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CBP hails C-TPAT 2007 achievements
DHS’s Custom and Border Protection agency says that Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program made major contributions to U.S. security in 2007 by keeping a close eye on the supply chain bringing goods into the U.S.
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New method for anthrax decontamination developed
Yellow Jackets, SMD researchers develop an X-rays and UV-C light-based method for anthrax decontamination; it is rapid and nondisruptive, and also less expensive than currently available decontamination methods; it kills anthrax spores — even those hidden in crevices and cracks — within two to three hours without any lingering effects
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Companies, government responses to war game draw mixed reviews
Details emerge of a $3 million, invitation-only war game — Cyber Storm —which simulated what DHS described as plausible attacks over five days in February 2006 against the technology industry, transportation lines, and energy utilities by anti-globalization hackers
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Spam, Q4 Email Threat Trends of 2007
A steep rise in attacks using social networking techniques which target user psychology and behavior patterns; spammers launched attacks by predicting user behavior patterns, such as looking for easy cash and discounted gifts during the holiday season, and preying on consumer trust to generate interest in cheap pharmaceutical products and stocks
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Emphasis shifts to analytical tools rather than building sturdier walls
The $169 million PayPal paid for Israeli on-line security specialist Fraud Sciences is part of a larger trend in security: “Security is less a matter of keeping everyone outside the outer wall and more one of detecting them sneaking through the premises,” as one analyst put it
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Marks & Spencer loses personal information on 26,000 staff
A laptop belonging to Marks and Spencer was stolen in May 2007, joining a lengthening list of personal data breaches in the United kingdom; Information Commissioner’s Office takes action against company
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RFID technology ever more pervasive, pt. I
RFID tags are everywhere — on boxed goods, in some computer printers, car keys and tires, on shampoo bottles and department store clothing tags; they are also in library books, contactless payment cards, passports, and travel documents; they introduce efficiency and security to the supply chain, but also allow companies and organizations to track the behavior and shopping patterns of individuals
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MSV to operate two mid-Atlantic radio talkgroups
Specialist in hybrid satellite-terrestrial communications network will operate radio talkgroups which will allow emergency units from several states to cooperate more easily during emergencies
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IOTV Body Armor, Improved Outer Tactical Vest
Soldiers have complained that the standard body armor is too heavy, too hot, and too cumbersome; the Army is now deploying new body armor: It is three pounds lighter, provides more coverage in the small of the back, sits higher around the armpit area, and sits lower on the torso
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Disgruntled employee deletes 7-years worth of architectual drawings
An employee in a Florida architectural firm believed she was about to be fired; she came to the office on Sunday and deleted 7-years worth of drawings and blueprints, valued by the firm at $2.5 million
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Estonian student convicted for 2007 attack against Estonian Web sites
A 20-year-old Estonian student has been fined $1,642 for launching a cyber attack which crippled the Web sites of banks, schools, and government agencies
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GAO cites barriers to antiviral, vaccine roles in pandemic
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says that a pandemic vaccine might play little role in the early phases of a pandemic because it will take 20 to 23 weeks to develop and produce a targeted vaccine
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Product profile: Zone Multi Sensor Control Platform (MSCP)
An innovative solution from an Australian company allows security managers better direction and control of the organization’s security system and the information streams these systems generate; massively redundant peer-to-peer architecture has many benefits: flexibility, scalability, and cost savings on hardware and professional IT staff
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What are the security risks of virtualization?
Server virtualization can aid security, but virtualized environments bring their own headaches as security threats can originate externally and internally in a virtualized environment
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OMB wants privacy review details in FISMA reports
U.S. government agencies will have to provide more details about the privacy reviews they conduct as part of annual reporting in compliance with FISMA
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More headlines
The long view
Proactively Planning for Community Relocation Before and After Climate Disasters
Between 1980 and mid-2023, 232 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, with the number of disasters doubling annually since 2018. As the frequency, intensity, and destructiveness of climate change-driven disasters increase, accompanied by an increase in recovery costs, more experts are calling for a managed retreat of entire communities from disaster-prone areas to safer ground.
Number of People Affected by Tropical Cyclones Has Increased Sharply Since 2002
The number of people affected by tropical cyclones has nearly doubled from 2002 to 2019, reaching nearly 800 million people in 2019, according to a new study. More people are affected by tropical cyclones in Asia than any other region, but every affected world region saw an increase in the number of people exposed to tropical cyclones, which are expected to become more intense and possibly more frequent as the climate warms.
Coastal Populations Set to Age Sharply in the Face of Climate Migration
As climate change fuels sea level rise, younger people will migrate inland, leaving aging coastal populations — and a host of consequences — in their wake. While destination cities will work to sustainably accommodate swelling populations, aging coastal communities will confront stark new challenges.
Damaging Thunderstorm Winds Increasing in Central U.S.
Destructive winds that flow out of thunderstorms in the central United States are becoming more widespread with warming temperatures. New research shows that the central U.S. experienced a fivefold increase in the geographic area affected by damaging thunderstorm straight line winds in the past 40 years.