THE MAGAZINE

May 2009

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Plus: Transit Security • Healthcare • Background Screening

COVER STORY

Communicating to Save Lives

By Joseph Straw

Nearly eight years after 9-11, the goal of 100 percent communications interoperability for first responders remains elusive, but numerous workaround solutions are proving effective for responders in the field.

FEATURES

How to Avoid Hiring Mishaps

By Lester S. Rosen

Knowing what data to search and what information to avoid is critical when vetting job candidates. Special care must be applied when using criminal databases compiled from public sources, for example. Other critical issues include the proper vetting of educational claims and the use of social networking sites.

Developing an Antipiracy Program

By Richard C. LaMagna, CPP

How security managers can protect the company’s intellectual property and contribute to the bottom line. (Web Exclusive)

 

HOMELAND SECURITY

Problems with Pandemic Monitoring

By Joseph Straw

Fearing that the West will take bird flu data but withhold resulting vaccines, Indonesia is holding on to its monitoring results.

Are You Prepared for All Hazards?

By Joseph Straw

Companies and governments should take an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness and response based on comprehensive risk assessments.

State Perspective - Louisiana

By Joseph Straw

An interview with Mark Cooper, director of the Louisiana's Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

PRINT EDITION ONLY

Healthy Data Security

By John Wagley

Mobile devices can cut costs and improve healthcare, but they also dramatically increase the potential vulnerability of personal patient information. Learn how healthcare providers are adapting technological solutions to their needs.

Tying Terror Groups to Attacks

By Laura Spadanuta

A research program under development could help determine which group is responsible for an incident by analyzing the details of the event.

Traditional Profiling Ineffective, Study Says

By Laura Spadanuta

Traditional profiling is no more effective at rooting out criminals than random screening, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

Confessions Corrupting Witnesses

By Laura Spadanuta

Eyewitness misidentification is the number one cause of wrongful criminal prosecutions, accounting for 75 percent of the prisoners exonerated due to DNA evidence.

Legal Report

By Teresa Anderson

A school board's drug testing policy is judged unconstitutional, and an employee who destroyed company data but was acquitted cannot sue his employer for malicious prosecution. Congress considers bills on state secrets, copper theft, and food safety.

Industry News

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge

The Society creates a new service award and announces the winners of the student writing competition. Tony Biancalana, CPP, is profiled.

Getting the Boss's Ear

By James E. Lukaszewski

By being ready with the right information at the right time, you can become the person the boss turns to for advice and counsel.

 

The Magazine — Past Issues

EDITOR'S NOTE

Grasping the Global Risk Relationship

By Sherry Harowitz

Understanding the nature of the global risk relationship.

TECHNOFILE

Can You See Me Now?

By John Wagley

Cell phones can double as portable location devices, which may be a security risk for executives.

Hardening Flash Drives

By John Wagley

Flash drives, while smaller and cheaper, are becoming one more weak security link in the computer environment.

Security in Tough Times

By John Wagley

Companies will need to optimize interdepartmental budget sharing, share security-related tasks, and even outsource to keep a nimble security strategy during the current recession, a new report recommends.

Gray Hat Hacking

By Thomas McElroy, CPP, PCI, and Sanitra Angram, CISSP, GSEC

The Ethical Hacker's Handbook attempts to create antihacking security professionals: it more than succeeds in its task.

Quick Bytes: Lost Customers is Biggest Breach Cost

By John Wagley

The biggest data breach cost by far is loss of customer relationships, according to a Ponemon Institute study. Such losses account for 69 percent of breach costs, up from 65 percent in 2007 and 54 percent in 2006.

Site to See: Google Alerts

Google Alerts can help people monitor the Internet for any of their personal information churning around cyberspace.

Behind the Numbers

The top Internet frauds complaints for 2008.

INTERNATIONAL

Risks of Aid Work in Pakistan

By Stephanie Berrong

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Pakistan face a deteriorating security situation.

Digging into Data About Getting Out

By Stephanie Berrong

A British study investigating high-rise building evacuations relied on interviews of 271 Twin Towers' survivors on 9-11.

Global Security on Track

By Stephanie Berrong

A new cross-Atlantic alliance between Amtrak and the British Transport Police hopes to collaborate and cooperate on security and counterterrorism practices.

Data Breach Costs

German companies surveyed by the Ponemon Institute spent an average of $3.2 million per data breach event in 2008 compared with $2.5 million in the U.K. and $6.6 million in the United States.

CASE STUDY

Security's New Chapter

By Teresa Anderson

By upgrading its existing system, Queens Library was able to improve access control without the expense of replacing the infrastructure.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Safe Hiring Audit: The Employer's Guide to Implementing a Safe Hiring Program

By Lester S. Rosen; Reviewed by Marianna Perry, CPP

Employees determine how every organization runs. Lester S. Rosen shows employers how to pick the right one so organizations don't break down.

Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent

By Mike German; Reviewed by James T. Dunne

Thinking Like a Terrorist is an overly dense attempt to define a winning strategy in the War on Terror.

Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention: An Encyclopedic Reference

By Charles A. Sennewald, CPP, and John Christman, CPP; Reviewed by John E. O'Rourke, CPP

Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention is poised to become the authoritative security reference for the retail industry.

Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses

By Markus Jakobsson and Zulfikar Ramzan; Reviewed G. Ernest Govea, CPP

A must read for those in corporate America defending their companies against myriad cyberthreats.

Immigration Chaos: Solutions to an American Crisis

By Neville W. Cramer; Reviewed by Frederick D. "Rick" Arons, CPP, CRT

Immigration Chaos charts how the "quagmire" evolved and what the United States can do to stop illegal aliens while welcoming legal immigrants.

 

Beyond Print

Beyond Print

See all the latest links and resources that supplement the current issue of Security Management magazine.

ASIS 2010 Seminar