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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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Alarming open-source security holes found
A programming error introduced serious security vulnerabilities in millions of computer systems; many systems affected
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Permanent denial-of-service attack sabotages hardware
HP’s Rich Smith to demonstrate a permanent denial-of-service (PDOS) attack that remotely wipes out hardware via flash firmware updates
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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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Verizon, AT&T win DHS contracts
Verizon, AT&T win contracts worth nearly $1 billion to provide DHS with IP and security services as well as emergency communication services
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Developing biofuel for commercial aircraft
The airline industry seeks to develop non-food biofuel which will offer aircraft cheaper fuel without affecting global food supplies
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Banks rely on spyware to detect rogue traders, false rumors
Growing worries about the financial consequences of rogue traders’ unauthorized activity and false rumors spread in order to manipulate stock price, more and more companies – especially in the financial sector – are installing spyware to monitor their employees’ every move and utterance
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WorkLight says RSA chief's observations ring true
RSA boss Art Coviello offers his insights on Web security, saying that hackers are developing plans to attack healthcare providers as their revenue streams from the financial services sector start to dry up; Coveillo also says that biometric technology is not a solution for IT security – at least so far
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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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Tyco sells M/A-COM for $425 million
Tyco sells its radio frequency components and subsystem business to Cobham Defense Electronic Systems
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Australian budget tackles environment concerns
New government budget show government’s intent to tackle Australia’s growing water problems; critics charge that the government has not gone far enough to save the Murray-Darling Basin; the huge river system is drying up under the pressure of Australia’s epic drought and excessive water extraction for irrigation
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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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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.