• Industry wants current safety law extended rather than see it toughened

    Before the House Homeland Security committee, Timothy J. Scott, the chief security officer of Dow Chemical Co., urged Congress permanently to reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) bill; under CFATS chemical facilities are required to address a range of critical security concerns including protecting facilities against attacks and preventing the theft of dangerous chemicals; currently, more than 35,000 facilities that use or store chemicals are required to meet CFATS regulations; DHS has worked with facility owners to mitigate risks with custom developed security plans at more than 2,000 “high risk” sites

  • Hackers steal data from oil giants worth millions

    McAfee Inc. recently announced that hackers have stolen data worth millions from five major multinational oil and gas companies; in the attacks, dubbed “Night Dragon,” hackers stole company secrets like bidding contracts, oil exploration data, proprietary industrial processes, and sensitive financial documents; analysts determined that hackers initially began infiltrating company networks in November 2009 using relatively simple methods; the information that the cyber thieves took was “tremendously sensitive and would be worth a huge amount of money to competitors”; the methods of execution and circumstantial evidence implicate China

  • Biometric wallet keeps your money safe

    Luxury goods maker Dunhill has designed a “virtually indestructible” wallet that uses a biometric fingerprint scanner to deter muggers and pickpockets; the wallet will only open when the owner’s fingerprint is verified using a scanner similar to those currently on many laptops; additional security features include a Bluetooth sensor that can be synced to any Bluetooth enabled mobile device; when the wallet is more than fifteen feet away from the mobile device, it will sound an alarm alerting the owner that the wallet has been taken away

  • Powerful magnets developed to end rare earths dependency

    Scientists at General Electric’s Global Research are currently developing powerful new magnets that are stronger, lighter, and use less rare Earth metals; researchers hope that the new magnets will help reduce U.S. dependence on China’s supplies of rare Earth metals, which have been subject to disruption; the new magnets are being created with nanocomposites which consist of combining tiny particles of various magnetic alloys to create more reactive coatings; GE has received $2.25 million from the Department of Energy to develop these magnets

  • Cell phones are hackers' target of choice

    In its fourth quarter threat report, McAfee announced that hackers have increasingly turned their attention to smart phones; in 2010 there was a 56 percent increase in malware targeting cell phones; hackers most frequently used Adobe products like PDFs and Flash to embed pernicious code; Google’s Android smart phone operating system was also a target of choice; the report noted that spam levels were down 62 percent, while politically motivated hacking was on the rise

  • SkyWatch: surveillance as effective deterrence

    ICx’s SkyWatch mobile surveillance tower help police and businesses keep an eye on crowded areas and public events, helping in deterring car theft and burglary, assault, disturbances, and robbery; ICx points out that the SkyWatch tower is designed with darkened windows so those below cannot tell if an officer is present — so whether or not the police have the ability to man it, the deterrence still works

  • Businesses vying for information, contracts at Border Security Expo 2011

    Law enforcement officers, government officials, and homeland security firms from around the world will gather in Phoenix next week for Border Security Expo 2011; the event will be held on 15-16 February and will feature the heads of major DHS agencies as well as Mexican government officials; organizers estimate that millions of dollars worth of contracts will be signed; the expo will focus on preventing illegal border crossing as well as combating drug trafficking, drug wars, and gangs; firms will have the opportunity to learn of DHS future procurement needs, in particular what DHS will require for SBInet’s replacement; the event attracts buyers from across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America

  • Lack of oversight doomed SBInet, could hamper replacement

    The poor oversight and contractor management that hampered the recently cancelled SBInet could plague its replacement; numerous GAO reports blasted DHS for failing to properly communicate and supervise its primary contractor Boeing; the program suffered major cost overruns and failed to deliver on project goals due to limited input from end users, shifting priorities, and poor communication; in response to criticism, DHS has hired more contracting officers and is reviewing acquisition procedures; critics are skeptical of DHS’ ability to deliver SBInet’s replacement which incorporates much of the same technology

  • DHS and CBP make a pitch to border security vendors

    Boeing’s failure to provide a reliable border security solution has opened up opportunities for border protection technology vendors. These opportunities are offered by DHS’s proposed Integrated Fixed Towers (IFT) acquisition program which aims to replace SBInet

  • Controversial nuclear reactor design moving toward approval

    A controversial new nuclear reactor design is moving ahead for approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); the chairman of the NRC announced that the agency would open the design for public comment before deciding whether to approve the reactor; critics of the proposed reactor, a Westinghouse AP1000, believe that in the event of an accident its safety measures are inadequate; if approved, the reactor could be used in as many as fourteen nuclear power plants

  • U.S. firms looking to tap India's homeland security market

    Following President Obama’s state visit to India last November, trade between the two nations is set to grow rapidly and U.S. homeland security firms are eyeing India’s expanding markets; in the next three years, India is projected to spend more than $10 billion on homeland security technology products and services for border protection, surveillance, intelligence, marine security, and other critical security infrastructure needs; India’s civil aviation market is expected to become one of the top five aviation markets in the next five years and will likely need passenger screening technology, capabilities, and services; in the next fifteen years more than 500 million people — 50 percent of India’s population — will become a part of the country’s middle class causing airline passenger volume to skyrocket; trade between the United States and India is expected to exceed $50 billion for the first time this year

  • Cobham acquires Baltimore surveillance specialists

    U.K.-based Cobham acquires Baltimore-based Corp Ten International; Corp Ten develops software to manage multiple tracking and surveillance devices in a single system, which allows real-time sharing of data and other communications between users through satellite, cellular, and radio frequency providers

  • Foreign orders for Mass.-built bomb-disposal robots

    Massachusetts-based robot maker received orders for twenty-seven additional bomb-disposal robots from unnamed international customers; the company has delivered bomb-disposal robots to more than twenty-five countries

  • iPhone app helps police "see" through walls

    Law enforcement officials are using SafetyNet Mobile, a powerful new iPhone app, to fight crime; the app allows police officers to quickly access all emergency dispatch information including maps, warnings, hazard information, and other critical data; to access the emergency dispatch database, the officer simply points the iPhone or iPad’s camera at a location; this technology allows police to “see” behind doors or walls by alerting them to any potential dangers inside; the app installs on any iPhone or iPad; SafetyNet Mobile has been successfully tested by three police departments in California and is currently being rolled out

  • N.C. law enforcement pistols no good

    North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement agency says 150 new pistols bought for their agents at $1,055 each were so unreliable they got rid of them; the Kimber .45-caliber pistols repeatedly malfunctioned during training exercises, with rounds jamming, sights breaking, and the weapons’ safety buttons sometimes falling off