• Magal Security Systems receives $45 million in contracts

    Israeli smart-fencing company receives contracts from several U.S. critical infrastructure operators; recent developments along the Gaza-Stip-Egypt border offer Magal new opportunities

  • Mu Security is Technical member of ISA SCI

    ISA Security Compliance Institute aims to promote the integration of disparate security practices — used at critical infrastructure sites, including suppliers to process control customers such as oil refineries, large manufacturing sites, chemical processing sites, and electric power distribution plants — into a single, open framework by establishing the ISASecure designation

  • Israel begins radiation detection at Haifa Port

    More ports join the U.S.-led effort to check for radiological materials; the idea is to have U.S.-bound cargo containers scanned for radiation before they arrive in U.S. ports; the latest port to be added to the list is Haifa, Israel

  • 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

  • IAEA finds South Africa's nuclear facility safe

    On 8 November 2007, the South African nuclear center at Pelindaba was the subject of two mysterious, and simultaneous, attacks; the country’s nuclear monitoring agency, and the IAEA, declare security procedures at the nuclear plant to be satisfactory

  • Funding for developing nuclear clean-up tool

    As nuclear power draws renewed interest — what with the rising price of oil and growing worries about global warming — there is more interest in tools and solutions to help deal with nuclear waste and nuclear clean-up

  • As TWIC is implemented in more ports, hurdles emerge

    Port managers worry that there are still some unresolved issues with TWIC, the port employee credentialing system; one example: Will the card typically be used as a flash pass or will the readers need to be used? If readers have to be used, just think of this: A truck has long mirrors on the outside of the cab, preventing the driver from getting close enough to a reader to submit a fingerprint; moreover, truckers often have dirty hands, which may make it difficult to read the fingerprints; there are other issues

  • American Superconductor's New York grid work moves forward

    Massachusetts-based American Superconductor signed a contract to to develop and install new electrical power-grid technology in New York City which would enable Con Edison better to handle power surges and interruptions caused by accidents, weather or terrorist attacks; after government agencies’ squabble, and congressional examination of the contract, DHS tells company to go forward

  • 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

  • NSA, other spy agencies enlisted in effort to address cyber vulnerability

    Prepare for another heated NSA-domestic spying debate: The Bush administration issues secret directive on 8 January — informally known as the “cyber initiative” — expanding the intelligence community’s role in monitoring Internet traffic; the goal is to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies’ computer systems

  • MapSnapper allows queries of points of interest on maps

    Southampton University researchers develop MapSnapper; solution allows cell phone users to take pictures of map sections and have the pictures come back to them with points of interest added; these points of interest can then be queried further; solution could help phone screen advertising — and first responders rushing to the scene of a disaster

  • On the water front // by Ben Frankel: UN secretary-general says "Water is running out"

    Serious water shortages are afflicting ever-larger swaths of the globe, with global warming exacerbating the problem; there are 192 countries in the world, with a population of nearly 6 billion: Experts say that in 102 of these countries — with a combined population of 3.9 billion — water-related crises create a high risk of violent conflict; there are opportunities here for investors and technology companies

  • Magnetic fingerprinting to contribute to air traffic safety

    European researchers develop an innovative system which monitors tiny fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by a passing plane; system increases airport safety even in the worst weather conditions

  • 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

  • GAO critical of DOE's handling of Russian nuclear scientists program

    In 1994, the U.S. Department of Energy established the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP) program to engage former Soviet weapons scientists in nonmilitary work in the short term and create private sector jobs for these scientists in the long term; GAO finds problems in how the program was managed, and questions accuracy of reported achievements