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AT&T awarded contract to deliver secure Internet connections to federal agencies
The Networx program — Networx Universal and Networx Enterprise — is the the U.S. federal government’s largest telecommunications program, with a ceiling of $48.1 billion over ten years; AT&T wins a chunk of Networx Universal
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Microsoft releases critical Internet Explorer patch
The update fixes a JavaScript-related vulnerability which is being actively exploited through hacked Web sites
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Radioactive-waste tracking software deployed at U.K. nuclear sites
The radioactive-waste tracking software developed by Tennessee-based AttentionIT will be deployed in decommissioned U.K. nuclear facilities; the waste tracking software provides electronic storage of information related to “cradle to grave” treatment of radioactive and mixed waste
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Trains carrying hazmat collide in Minnesota
At least 40 cars were derailed and some went into the Mississippi River in an early morning crash in southeast Minnesota; liquid ammonia and propane are leaking from some of the cars
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Mobile security market to reach $890 million by 2011
Mobile security market will continue to grow, driven by backhaul and data center upgrades
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Getting the coming investment in infrastructure right
America 2050 issues blueprint for infrastructure investment; guiding principles: Fix, Phase, Green, Train, Count
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Integrated Wireless Network abandoned
The Integrated Wireless Network was launched in 2004 to serve more than 80,000 federal agents; GAO says that the three departments working on the project — DHS, Justice, and Treasury — had different goals and failed to collaborate effectively; the three will now pursue separate departmental upgrades
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Five myths about two-factor authentication
Too many organizations allow themselves to be vulnerable to cybercrime because of prevailing myths about the cost, inconvenience, and efficacy of two-factor authentication; close examination reveals these myths to be just that — myths
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The next version of FISMA
The first version of the Federal Information Security Act (FISMA) of 2002 placed much emphasis on auditing and reporting; it is time to move on beyond checking compliance boxes and concentrate on making sure that the security of government departments is not compromised
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Researchers inadvertently release IE7 attack code
Chinese researchers fail to note that the last security patch released by Microsoft did not take care of a problem they had earlier identified; thinking the problem has been fixed, the researchers release code that might be misused to exploit an unpatched IE 7 vulnerability
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Hackers target rich content files
New security report says that PDF and Flash files will be used by cybercriminals much more in 2009
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U.K. launches dedicated network for emergency communication
The U.K. government has contracted with BT to develop the National Resilience Extranet — which will enable the secure exchange of information in response to civil emergencies such as floods and outbreaks of agricultural diseases
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Defining on line attacks and cyberwar
The growing number of cyberattacks — for political reasons (Estonia, Georgia) and for profit — prompts calls to define the threat more clearly
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Economic downturn may force software engineers into crime
Eugene Kaspersky says economic crisis would create a situation in which unemployed software engineers could become the latest threat to corporate IT security
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Twenty-one million German bank accounts for sale
Criminals steal 21 million German bank records; reporters posing as buyers working for a gambling business managed to strike a a price of €0.55 per record, or €12 million for all the data
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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.