Archives: November, 2013

Jeh Johnson apparently did well Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is considering his nomination to become Secretary of Homeland Security. Homeland Security Watch reporter Christopher Bellavita provides “ten summary observations” about the Johnson hearing. Jonson was cautious in his answers to questions that needed deeper consideration and “closed his testimony predicting […]

Don’t rely only on checkboxes to insure security. That’s been the warning of security “evangelists” for some time, notes Risk Management Monitor, and it’s wise never to forget the advice. “They warn that if you focus too much on the list of requirements, you’re bound to miss risks that may not actually be covered in […]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t a utility company, but it is rightly concerned about avoiding the failure of power grids around the country. Thus DHS notes that President Obama has designated November as Critial Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. All of which leads to a DHS invitation to visit and participate in […]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a host of independent study courses in crisis operations. “FEMA,” says Government Security News, “anticipates that its Emergency Management Institute, which educates first responders, will hear from more than two million individuals each year who are interested in the Institute’s independent study courses.” FEMA’s courses include such areas […]

Oh dear, we don’t know whether it could actually happen, but suppose it could. Suppose America had a total power blackout due to a cyber attack. National Geographic explores such a conjectured, 10-day experience in an hour-long broadcast, American Blackout. The show will be aired on television at 9 p.m. Eastern time, and at other […]

Here’s a Veterans Day reminder of how veterans of military service apply skills they learned in uniform to challenging situations at home. The post is by the General Services Administration (GSA), which, pretty clearly, is rightfully proud of the veterans in its ranks. “Leadership, attention to detail, teamwork, dedication to duty and selfless acts are […]

Risk Management Monitor provides a primer on security at shopping malls, relying, in part, on insights from security measures at Israeli malls. “Good contingency plans,” the Risk Management post says, “should examine coverage of the shopping mall, access, reassignment of staff’s tasks and deliveries and contractors in case of an emergency. Preventative measures should also […]

Mexican drug cartels provide an example of how determinedly smugglers can challenge security measures, and how they’re likely to be caught anyway. Working with local police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently detected and shut down a cross-border tunnel south of San Diego that was intended for heavy drug traffic. The tunnel, Government […]

SightLogix provides more detail on how thermal security cameras see so well at night, at least those that are designed for doing so. Converting heat energy into shades of gray is a challenge that, when surmounted, can provide clear, responsive photos of night-time scenes. Intruders aren’t any “safer” at night than in daytime. SightLogix provides […]

All the continuing headlines about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) monitoring “of the world’s communications” require some sort of context. For it apparently isn’t as bad, or intrusive, as it sounds. Daniel Soar in, of all places, the London Review of Books, explains that NSA claims to “‘touch’ just 1.6 percent of global internet traffic, […]