• First computer forensics private investigation firm opens in Nevada

    Expert Data Forensics is the first computer forensics-only PI firm in the state of Nevada; the firm says it has already helped in almost a hundred clients get the electronic evidence used to make a difference in the outcome of their cases; the data is retrieved from cell phones, PDAs, and computers

  • International companies in Mexico now target for cartel attacks

    Until recently, few criminals dared to touch the factories and offices of the hundreds of multinational corporations — or maquilas — in Reynosa, Maxico; amid a violent three-way war among two cartels and the military, the maquilas are no longer untouched; none of the 140 maquiladoras in Reynosa’s eleven industrial parks have pulled out of the area, but many have developed exit strategies in case the violence does not abate

  • Cybersecurity companies weather the economic downturn

    Cybersecurity companies may have suffered during the economic downturn — but they suffered less; some companies even saw an increase in revenues; “The things that we’re delivering have become more of a necessity than a nice to have,” says the president of an Iowa-based company which provides technical support and corporate security for desktop computers — and which increased its annual revenue by 41 percent in 2009

  • End-of-the-world shelter company selling bunker space

    A California-based company offers people a chance to survive the end of the world; for $50,000 per person, the company will sell you a spot in an underground shelter guaranteed to survive nuclear attacks, bio terrorism, chemical warfare, super volcano eruptions, asteroids, solar flares, tsunamis, earthquakes, pole shifts, the return of Planet X, and social and political anarchy;

  • Mexico to disconnect millions of cellphones to fight crime

    In a desperate effort to curb crime, the Mexican government moves to disconnect 30 million unregistered cell phones; the government wants to be able to track cell phone calls and messages, so it passed a law requiring that cell phone users register their phones by sending in their personal information; most of Mexico’s 84 million mobile phones are prepaid handsets with a limited number of minutes of use; these units can be easily bought in stores and either discarded or have call minutes added to them; many have registered their phones, but as of last Thursday, 30 million had not

  • Security concerns hobble World Cup; FIFA fears games played in empty stadiums

    It looked like a good idea — hold the first World Cup tournament in Africa; FIFA, the world soccer governing body, selected South Africa — ignoring suggestions that rampant crime and violence in the country would deter soccer fans from coming; now, in a stunning admission, FIFA says 500,000 tickets are still unsold; professional event organizers say the number is much higher; in the United Kingdom, only 67,654 World Cup tickets have been sold — fewer than the number of fans who typically attend a Manchester United home game

  • India to build a hunter-killer UAV fleet; UAVs will come from Israel

    India is set to augment its fleet of reconnaissance UAVs with killer-hunter UAVs; the Indian military has been impressed with the effectiveness of the UAV campaign against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and wants to adopt the same approach to India’s problem with Muslim terrorists; Israel, which sold India the intelligence-gathering drones, will be the source of the attack UAVs as well

  • Recession over for technology sector

    Recession for the IT sector is over; IT spending in the United States will grow by 8.4 percent this year, to $550 billion; better outlook is helped by higher spending on communications equipment, accompanying the ongoing rebound in computer and software purchases

  • Market for first responders, law enforcement robotics to see robust growth

    Market for first responders and law enforcement robotics reached $203.1 million in 2009; it is anticipated to reach $3.7 billion by 2016; market growth will come as border patrols and law enforcement agencies use robots to achieve broader security in a less expensive manner

  • Farmers are first line of defense against agroterror

    A rogue crop duster, someone tossing an infected rag over the loafing lot fence, or an upset employee with access to a food processing facility could conceivably commit an act of agroterror with widespread and dramatic consequences

  • Safeguard is awarded security technology study in Mexico

    Mexico’s deteriorating security offers opportunities for American security companies; a Dallas-based specialist in security solutions is awarded a contract for an engineering study for a massive surveillance monitoring system in Mexico; The pilot program is estimated to be approximately $8 million;

  • U.S. government encounters shortage of skilled cyber-security workers

    DHS and the FBI, among other government agencies, are now posting job openings in cybersecurity, describing the chief responsibilities of these jobs as preserving the nation’s freedoms and securing the homeland; the recruitment campaign is going slowly because the pool of truly skilled security professionals is a small one, and the government is only the latest suitor vying for their talents

  • Camgian awarded DARPA UAV-UGS fusion contract

    Today’s soldiers rely on advanced ground and airborne sensors to identify, track, and monitor critical targets; as stand-along platforms, UAVs and unattended ground sensors (UGS) have operational limitations such as endurance, coverage, and target resolution; Camgian is teaming up with BAE Systems to exploit the fusion of these assets in an automated network architecture to provide powerful ISR capability

  • Onyx targets business continuity acquisitions

    Energetic and acquisitive U.K. VAR Onyx refreshes DRS proposition after recent buy-out and aims for more consolidation; company claims that many disaster recovery packages do not cater effectively for smaller firms, particularly in London

  • Hearing to be held on lack of chemical plant inspections

    There are about 15,000 chemical plants in the United States; 6,000 of them were supposed to be inspected by DHS to make sure their security protocols comply with the current Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, or CFATS, but only 12 have been inspected