• L.A. reservoirs emptied after high levels of contamination discovered

    Two of Los Angeles’s beloved landmarks — Silver Lake and Elysian Park — are emptied after tests revealed bromate, a disinfectant byproduct that can form when treated water reacts with naturally occurring mineral bromide in sunlight

  • FERC seeks industry cyber-security plans

    Earlier this year, government scientists hacked into a simulated power-plant control system and caused an electric generator to destroy itself; as worries about the vulnerability of the U.S. power grid to cyber attacks grow, regulators demand that utilities submit detailed reports about their progress in addressing potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities

  • Dutch health insurance database easily accessible

    The Dutch Vecozo medical database is used by Dutch health care workers to make payments easier and to check Dutch medical insurance data; trouble is, at least 80,000 people are able to search the database, which contains personal information about nearly every Dutch citizen

  • EVT shows enhanced video management tool

    What with CCTVs being installed by the thousands on street corners, along perimeter fences, and as part of border protection, there is a need to effectively and efficiently manage the avalanche of visual information coming in to the command center; this is where EVT’s new tool comes in

  • AT&T shows RFID solution for schools

    RFID-GPS solution will allow school district to monitor schools buses, but also school equipment, students and teachers, and visitors; it will also help in disaster response

  • Critical infrastructure employees to receive vaccine in influenza pandemic

    HHS, CDC, and other government agencies conduct three-day public discussion on how to prioritize allocation of vaccine during an influenza pandemic; majority of discussants emphasize need to distribute vaccines first to employees in critical infrastructure

  • Early warning system for earthquakes

    Shake, rattle, and respond: By analyzing earthquakes when and where they strike, a computerized system could save lives

  • Georgia to consolidate IT infrastructure

    The State of Georgia spends $617 million a year on IT; governor wants to consolidate IT spending, eliminating 1,100 jobs in the process

  • Fiber optics no obstacle to cyber crime

    Fiber optics are an ideal transmission medium, and the length of cable installed around the globe is estimated at more than 300 million kilometers; fiber optic networks are employed by many banks, insurance companies, enterprises, and public authorities as their communication backbone, supporting critical business activities; fiber optic cables are as vulnerable to hacking as traditional copper wires

  • Shell in trials of algae as source for biofuel

    Algae holds great promise as a biofuel enabler because it grows rapidly, are rich in vegetable oil, and can be cultivated in ponds of seawater; Shell wants to know more

  • Spain tightens security of nuclear plants

    There are eight active nuclear power plants in Spain; recent incidents — Greenpeace activists breaching security in one plant; an employee trying to smuggle out uranium tablets in another — convinced the authorities that more must be done to secure them

  • Water consumption by thermoelectric plants to grow 35.7%

    Water shortages loom as one of the major problems in the next two decades for both developed and developing countries; it does not help that water consumption by thermoelectric power plants will increase by nearly 40% during this period — and even more if carbon capturing technologies are adopted

  • China suspected in hacking attempt on Oak Ridge National Lab

    In October about 1,100 employees at the Oak Ridge National Lab received versions of seven phishing e-mails which appeared legitimate; eleven employees opened the e-mails’ attachments, which enabled the hackers to infiltrate the Lab’s system and remove data; Last week DHS circulated memo to security experts pointing to China as the source of the October hacking at the weapon lab

  • Systems integrator Adesta is making a bigger impression

    Adesta is a versatile and innovative systems integrator specializing in the construction and maintenance of stand-alone or integrated communication networks and electronic security systems

  • Grisoft acquires Exploit Prevention Labs

    Exploit Prevention Labs specializes in safe surfing technology that protects Internet users against malicious web sites and drive-by downloaded exploits; Grisoft expands it Web security offerings