Infrastructure protection

Power plants open to hacker attack
Power plants, dams, and many other critical infrastructure assets are controlled by a system called supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA; a Boston technology specialist finds serious vulnerability in the system
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Civilian nuclear facilities in Sichuan confirmed safe
The Chinese government has identified 32 radioactive sources in the earthquake-devastated Sichuan area - hospitals, research centers, factories, but no power plants; 30 sources have already been located and removed; the two remaining sources have been cordoned off and are being excavated
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Chinese lakes may burst
Last Monday’s earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks, weaken large dam and raise fears of man-made lake bursting, causing massive floods in the already ravaged region
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DHS awards $844 million to secure U.S. critical infrastructure
DHS awards millions to bolster security fo rail, truck, and bus transportation; department says awards are strictly risk-based
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An HSDW conversation with John Stroia, vice president, Government Security and Monitoring Solutions, Diebold
Diebold has been adding “layers of protection” to its customers since 1859; Diebold provides one-stop shopping for technology-based electronic systems, software, and services, and the company is active in all four major security markets: financial; commercial (retail); enterprise (large corporations); and government
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NATO to help Estonia’s cyber defense
Last year Estonia became the first nation to suffer a systematic, sustained cyber attack that brought the Baltic nation’s infrastructure to halt; Russian nationalists, and probably agencies of the Russian government, were implicated in the attack; NATO wants to help
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China lacks earthquake early-warning system
Earthquake alerts are still in their infancy and few nations deploy them; China is one of the many countries which is yet to do so; such systems offer but a few seconds warning of a coming quake, but these few seconds may be enough to save many from death or injury
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Worries about damage to Chinese dam
Damage to a large Chinese dam near the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake raises worries about more troubles to come in the devastated region
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The economics of cyber - and infrastructure -- security
New book explores the economics of protecting cyberspace; the book “links our nation’s critical infrastructures across public and private institutions in sectors ranging from food and agriculture, water supply and public health, to energy, transportation and financial services,” says one of the authors
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Scientists debate link between climate change and storm ferocity
Cyclone Nargis, just before it smashed into Myanmar, suddenly changed gear from a Category One to a Category Four cyclone just before it made landfall; similar changes were noted in other recent tropical storms; are changes linked to global warming?
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Reno urged to prepare for worse as earthquakes continue
Scientists call on Reno residents to brace themselves for more earthquakes; more than 100 aftershocks were recorded on the western edge of the city after a magnitude 4.7 quake hit Friday night
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Safeguarding Infrastructure // by Christopher Doyle
The key to protecting national infrastructure and facilitating lifesaving responses in the event of an incident is preparedness; the Infrastructure and Geophysical Division (IGD) of the Science & Technology (S&T) Directorate at DHS is working to find methods and technologies to improve the ability to protect buildings, facilities, and other kinds of physical structures
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Business praises proposed foreign investment rules
The U.S. Treausry Department has proposed new rules to govern foreign investment in U.S. critical infrastructure assets; business and industry groups welcom new rules
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Weather service offers Chicago HAZMAT support page
The U.S. National Weather Service offers Chicago-area critical infrastructure plants area-specific information on weather patterns so that can better cope with accidents and disasters
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ADT acquires FirstService Security for $187 million
ADT, a division of Tyco, is acquiring FirstService Security, a commercial security systems integrator providing a full range of integrated security systems services
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