• New Stuxnet-like virus hits Europe

    The dreaded Stuxnet worm, which was the first instance of a computer virus creating physical damage, may have spawned a dangerous new piece of malware; researchers at Symantec believe they have discovered a new computer virus that uses many of the same techniques in European computers

  • FBI better prepared to thwart bioterror attack on U.S.

    The FBI says that in the decade since deadly anthrax spores were sent through the mail in 2001, killing five people and sickening twenty-two others, it has made significant advances in efforts to prevent and identify bio-terror threats

  • Squirrel causes explosion, knocks out Connecticut town’s power

    Last week more than 14,000 homes in Greenwich, Connecticut were left without power after a squirrel managed to find its way into a substation and caused an explosion that sent flames shooting 150 feet into the air

  • A precursor to the next Stuxnet discovered

    Symantec reports the discovery of a sample malware that appeared to be very similar to Stuxnet, the malware which wreaked havoc in Iran’s nuclear centrifuge farms last summer; the new malware — dubbed Duqu — is essentially the precursor to a future Stuxnet-like attack; the threat was written by the same authors (or those that have access to the Stuxnet source code); Duqu gathers intelligence data and assets from entities, such as industrial control system manufacturers, in order more easily to conduct a future attack against another third party

  • Improving critical infrastructure protection

    Salt River Project (SRP), the U.S. third-largest public power utility, recently announced that it had teamed with Quantum Secure to help protect its facilities

  • Creating incentives to purchase disaster insurance

    Natural disasters have become more common and more expensive – still, death, injury, and financial losses can be reduced through incentives to purchase insurance and install protective measures

  • Engineering lessons of Fukushima

    Many engineers and scientists are still examining what happened at Fukushima during the earthqyake and tsunami of 11 March; one group, a Tsunami Loads-and-Effects Subcommittee sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), is preparing to publish early next year an approximately 350-page report

  • Blackberry service disruption spreads across North America

    Research in Motion announced earlier today that the 3-day disruption of the company’s e-mail services has now spread across North America; it is the worst such disruption of service in two years; analysts say it is a major blow to the already-struggling company; not only individuals, but also private companies and government agencies may now reconsider their reliance on Blackberrys as their preferred mode of communication

  • Reducing exposure to groundwater arsenic

    Well diggers in Bangladesh will soon be able to take advantage of a cell phone-based data system, developed at the Earth Institute, to target safe groundwater aquifers for installing new wells that are not tainted with arsenic

  • Rising political, economic tensions over critical minerals

    The clean energy economy of the future hinges on many things, chief among them the availability of the scores of rare Earth minerals and other elements used to make everything from photovoltaic panels and cellphone displays to the permanent magnets in cutting edge new wind generators; trouble is, China currently controls about 97 percent of the mining and production of the minerals, and it is using that control to give Chinese companies an advantage and for political pressure on other countries

  • Smartphones now capable of detecting gas

    Last week the DHS Science and Technology division showcased its latest invention, a smartphone capable of detecting dangerous gases; The device is capable of issuing an alarm to wake the phone’s owner, sending a text message to warn emergency contacts, or dialing 911 if dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide are detected

  • Survey finds small biz unprepared for cyber attacks

    A recent survey found that many small businesses are not prepared for cyber threats and potential data breaches

  • Infrax System, Defendec to distribute Smartdec systems in U.S.

    Smartdec System provides offers a solution for securing critical infrastructure assets; the battery-powered wireless system detects intruders on the perimeter of remote sites and helps to prevent vandalism, terrorism attacks, thefts, and accidents

  • Securing financial infrastructure against cyberattacks

    To protect the U.S. financial sector from increasingly ubiquitous and costly cyberattacks, DHS plans to work more closely with other federal agencies as well as the private sector to defend against hackers

  • Self-repairing composites repair cracks in coating of buildings, bridges

    Researchers have developed vascularized structural composites, creating materials that are lightweight and strong with potential for self-healing, self-cooling, metamaterials, and more; these artificial microvascular systems can self-repair of materials damage, such as cracks in a coating applied to a building or bridge