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RFID disputes prompts DHS investigation
Black Hat conference atwitter after HID prevents IOActive from disclosing its tags’s vulnerability; DHS’s Computer Emergency Response Team will take a closer look at the issue
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Reverse-hacker wins $4.3 million in suit against Sandia
Shawn Carpenter dismissed after discovering a Chinese gang accessing the lab’s computer; decision to share data with the FBI and Army upset superiors; verdict seen as a victory for whistleblowers
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Privacy Rights Clearinghouse names top data breaches of 2006
Veterans Affairs Department and Circuit City/Chase Card Services top the list; PRC hits the 100 million illegally accessed records mark; two dozen breaches in 2006 of more than 100,000
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NSA and StratCom build up hacking capabilities
Marine General John Davishe intends to operationalize net-centric warfare; in addition to developing policy and tactics, StratCom intends to make hacking a valid career path for the Army’s best and brightest
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UC Davis scientists use bacteria to fight earthquake liquification
Application of Bacillus pasteurii during or after construction creates a shell of calcium carbonate around sand grains; approach avoids use of dangerous chemicals; funding required for larger studies
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Sungard announces new virtualization product
System intended for those requiring a short-term boost in computing strength after a disaster; large companies continue to jump on the virtualization bandwagon
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Duke students invent "wisdom door"
System uses nine sensors to measure height, weight, and girth; passing through the door can activate any number of responses, including home entertainment preferences; tandem use with RFID envisioned
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DHS to offer $1-2 million in tunnel-sensing technology
Concerned about illegal immigration, government asks private sector for a solution; sensors, IT, and geospatial imaging to play a role; temperature differences between soil within the tunnel and without may be a key indicator
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Delta to install vehicle barriers at U.S. embassies worldwide
Shallow foundation system to be deployed to China, Austria, Saudia Arabia, and various cities in Germany, among others; more than 1,000 have already been sold; U.S. Air Force plans to use same to protect all of its bases around the world
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India dumps airport Backscatter machine
Revealing images upset socially conservative security guards; cultural values often underappreciated by security officials
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TSA finds most railroad security measures inadequate
$7 million study finds advanced explosives and screening methods suffer high false positive rates; yet traditional methods such as X-rays and canines suffer from poor economies of scale; study may upset congressional plans to boost railroad security spending
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RAND lists thirty-nine options for mall security
Shopping centers seen as a tempting terrorist target; RAND recommends vehicle barriers, bag and coat searches, and information campaigns; implementing procedures claimed to reduce risk 95 percent
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The virtue of security syndication // by Ilan Meller
In addition to doing everything they can to make themselves more secure, individual organizations may enhance their security by forming a security syndicate with other organizations for the purpose of sharing security-related information; with more organizationas sharing more terror-related “dots,” it may be possible to connect these dots more effectively to form a larger, clearer threat picture
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MIT students invent wall crawling device
Intended for first responders, the Atlas Powered Rope Ascender uses the capstan effect to pull a firefighter carrying one hundred pounds of equipment up a thirty-story building in thirty seconds; students have already sold units to Army and look to commercialize
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Vista fails to make the antivirus grade
Virus Bulletin puts Microsoft’s LiveOneCare to the test; it fails, along with antivirus software from McAfee and GDATA; criticism mounts about Vista’s ability to handle the WildList
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The long view
Warnings of Cybersecurity Threats to Smart Grids from False Data Injection Attacks
Smart grids face a significant cybersecurity risk as they become more complex with the increasing integration of distributed power supplies.
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.