• New detector tests for illegal drugs, superbugs in minutes

    A new method of detecting illegal drugs and super bugs will be used in a U.K. government-backed handheld device that analyzes saliva; the testing takes minutes and costs as little as £1.50 per test; it works by measuring the electric charge generated when the substances in the saliva react with an electrode coated with antibodies

  • Privacy-focused alternative to Facebook launched

    Four NYU students launch Diaspora — a privacy-sensitive alternative to Facebook; Diaspora is a decentralized social network that lets users control their personal data — photos, friend lists, statuses, etc. — by hosting it on their own computers, or on servers they have access to, which are called “seeds”

  • BAE buys L-1's Intelligence Services Group for $300 million

    L-1 Identity Solutions’ Intelligence Services Group is a highly regarded supplier to the U.S. intelligence and defense communities; the acquisition will complement BAE Systems’ growing Intelligence & Security sector, which focuses on four key customer missions —- intelligence and counterintelligence, homeland security, law enforcement, and support to military operations

  • Google Apps more secure with two-step verification

    More and more companies are migrating their e-mail and other cloud services over to Google Apps — but the doubts about whether making such a transition would put company security at risk linger; now the company is doing something about it: Google announced early Monday the availability of two-step verification, a more secure way for Google Apps users to sign into their accounts

  • Vehicle escape windows increase soldiers' safety

    BAE receives a $70 million contract to install Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) Windows to more than 39,000 U.S. Army vehicle, with more than 16,000 kits already shipped; the patent pending system features a simple, intuitive design that enables soldiers quickly to exit the vehicle in case of an emergency

  • Ford faces competition for next-generation cruiser

    Ford has long dominated the police car market with about 70 percent of the 75,000 police cars sold annually; the Dearborn automaker, however, will stop producing the Crown Victoria next August and is replacing it with the far more modern Police Interceptor; Ford is facing competition from a redesigned Dodge Charger Pursuit police car and the return of the General Motors’ Chevrolet Caprice police car

  • NYPD buys new portable fingerprint scanners

    The NYPD is armed with a portable fingerprint reader that allows cops immediately to confirm identities at crime scenes with the roll of a thumb; they can also be used to identify the dead at homicide and accident scenes; the NYPD has become increasingly dependent on technology, a move that has helped it offset a decrease in the size of the force; there are about 6,000 fewer officers than there were in 2001

  • New UAV to loiter the sky for five years without landing

    Boeing has been given $89 million to build Vulture — a large solar-powered UAV intended to cruise the stratosphere for five years without landing; the idea is to achieve a platform which combines the good qualities of both satellites and aircraft with none of the downsides of either

  • Boeing hints at interest in buying Northrop

    In the face of likely deep cuts in some areas of the U.S. defense budget, speculations circulate that Boeing is looking to purchase companies active in those areas of the defense budget which are growing — UAVs, cyber security, and intelligence and surveillance systems; a likely candidate for acquisition: Northrop Grumman, a key player in these fields

  • GTEC buys Zytel, bolstering cyber, intelligence capabilities

    GTEC pays $26.8 millions in cash for Maryland-based Zytel; little is known about Zytel’s actual products — all the company’s work is classified and all employees are cleared at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level — but it develops cybersecurity and mission systems in support of the critical intelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber-warfare missions of its national-security clients

  • 1st Detect in $735,000 contract for chemical detection in the field

    Phase II SBIR contract from the Joint Science & Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense will allow the company to design and develop a novel sample inlet system intended to improve the sensitivity of mass spectrometers used for chemical detection in the field

  • New cargo security business alliance announced

    The association’s mission is to provide a platform where leaders in the intermodal shipping industry can share ideas and discover synergies to complement the rapidly expanding intelligent supply chain market

  • HP to buy security software company ArcSight for $1.5 billion

    Hewlett-Packard agreed to buy security software company ArcSight for $1.5 billion; ArcSight’s software helps companies protect their digital assets from cyber attacks and fraud, and aids in regulatory compliance. While many analysts said HP overpaid, they also said the deal fits with its broader enterprise strategy. Some, though, questioned the company’s financial discipline; the deal is the latest in a rash of consolidation in the security technology sector; last month, Intel Corp agreed to buy McAfee for $7.7 billion, and in May, Symantec Corp bought Verisign Inc.’s payment authentication unit for about $1.3 billion

  • AuthenTec and UPEK merge to form formidable biometrics provider

    Florida-based AuthenTec merges with fingerprint biometric company UPEK; AuthenTec will be expanding its intellectual property to nearly 200 issued and filed U.S. patents, “the largest patent portfolio in the industry today,” the company says; UPEK had $18 million in revenues last year and has made $11.7 million in the first half of 2010

  • Biometric companies see government as the driver of future market growth

    Observers say that most of the growth in the biometric market will be driven by government spending; many still agree that the marketplace for biometrics is likely to continue to grow, but one of the bigger points of contention is that some are arguing that the growth will not be in United States but more likely in Central and South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia