Morning Security Brief: Federal Building Security, EU Cybersecurity, U.K. Right-Wing Terrorism, Security at Schiphol, & More

♦ Federal lawmakers are once again concerned over security at federal buildings after last week's shooting at the Pentagon, reports The Washington Post. House members next week will hold hearings dedicated to federal building security. The lack of security at federal buildings, however, is nothing new. Last year, the GAO exposed multiple vulnerabilities at federal buildings protected by the Federal Protective Service. The report, however, didn't change much. "But the shooting at the Pentagon, which followed a February plane crash at Internal Revenue Service offices in Austin and a January shooting at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, has prompted further attention from lawmakers," the Post reports.

♦ NATO and the European Union have issued internal warnings to protect computer networks holding secret intelligence from Chinese cyberattacks, reports The Times (of London). "The attacks have also hit government and military institutions in the United States, where analysts said that the West had no effective response and that EU systems were especially vulnerable because most cyber security efforts were left to member states," the paper reports. Another reason EU systems are more vulnerable is due to the lack of intelligence sharing with the United States. The United States has strict security standards that other countries that share information with it must follow, the Times reports.

♦ A British white supremacist has pleaded guilty to producing a chemical weapon and preparing acts of terrorism, reports the Associated Press. Truck driver Ian Davison and his teenage son produced ricin and bottled it in a jam jar stored in their home until police arrested the two in June. The son is currently awaiting trial. Davison will not be sentenced until after his son's trial.

♦ Schiphol Airport has instituted new security measures after investigative journalists exposed a vulnerability at duty-free shops, reports the Associated Press. "Reporters refilled bottles bought at a duty free store, resealed them and smuggled them back into the store where they bought them," according to the AP. "Staff then put the bottles in sealed bags that were not checked by security staff." Extra security staff will not patrol duty-free shops and some stores reconsidering selling liquids altogether. Security at the airport has been heightened since the underwear bomber on Christmas Day boarded his U.S. bound flight at Schiphol.

♦ The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) yesterday announced that its new tracking system has been endorsed by two professional associations. The Bomb Arson Tracking System (BATS) "has been endorsed by the International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc. and the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators to document and report arson and explosives-related incidents in this country," according to the ATF statement. The tool will help federal, state, and local investigators analyze trends, share information, and potentially identify perpetrators, the ATF says.