A proposed bill would require DHS to issue a national standard for emergency and disaster preparedness, security training, and recovery in the private sector.
The Department of Homeland Security has called for proposals from universities interested in studying the behavioral basis of terrorism. DHS is allocating $12 million to establish a university-based Center of Excellence in Behavioral and Social Aspects of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. The center is expected to focus on both the behavior of terrorists and the effects of threats and attacks on populations. Proposals are due by the end of this month. @ For more information, go to SM Online.
The rise in urban gang activity has in the past been correlated with economic downturns. But according to a study summarized in the NIJ Journal, gang activity increases in rural areas when times are good. The study's authors postulate that "this may be because economic growth brings inner-city families to outlying areas," according to the study. @ The article is on SM Online.
Denial-of-service (DOS) attacks have emerged as the type of computer-security incident that costs companies the most money, supplanting the top risk for the previous five years--theft of proprietary data--for the first time. That's one statistic from the ninth annual 2004 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey. The survey also found that overall dollar losses have diminished dramatically from a year before, from more than $200 million to less than $150 million. Despite the reduction, the report suggests that DOS attacks have become an increasingly common threat because they are often entwined with viruses
A testing body's attempt to clarify which fingerprint products perform best has devolved to fingerpointing. Recent testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that NEC Corporation, Groupe SAGEM, and Cogent Systems produce the most accurate fingerprint matching, identification, and verification systems. But the results of the testing, which evaluated 34 products from 18 vendors, also yielded objections from companies that didn't fare as well.
The Galileo system is just one development identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that will influence the immediate future of the security industry and the direction of what the OECD calls in a new report "the security economy." The report examines current and emerging security trends and their potential economic implications.
The question was recently asked by the World Health Organization to determine the extent to which youth violence is a normal aspect of human development and the extent to which it is influenced by culture. As to how often they got into scrapes with other adolescents, the teenagers from the United States, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, and Sweden had basically the same rates. But the prevalence of school bullying in the five countries varied greatly. SM Online has a summary of the study.
A new study of Certified Protection Professionals (CPPs) finds that they place a high priority on the need to master business practices that boost the bottom line, such as budget management skills. Information security was also rated as important. For more information, contact Daphne Philos at dphilos@asisonline.org.
Though it will not issue any recommendations until it releases a draft of the final investigation report in December, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been making solid technical progress in its probe of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse.
A new secure Department of Homeland Security Web site called Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS) is open to approved emergency response providers and homeland security officials at the local, state, and federal levels.
Is Houston, Texas, high on al Qaeda's list of desired targets? A risk analysis report by Stratfor, a company that provides business and security intelligence, notes that Houston is a potential al Qaeda target, in part because it is home to Halliburton Co., a company that was specifically mentioned by Saudi Arabian militants in its May 27 attacks on western residential and business compounds in Khobar.
The Roman satirist Juvenal famously asked, "Who will guard the guardians?" An equally pertinent question for today might be "Who will respond to the emergency responders?"
Lots of agencies and departments call themselves "the last line of defense" against terrorism, but, at least with respect to biological and chemical terrorism, perhaps medical examiners and coroners have the most legitimate claim to that title. They are the last people to examine a body for signs of terrorist traces before evidence is buried or destroyed. With that in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has drafted a report providing coroners and medical examiners with information required to build their capacity for biological terrorism preparedness for the benefit of public health.
One is stored in what looks like an oversize locker key. Another sits inside a belt buckle. Others are concealed in brush handles, small crucifixes, and walking canes. These are among the ingenious knives and other weapons cataloged and exhibited by the FBI in a recently released guide to concealable weapons.
A final rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would allow the agency to detain food if it has credible evidence or information that the substance may cause serious health problems or death to humans or animals.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued guidelines for airports to use in deciding whether to retain federal screeners or return to the use of private screening companies. Under laws passed after September 11, as of November 19, 2004, airports may start applying for the right to use contract security services.
The GAO report notes that the TSA still does not require criminal record checks or security awareness training for all airport employees as required by law. Similarly, the TSA has not required airport vendors to develop security programs. And while programs have been launched to investigate perimeter security and biometrics technology, implementation and funding plans remain nebulous.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)--formerly the General Accounting Office--concludes that the Coast Guard's plan to review all vessel security plans has faced numerous challenges and should be updated. As of the beginning of June, the report notes, the Coast Guard had reviewed only half of the 6,400 vessel plans submitted by the July 1 deadline set out in federal law.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued two ergonomics guidelines, one for the retail grocery industry and the other for poultry processing plants.
In a recent hearing held before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines, witnesses detailed the security measures taken since 9-11 and urged lawmakers to approve additional funding for new security plans.
A bill (H.R. 2971) that would restrict the sale and public display of Social Security numbers by both private sector and government entities has been approved by the House Ways and Means Committee.
One bill (H.R. 2728) introduced by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) would allow businesses extra time to reply to OSHA citations. Under current law, businesses have 15 days to respond. However, H.R. 2728 would allow OSHA to grant exceptions to this deadline in cases where the employer failed to comply due to "mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect." Another bill (H.R. 2731) also introduced by Norwood would allow small businesses--those with fewer than 100 employees and a net worth of less than $7 million--to seek reimbursement of attorney's fees if they successfully contest an OSHA citation. Such fees could be collected from the government even if the citation was "substantially justified."
A bill (H.R. 218) that would exempt off-duty and retired law enforcement personnel from compliance with concealed-weapons laws has been approved by both houses of Congress.
A bill (H.R. 3266) that would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to make grants to first responders to purchase or upgrade equipment and conduct training exercises has been approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
A bill (H.R. 1678) that would make it a federal crime to fool people into believing that an act of terrorism has taken place has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would also require those convicted under the measure to reimburse law enforcement for any costs of investigating the hoax.
The Coast Guard authorization bill (H.R. 2443) has been approved by the House of Representatives and has been approved in a different form by the Senate. In a conference committee, which is designed to hash out differences in the two versions, lawmakers rejected a controversial provision that would have required Coast Guard representatives to review the security plans of all foreign vessels entering U.S. waters. (Under current law, the Coast Guard is required to review the security plans of domestic vessels.) At a hearing before the bill was passed, Coast Guard Commandant Thomas H. Collins contended that the agency does not have the money or personnel to complete the task, which would have required reviewing plans for more than 10,000 foreign vessels.
A bill (H.R. 4022) introduced by Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) would allow the owners of private security companies (contract service providers) to access the FBI's criminal database through the National Crime Information Center.
Several bills currently under consideration in Congress are aimed at enhancing aviation security programs. One bill (H.R. 3959) introduced by Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) would authorize the Homeland Security Department to provide air marshal training to law enforcement personnel from foreign countries. The bill has no cosponsors and has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Companion bills (H.R. 4126 and S. 2268) introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Sen. Jim Bunning (R-NY), respectively, would alter the federal flight deck officer program--allowing pilots to carry firearms on commercial flights. The measure would add mental health standards and firearms training to the list of eligibility requirements. The bill would also prohibit the disclosure of information relating to a pilot's participation in the program and provide an appeal process for pilots who have been determined ineligible for the program.
Two identical bills (H.R. 4212 and S. 2310) introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), respectively, would establish a task force on nuclear material removal within the Department of Energy.
Legislators in North Carolina are considering a bill (S.B. 921) that would allow business owners to obtain a restraining order on behalf of an employee who is threatened by violence. The restraining order could be obtained to protect the employee from domestic violence or from a coworker. The order could be procured before any violence has occurred.
A bill (S.B. 475) recently defeated by the Virginia Assembly would have prohibited employment discrimination against applicants who had been convicted of crimes that did not directly relate to the job being sought.
A bill (S.B. 1841) recently approved by the California Senate would require that employers inform workers before they monitor employee e-mail accounts. The measure would provide electronic communication with the same protections as voice communications.
A federal appeals court has ruled that an employer who fired a worker for making false sexual harassment claims against his supervisor cannot be held liable for violating that employee's First Amendment rights. The court ruled that the internal investigation into the plaintiff's actions was sound and proved that the plaintiff had attempted to enlist other employees to backup the sexual harassment story. Also, the plaintiff's actions were legitimate grounds for dismissal. (Johnson v. State of Louisiana, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 03-30087, 2004)
In a recent federal decision, the court ruled that an employer may not inform employees about a mandatory arbitration policy via e-mail. The court determined that e-mail is not the same as traditional mail and that employers must have some way--such as a signature on a document--to prove that the employee has read and understood the policy. (Campbell v. General Dynamics, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 03-11848-NG, 2004)
The report, Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement, maps out the policies and procedures needed to conduct computer-related forensic investigations and describes the processes of evidence acquisition, assessment, and examination.
Small businesses face the same IT security risks that their multibillion-dollar cousins do, but they have far fewer resources with which to fight those risks. To help small businesses tackle this problem, US-CERT and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center have joined forces to present a series of free national Webcasts. Read the testimony from the hearing, and find out more about the DHS and SBA resources, through SM Online
When an e-mail arrives from your bank asking for personal information, it's only natural to suspect a scam. A quick check of a Web page from MailFrontier, a company offering protection against spam and scams, might help confirm your suspicions. The company has compiled a number of advisories and statistics, and a host of common phishing scams, and a Scam of the Week. @ Check out the "E-mail Threat Info Center" via SM Online
In 2003, more than $50 billion was spent globally on commercial software. However, almost $80 billion worth of software was actually installed. The difference represents the size of the software piracy market. The results of a Business Software Alliance (BSA) study show that China, Vietnam, the Ukraine, Indonesia, and Russia are the top five pirating countries. The U.S., New Zealand, Denmark, Austria, and Sweden are at the other end of the spectrum. Stronger copyright laws have been countered by increasing online piracy via spam, auction sites, and peer-to-peer systems, the report concludes.
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Inspector General (IG) recently slammed the agency for not implementing "adequate security controls to protect data transmitted on wireless networks and devices." The IG's report called DHS's wireless policy incomplete and also pointed out that none of the wireless systems in use has been certified or accredited, though DHS security policy mandates this. @ The full report and a response from DHS Chief Information Officer Steven I. Cooper are at SM Online.
Department of Defense policies are not addressing the risk of foreign software developers inserting malicious code or backdoors that could jeopardize weapons systems, concludes a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. GAO investigators found that "11 of the 16 software intensive weapon systems we reviewed did not make foreign involvement in software development a specific element of their risk management efforts." Pentagon officials agreed with many of the GAO's findings, and pointed out that "risk attributable to software vulnerabilities are not limited to foreign suppliers." @ Knowledge of Software Suppliers Needed to Manage Risks " is at SM Online.
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