those who take the test are who they say they are
-
-
New explosives detection technologies show promise
An adversary who is willing to die trying to carry out a mission is one of the reasons why more conventional security organizations find it so difficult to pursue their protection mission effectively in an asymmetrical war — the kind of war terrorists engage in; new explosive detection technologies may be of help
-
-
India may block BlackBerry over security concerns
India told RIM that BlackBerry services in India would be banned unless the company agreed to set up a proxy server in the country to enable security agencies to monitor e-mail traffic; Pakistan has already banned some BlackBerry services, including blocking Internet browsers on BlackBerry handsets because of concerns over blasphemy, and UAE is considering a similar measure
-
-
Good business: Developers make buildings more disaster-secure than building code requires
A Florida developer hopes to get more business by making his building hurricane-proof; with debris-resistant windows on all thirty-five of its stories, the developer says the building would withstand a Category 5 hurricane without significant damage; the extra hurricane proofing built into the Miami building shows that sometimes the private market can overtake the public sector when it comes to building design and safety standards; for example, in New York and Washington, D.C., some developers have put in anti-terrorism safeguards that exceed building codes
-
-
New cybersecurity threat: smartphone apps that do more than what they say they do
A large proportion of applications contain third-party code with the capability to interact with sensitive data in a way that may not be apparent to users or developers; Apple reviews its applications before accepting them into its App Store, but even that is not foolproof when it comes to detecting erroneous or malicious components within apps, which might end up collecting or storing information that has nothing to do with the intended usage case of the app
-
-
X Prize to offer millions for Gulf oil cleanup solution
The X Prize Foundation will tomorrow launch its Oil Cleanup X Challenge promising millions of dollars for winning ways to clean up crude oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico; past X Prize categories include mapping genomes, making an incredibly fuel efficient car, and exploring the moon’s surface with a robotic vehicle
-
-
Radiation concerns dog full-body scanners
By the end of 2014, TSA will install between 1,950 and 2,200 full-body scanners at checkpoints in all 450 commercial airports in the United States; TSA buys scanners which use two technologies — backscatter X-ray and millimeter wave; since backscatter technology raises persistent worries about radiation, some want to know why TSA should not buy only millimeter-wave scanners
-
-
DHS launches "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign for general aviation
DHS describes the campaign as a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime, and other threats and emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities; DHS also announces new streamlined process for vetting international general aviation travel
-
-
U.S. Army to buy additional explosive disposal robots
Boeing, iRobot receive a follow-on order for 94 additional explosive disposal ground robots, bringing to total number of robots the U.S. Army has ordered to 323; the robot has the ability to perform reconnaissance during extremely hazardous explosive disposal missions involving unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices
-
More headlines
The long view
Ransomware Attacks: Death Threats, Endangered Patients and Millions of Dollars in Damages
A ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a company that processes 15 billion health care transactions annually and deals with 1 in 3 patient records in the United States, is continuing to cause massive disruptions nearly three weeks later. The incident, which started on February 21, has been called the “most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system” by the American Hospital Association. It is just the latest example of an increasing trend.
Chinese Government Hackers Targeted Critics of China, U.S. Businesses and Politicians
An indictment was unsealed Monday charging seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials in furtherance of the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives.
European Arms Imports Nearly Double, U.S. and French Exports Rise, and Russian Exports Fall Sharply
States in Europe almost doubled their imports of major arms (+94 per cent) between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The United States increased its arms exports by 17 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while Russia’s arms exports halved. Russia was for the first time the third largest arms exporter, falling just behind France.
LNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.