Infrastructure

University of Colorado announces first-in-nation PhD program
Degree to be offered as early as the fall, pending $1.9 million in federal funding; public policy program will focus on infrastructure threats
- Read more
Black Duck announces new encryption export compliance software
Backed by Fidelity Ventures, Flagship Ventures, and other leading VCs, company adds to its software compliance offerings; technology scans software for encryption algorithms and helps developers avoid DoC fines; Cuba and Iran among countries targeted by export restrictions
- Read more

Establishing product liability a smart way to confront IT security problems
IT companies use shrink wrap agreements to avoid responsibility, but costs are transferred to consumers with no guarenteed increase in security; shifting liability to software companies may push some out of the market, but some say that will all be for the best
- Read more
Indiana receives $1.2 million for lake and river security
Money will be used to purchase powerboats, the trucks to tow them, thermo-imaging devices, and side-scanning sonar units
- Read more

Experts say utilities need to do much more
Electricity and gas plants may be the first to suffer the consequences of disrupted service; alongside barriers and surveillance systems, companies should make sure to work with local authorities to develop emergency response plans
- Read more
NICE Systems to protect Eiffel Tower
NiceVision video analytics software will help authorities sort through the monument’s six million annual visitors; globetrotting company is also working in Philadelphia and Beijing
- Read more

Experts recommend vigilence in IT security pricing
Vendors do well in part because clients are afraid to switch due to cost concerns; savvy IT professionals should price out the market and not be afraid of playing one vendor against another; software packages can be a good deal, but be wary of pricing methods
- Read more
Keeping messages over the Internet secure by making them faint
Wireless and Internet communication is vulnerable to eavesdropping and theft; traditional methods of keeping messages secure — encryption and scrambling — may be expensive to implement; two Princeton researchers suggest a new technique to keep transmissions safe, a technique which relies on the properties optical-fiber networks
- Read more

Congress proposes new regulations on the sale of fertilizer
Bill would force buyers to provide identification and require sellers to register with DHS or an appropriate state agency; a number of states already have similar laws intended to stymie another Timothy McVeigh; Farm Bureau continues to resist federal intrusion
- Read more
Rising energy costs threaten IT expansion
Power-hungry security solutions may face dark days; energy costs projected to eat up 50 percent of future IT budgets; Internet and software-based approaches gain an edge
- Read more

Federal IT security spending to drop 50 percent in 2007
Government to spend only $118 billion in the face of congressional belt-tightening; major contracts still to come include: GSA’s Alliant, Treasury’s Project Support Solutions, and Agriculture’s Multiple Award Information Technology Support Services
- Read more
DHS IT auditing office criticizes its own security procedures
Failure by the inspector general’s office to implement a standard laptop configuration that meets required DHS and federal guidelines; the failure Inspector general’s office cited for having failed to implement procedure to identify relevent software patches and update; lost and stolen laptops a major issue
- Read more

University of Texas wins $3.1 million DHS training grant
Award follows the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security’s participation in Cyberstorm and Dark Screen cyberterrorism exercises; grant to support state and municipal cybersecurity training efforts
- Read more
Social networking sites create security risks
Viruses and spyware as much a threat as identity theft; 46 percent of using adults access sites from work, and many more download unknown files; log-in credentials at risk, experts say
- Read more
Two companies' products protect security by self-destructing
VaporStream offers a Web-based e-mail service that leaves no trace once the message is read; copying, archiving, and forwarding are impossible; Philips applies for a patent on a tamperproof MRAM chip that wipes itself out if opened
- Read more

More headlines