• Analyzing e-mail messages to find insider threat

    Researchers develop a technology based on Probabilistic Latent Semantic Indexing (PLSI) to detect changes in the words and terms individuals in an organization use in their e-mail messages — to fellow employees and to outsiders; research shows that certain verbal and terminological changes indicate criminal or even terrorist intent

  • Project 28 falls short of promise, requiring three year extension

    After Boeing delivers Project 28 — a system of cameras, sensors, towers, and software to secure a twenty-eight-mile stretch of the Arizona border — to DHS, department concludes that the project lacks the operational capabilities DHS and Congress expected it to have; first phase of project now extended by three years

  • Computer science helps in combating terrorism

    The University of Maryland develops the SOMA Terror Organization Portal (STOP); SOMA (Stochastic Opponent Modeling Agents) is a formal, logical-statistical reasoning framework which uses data about past behavior of terror groups in order to learn rules about the probability of an organization, community, or person taking actions in different situations

  • Face reading software

    Spanish researchers develop algorithm capable of reading facial expressions from video images; by applying the algorithm, the system is capable of processing thirty images per second to recognize a person’s facial expressions in real time before categorizing them as expressing anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, or surprise

  • Maintaining security at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

    In 2006, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport handled 9 million international passengers and 405,000 domestic passengers; it did so while being among the world’s most secure — if not the most secure — airports; two Israeli companies, Hi-Tech Solutions and Rontal, made their own contributions to achieving that level of security

  • Detecting insider threats early

    Insiders pose serious threats to organizations ranging from multinational companies to military installations; one way to spot insider threats is to use data mining techniques to scour e-mail and build up a picture of social network interactions; the technology could prevent serious security breaches, sabotage, and even terrorist activity

  • Austrian Airlines selects CabinVu-123 from AD Aerospace

    One lesson of 9/11 was that making the cockpit door impregnable, and allowing pilots clear view of the area outside the door, would improve on-board security; Austrian Airlines chooses cockpit door monitoring system from a U.K. specialist

  • New search tools help separate the wheat from the (data) chaff

    If there is a problem which is worse than having too little information, it is having too much of it; three new tools developed by researchers at a German institute help cope with this wheat-from-the-chaff problem

  • Analysis // by Ben Frankel: U.S. still fighting for sanctions on Iran, but with a weaker hand

    The Bush administration shot itself in the foot by releasing a confusing and partially misleading intelligence assessment of Iran’s nuclear weapon activities; the administration dealt a near-fatal blow to the effort to intensify economic sanctions on Iran, instead creating a situation in which the world will either have to accept a nuclear-armed Iran or go to war to stop it

  • Terrorism poses greater threat to Europe

    Acting director of NCTC says terrorism poses greater threat to Europe than it does to the United States; additional problem for Europe: Most of the plotters in the recent European bombing plots “were legal citizens of the countries they allegedly targeted”

  • FBI worried about surge in sales of book detailing airport security gaps

    A book detailing gaps in airport security enjoys a surprising surge in sales; the FBI, which keeps track of sales of books which may benefit terrorists — and also of similar library books being checked out — wants to know more

  • BAA in Heathrow RFID trial

    BAA begins Heathrow trial for RFID-based baggage tracking system

  • Large mining concerns buys Verint solution

    A major Latin American mining conglomerate buys a critical infrastructure monitoring solution from Verint; solution will enable security personnel to react more quickly to security breaches, unauthorized personnel or vehicles, or suspicious activity across their expansive mining infrastructure

  • IAI's Stark subsidiary eyeing U.S. defense, homeland security markets

    IAI establishes a U.S. subsidiary to market its UAVs and payloads in the U.S. defense and homeland security markets; IAI is eyeing the U.S. coast guard and border patrol; first goal: Offer IAI’s Heron 1 as an alternative to General Atomics’ Predator

  • Chinese espionage ring discovered

    Chinese spy ring based in New Orleans broken up; two individuals of Chinese origin bribe Pentagon official d=to deliver sensitive information concerning Taiwan