THE MAGAZINE

The obsession with the Mexican border is only one of the holes in our border net. Another is that we can’t really ID people at border checkpoints.

Is the focus on the Mexico border leaving a northern exposure?

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Maximum percentage of IT budget spent on security by the average U.K.-based company, according to a survey of information security breaches by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Seventeen percent of employees have launched a hacking tool or keystroke-logging software on their network in the past year, an increase from 12 percent from the year before. That’s no surprise given that 47 percent of the 351 IT decision-makers interviewed by Websense said employees who received phishing e-mails clicked on the link they found in the message, while a third of those interviewed admitted that they don’t block executables in e-mails. The annual Web@Work survey interviewed 351 information technology managers from U.S. companies of all sizes. @ More results of the survey are at SM Online.

Wireless continuity between access points, Web 2.0 under increasing attack, local weather updates, and more

The book is best browsed through in front of a computer, because you’ll be eagerly visiting the Web sites he writes about and trying the software and tactics he describes. Many of the latter I had never heard of. For instance, in a chapter on how to work around censorship (government or corporate) of Web sites, he describes how to access banned Web pages by having them e-mailed to you. No special software is required; just send an e-mail containing the URL of the Web site you want to see to a certain e-mail address, and the full site will be sent back to you inside a return message.

Not long after a data breach involving the Department of Veterans Affairs, David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office, gave testimony to a House committee on steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of personal data being stolen. The first is to conduct a privacy-impact assessment before deploying new systems; Walker noted that agencies do not always do this. He also recommended limiting the collection of personal information, and limiting the time that such information is retained. @ "Privacy: Preventing and Responding to Improper Disclosures of Personal Information is available at SM Online.

Wireless continuity between access points, Web 2.0 under increasing attack, local weather updates, and more

It’s estimated that millions of Americans each year suffer identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has set up a Web site to help deter, detect, and defend against identity theft. The site contains a number of educational resources, including a 10-minute educational video that provides an overview of the problem, a PowerPoint presentation, and several PDF publications.

If you are an IT security professional or are interested in becoming one, you’ll find a new career guide issued by (ISC)2 to be a helpful resource. The guide describes the types of jobs available (including typical job titles) and explores the various areas of expertise within information security, as well as educational requirements, technical skills needed, salary ranges, and the certifications that can help you advance your career. The guide also includes a list of schools offering IT security curricula and relevant professional associations. @ Career Guide: Decoding the Information Security Profession is at SM Online.

Anyone looking for an overview of the elements that make up an information security program can turn to a comprehensive guide released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) titled Information Security Handbook: A Guide for Managers. The handbook covers every aspect of security, from awareness and training issues to incident response and recovery strategies. Intended for senior managers, it’s as appropriate for the private sector as it is for government readers; as the authors note, while private- and public-sector requirements may differ, “the underlying principles of information security are the same.” @ Security Management Online has the NIST handbook.

A 1950’s-style diner goes modern when it comes to CCTV technology.

No security professional involved at any level in the VA process for physical protection systems can afford to operate without this field manual.

Authors George Haddow and Jane Bullock examine emergency management with a focus on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its role in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With insiders’ views of their agency born from their time with FEMA in the late 1990s, Haddow and Bullock have special insight into the responsibilities and organization of FEMA.

The book is ideal for system administrators tasked with evaluating antispam products for their organizations, but there is something for every level of user.

The six major parts of the book all have their enlightening moments, whether discussing authentication mechanisms or privacy and anonymity.

Lots of people have fake Rolex watches, Coach bags, or movies on DVD. Though some people justify these as “innocent” copies that democratize purchasing power, manufacturers see them as a significant funding source for organized crime, which is destroying the hard work of the world’s watch, designer bag, film, and other industries. But is this trade in counterfeit goods really deadly, as the author of Knockoff claims?

The book is a compilation of scholarly articles targeted to professors, students, and policymakers, relying heavily on research studies that employ both inferential and descriptive statistics. The material is presented in four sections, with contributions appearing from some of the leading criminal justice experts in the academic community.

In the early days of nuclear physics, many people scoffed at the notion that splitting an atom could devastate cities. They simply did not understand the power of the atom. In many ways, privacy is akin to the atom: it sits dormant among the minutiae of life until it is split, or invaded, unleashing forces that can have destructive consequences.

If true, this book is terrifying. If false, it’s wildly irresponsible. Sperry writes an alarming exposé of how Muslims have been secretly infiltrating American society, government, and culture, all the while pretending to be peace-loving and patriotic, while actually supporting violent jihad to turn the United States into an Islamic state.