It sounds like science fiction: A nuclear weapon exploded at high altitude above the United States interacts with the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetic field to produce an electromagnetic pulse. This pulse radiates to the Earth and creates massive electrical currents, blowing out electronics, shorting electrical systems, and frying information systems. Cascading infrastructure failures cripple the financial, food distribution, trade, and medical systems. The threat is real and has existed since the birth of nuclear weapons and is now evolving, according to the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack.
Learn how the Southeastern Transportation Security Council bridges the gap between private industry and law enforcement in the fight against cargo theft
Adding to the many experts speaking out on how to improve intelligence and information sharing, David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, recently testified before the House Committee on Government Reform that Congress must closely oversee government reorganization of the intelligence community. Congress should also reexamine its committee structure in light of the reorganization of homeland security duties in the executive branch, Walker testified , echoing a key recommendation of the 9-1l Commission.
Fed Ex likes to say that it runs the tightest ship in the shipping business. It's the Coast Guard's mandate to run the tightest ship in the ship business, however, and to that end it is developing an automatic identification system (AIS) to monitor ships traveling to and through U.S. waters. A GAO review shows various challenges, such as whether local port authorities are willing to pay for some of the cost of the infrastructure needed to make it work.
Two new reports look into changing responsibilities of federal law enforcement. One explores the transfer of the Federal Protective Service (FPS) to the Department of Homeland Security, noting that although FPS's mission has expanded, it does not have a transformation strategy to address this expanding mission. A second report analyzes the FBI's transformation to increase its focus on homeland security. Have the FBI's efforts to combat drug, white-collar, and violent crime suffered as a result? The results are mixed, say GAO auditors.
After a ten-year plunge, the average national rate of U.S. property crime leveled off in 2003. Property-crime rates nudged higher from 2002 to 2003 in households in the northeast, south, and midwest. The rate declined slightly in the west, but that region maintains by far the highest rate of property crime. @ More data is available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Crime Victimization 2003.
Much of the fear of "dirty bombs" is a fear of the unknown. Security managers who wish to educate employees can turn to a fact sheet from the National Academies and the Department of Homeland Security. It explains what dirty bombs are and are not, what they do, what danger they present, and how people can protect themselves. @ To download the sheet, go to SM Online.
How security is integrated into public spaces was the topic of a symposium held by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Among the examples discussed was the well-known Battery Park City, a 90-acre planned community at the southern tip of Manhattan, which incorporates military fortification strategies and technologies developed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Plans for the Washington Monument, which include about 800 shade and flowering trees that will double as vehicular barriers, were also discussed, as were security design features at the Chicago Federal Plaza. Topics included balancing building security with design, historic preservation, and liability concerns; security design after 9-11; design guidance to reduce potential terrorist attacks; and new standards and technologies. In one paper that discusses balancing building security with other factors, presenters offer tables on important security planning considerations, such as how to harden historic walls without sacrificing original materials and the importance of standoff distance and setback requirements. A document, available via SM Online, provides abstracts of the presentations.
In early September, four men in suburban Carácas disguised themselves as police officers and kidnapped the mother of Ugueth Urbina, a baseball pitcher from Venezuela who plays for the Detroit Tigers. The outcome of the incident was unknown at press time. That's just one example of how, in the globalizing marketplace, corporate executives and other high-profile personnel and their families are at constant risk of abduction.
The Ontario Court of Appeals has ruled that a libelous posting on the Internet causes more damage than a similar statement that appears in traditional print media. The appeals court increased the trial judge's damage award from $15,000 (Canadian) to $75,000 and added $50,000 in punitive damages. In increasing the damage awards, the court noted that Internet defamation is more pervasive and more dangerous to the reputation of those maligned because it is interactive and immediately available world- wide. (Barrick Gold Corporation v. Jorge Lopehandia, Court of Appeal for Ontario, No. C39837, 2004)
A temporary final rule issued by the U.S. Coast Guard reclassifies certain chemicals as dangerous cargo. The rule also sets out two options for vessels to submit electronic notices of arrival--a provision required under federal law. The rule took effect on September 17 and is valid through March 20, 2006. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is accepting comments for a final rule to be issued in the future. Comments must be received by November 16, 2004. For more details visit SM Online.
Under a new proposed rule issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Internet phone calls--voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP--would be subject to federal laws governing wiretaps. This means that VoIP providers would have to equip their devices to allow law enforcement to intercept calls in cases where a court order is issued for surveillance.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced its auditing procedures for ensuring that banks and other financial institutions are in compliance with security measures established under the U.S. Patriot Act. The measures, designed to fight money laundering, focus on a customer identification program through which bank officials verify the identity of customers.
The House of Representatives has approved a Senate bill (S. 15) authorizing the government's Project Bioshield, and President Bush has signed the legislation into law (P.L. 108-276).
A bill (S.B. 117) that would have limited the use of Social Security numbers by companies has been vetoed by Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich. Ehrlich noted that one provision of the bill would make it more difficult for citizens to do business with insurers. Opponents of the bill had argued that it would have prohibited companies from using the Social Security numbers of consumers on electronic transmissions even with the owner's approval.
The Texas Attorney General has issued an opinion (No. GA-0228) that federal laws governing the use of e-signatures do not require county clerks to accept them for land records. The opinion states that federal law does not apply to real estate filings with the state. The opinion also notes that while the laws do apply to transactions between consenting private parties, there is no duty for county recorders to accept electronic signatures created in these private transactions.
While the danger of the "insider threat" has been well cataloged, the details of inside attacks have not been considered in much depth. For example, who are these insiders? And what sorts of attacks do they launch? A new joint study by the U.S. Secret Service and the CERT Coordination Center helps shed some light on these questions. Read the full Insider Threat Study at SM Online.
While Linux has a reputation as being for only the most technically adept computer users, that's a perception that is going to change, thanks to a new book by Rickford Grant called Linux for Non-Geeks. Grant's book is described on the cover as a "hands-on, project-based, take-it-slow" approach to understanding, installing, and using Linux, and the book delivers on this promise, leading readers slowly and without jargon through the world of Linux. The book even comes with a free distribution of Linux known as Fedora that provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface that can compete with Windows. Users can have both Fedora and Windows running on the same machine. The book is available through online vendors such as Amazon.com for about $24. It comes with a working version of Linux on two CDs.
Worms, rootkits, Trojans. These attacks, along with the rest of their malware friends, represent tremendous risks to any network connected to the Internet. And as with any type of security threat, ignorance isn't an option. The good news is that the Internet Storm Center is out there keeping an eye on these threats in real time. Their graphs show what malware is hitting the 'net the hardest and which ports are being targeted each day, and the daily "Handler's Diary" describes what threats IT security pros from SANS are watching and remediating. The SANS Internet Storm Center is this month's Site to See. Get there via SM Online.
PDAs are more popular than ever, with 2.75 million hand-held devices shipped in the second quarter of 2004 alone. Because criminals are among the loyal users of the devices, those who are tasked with performing forensic examinations of computers must also know how to get data off a PDA in a way that preserves evidence for a court case. A Special Publication of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been developed to help organizations create policies and procedures for dealing with PDA forensics. The document includes information on forensic tools and proper procedures. @ Guidelines on PDA Forensics is available through SM Online.
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