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U.S. official says administration is serious about cybersecurity
President Obama, on 29 May, outlined his administration’s cybersecurity strategy; skeptics said they heard such plans promoted before — but administration officials say this time they are serious
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U.S. legislators want European companies punished for aiding Iran's regime
Republican Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Democratic Charles Schumer (New York) are backing legislation which calls for the U.S. government “to identify foreign companies that export sensitive technology to Iran. Those companies would not be allowed to apply for procurement contracts with the U.S. government, or renew expiring ones, unless they first terminated those exports to Iran”
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U.S., Russia disagree on cybersecurity
Washington does not believe an international treaty is necessary, but Moscow is seeking a treaty resembling those negotiated on chemical warfare to address the threat of Internet hacker attacks on computer systems
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Smith & Wesson moves into perimeter security market
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation to acquire Universal Safety Response, Inc. (USR); USR is the creator of the GRAB vehicle safety barrier; the move expands S&W’s revenue base into commercial, non-firearms categories
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Pervious concrete may eliminate need for storm drains
A Minnesota town experiments with a new concrete paving method that lets rainwater pass right through the street surface to prevent damaging runoff
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U.K. infrastructure vulnerable to terrorism, bad weather
A comprehensive new study of U.K. infrastructure says not enough was being done to ensure systems such as energy and transportation could keep going in adverse circumstances
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Hiding buildings from earthquakes
The seismic waves of an earthquake fall into two main groups: body waves that propagate through the Earth, and surface waves that travel only across the surface; invisibility cloaks could be used to make buildings invisible to surface waves
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Obama to seek sweeping changes for cybersecurity
High administration official says that the administration wants to create “far-reaching incentives” for prioritizing cybersecurity in the private sector, which controls much of the nation’s critical IT infrastructure
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U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, II
Even with all the unanswered questions, some cybersecurity experts are happy just to be having the conversation on the topic; they say that all the focus on cybersecurity will turn more attention on training and certification efforts
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U.S. cybercommand will be subordinated to the NSA
Secretary of Defense Gates announces the creation of the U.S. cybercommand; the organization will be based at Fort Meade outside Washington, D.C. and subordinated to the head of the NSA
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House panel votes for mandating safer technology at chemical plants
In a setback to the chemical industry, the House Homeland Security Committee approved a bill yesterday that could make chemical facilities use safer technologies and open them to civil lawsuits when they violate regulations
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Corporate security chiefs say insiders are greatest threat to data
Survey finds that 80 percent of CSIO are more concerned about employees and contractors than they are about external hackers
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, I
There is a move in Congress to require the Commerce Department to develop or coordinate and integrate a national licensing, certification, and periodic recertification program for cybersecurity professionals
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Effective cybersecurity requires common language
Experts say that the lack of a common way of defining and speaking about cybersecurity threats, risk, and incidents hampers security efforts
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The long view
Water Wars: A Historic Agreement Between Mexico and US Is Ramping Up Border Tension
As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. Partly due to constant droughts, Mexico has struggled to maintain its water deliveries for much of the last 25 years, deliveries to which it is obligated by a 1944 water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
Trump Is Fast-Tracking New Coal Mines — Even When They Don’t Make Economic Sense
In Appalachian Tennessee, mines shut down and couldn’t pay their debts. Now a new one is opening under the guise of an “energy emergency.”
Smaller Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source
In the past two years, half the states have taken action to promote nuclear power, from creating nuclear task forces to integrating nuclear into long-term energy plans.
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.