Infrastructure protection

Republican leadership agrees on chemical plant safety plan; tougher on industry than earlier versions
The chemical industry managed to keep onerous safety regulations from being imposed on it thanks to loyal friends in the administration and Congress; even its most loyal friends, however, have come to believe that the “voluntary, industry-developed” safety standards were not good enough, so last December legislators began to push for more federal say in how the industry secures itself against terrorism and accidents
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RiskWatch to release nuclear safety software in October
System will permit automatic risk assessment of infrastructure problems and outside threats; software created with DoD and DoE financing
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Lumenera selects Pixim to provide digital imaging chip set for new camera line
Pixim’s Digital Pixel System technology converts light to a digital signal directly at the point of capture in the image sensor; 128 MB of on-board memory makes chip set ideal for temporary video storage; technology a boost to Lumenera’s low-light surveillance cameras
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ISAlliance and ANSI announce IT security standards documents
Publications help IT security planners extend their internal security to their contractual realtionships; contracting for information security often overlooked in negotiation
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Fuel cells' promise for low power, long run-time devices
Two New Jersey companies demonstrate a fuel cell-powered wireless camera prototype system with infrared sensing and audio capability; the device is ideal for perimeter defense, border monitoring, batlefield observation, and more
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DHS release report on Operation Cyber Storm
DHS’s report on a large-scale simulated attack on U.S. government and critical infrastructure assets offers mixed results; no grades were assigned to specific performances, but the over-all impression is that the government’s — and industry’s — response to such an attcak could be much improved
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Terrorists or business rivals? You decide
Medical facilities report visits by fake inspectors; some believe terrorism involved; industrial espionage seems more likely motive
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Financial sector continues to lead in continuity and infrastructure protection
Efforts include widespread adoption of continuity standards and participation in TopOff exercises; communications capabilities important focus after protecting consumer data
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Louisiana officials worry about levees
Tropical Storm Ernesto heads toward Gulf of Mexico; evacuation planning seems improved but overtopping and breaching still threaten levees
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MachineTalker finalizes OEM deal with Sense-Comm
MachineTalker’s sensor network technology to be deployed to oil refineries; applications include detecting problems in rotating equipment and identifying oil and gas leaks
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Delta Scientific’s anti-terrorist barriers protect entrance to the U.K. embassy in Budapest, Hungary
The DSC 1100 barrier can stop a 15,000 pound vehicle travelling 40 miles per hour; sally ports at the embassy maximize security
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H7 Security Systems, Lincasia in strategic partnership
H7’s Silent Soldier, and intelligent monitoring and surveillance system designed for critical infrastructure, military installations, border crossings, and more, received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2006 product innovation award, and has been contracted to deploy it in India and China; the company has entered into a strategic partnership with Lincasia, and will incorporate the latter’s technology into the system
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Supposedly invincible communication hub crashes in Seattle
A major communication hub in Seattle, claiming to be among the most
secure centers in the world, was built to withstand earthquakes and run for weeks on its own power; yet, two weeks ago it crashed
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The Unocal decision: Bad for business, irrelevant for homeland security
The reverberations from the DP World’s deal are still being felt, something which is not helpful to U.S. business, without making any contribution to homeland security
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NSA faces power shortages
NSA usually operates under the shroud of secrecy, but their energy supply issues are no secret at all; the spy agency may soon face critical blackouts which could be detrimental to the agency’s top secret work if the problem is not addressed soon
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