Dr. Guy Bunker, of Clearswift (cyber protection), went to an information security conference in Germany recently and found that, while the exhibition hall “was full of IT companies,” nearly a third of the attendees weren’t IT people, but risk and security managers. Interesting. “This just shows,” Dr. Bunker ventures, “how information security is becoming increasingly […]
Cyber security, the security of computer networks and Internet traffic, is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to insure, cyber veteran Andrew Ginter of Waterfall Security warns on Government Security News. It’s only the strike-back ability of potential targets that “have kept nation-states in check,” Ginter adds. “When it comes to the actual cyber attacks,” […]
Federal employees and, by extension, we’d assume, others are taking greater risks with the security of their mobile devices than their desktop computers. Government Security News (GSN) reports that “Forty-one percent of government employees are putting themselves and their agencies at risk due to insecure mobile device practices.” GSN is quoting from a study by […]
Oh my, even Starbucks had to turn its mobile app on a dime, or, let’s say, an adequate gratuity, to insure it will be safe from hackers. NakedSecurity has an account of how mobile devices in the wrong hands (those of thieves) might have been subject to intruding on the bustling serenity (not opposed terms […]
Both the U.S. House and Senate are close to strengthening standards for how the federal government conducts its background investigations on individuals needing security clearances. The House unanimously passed a Security clearance Oversight and Reform Enhancement (SCORE) Act and the Senate passed a nearly identical bill in October. As Government Security News explains, “Both bills […]
Oh dear, now it’s electric utilities that are being displaced from their core importance in power generation and supply. It’s not that they’ll stop generating, Steven Collier explains on American City & County, but that new “smart grids” will allow consumers to choose among competing utilities. Anything having to do with changing patterns in electrical […]
Suzanne Spaulding, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, releases an update of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP 2013). The plan, she explains, “describes a shared vision (of the public and private sectors) in which physical and cyber critical infrastructure remain secure and resilient, while vulnerabilities are reduced, potential impacts are minimized, threats are […]
Think about, and anticipate, the security aspects of climate instability. The In Homeland Security blog advises that “untold damage awaits the unprepared in the global climate changing process.” The post warns that “we are not prepared for” massive power failures, food shortages, flooding, and climate uncertainty itself. “The truth is that there is much that […]
From American City & County and Government Product News, here’s some word on automatic license plate recognition systems (ALPR), which can likely be useful at high-security access points. It’s based on an interview with John Cigos, CEO of PlateSmart Technologies. ALPR cameras automatically take photos of license plates and, providing a user has legal access […]
This is rather afield for Barrier Briefs, but it’s well worth noting anyway. Terrorist organizations (unnamed) get much of their funding from wildlife poaching in Africa, advises Government Security news. Poaching yields $19 billion annually to terrorists and other criminals, according to the Stimson Center, a Washington, DC think-tank. Elephants and rhinos are the most […]