Morning Security Brief: Hacked Military Sites For Sale, Homegrown Radicalization Questioned, PSCs in Afghanistan, & More.

♦ Cyberthieves are selling the ability to log-in to hacked military and government Web sites as well as stolen records on an underground marketplace. "Government, defence (.mil) and education sites in the US and Europe are on offer to interested parties from anywhere between $55 and $499 each. The hacker is selling admin login credentials to hacked sites as well as looted personal data from compromised sites, yours for $20 per 1K records," reports The Register. "Database security firm Imperva, which issued an advisory late last week after coming across the illicit trade, reckons SQL injection vulnerabilities are the root cause of the security problems affecting the sites up for sale. It reckons the miscreant behind the sale used a scanner to search for vulnerabilities he knew how to exploit using automated tools."

♦ A columnist for TIME magazine argues strongly against the idea that American Muslims are becoming a dangerous, radicalized threat to U.S. homeland security. "Though acts of violent extremism by U.S. Muslims appear to have grown, their potency has not," writes Romesh Ratnesar. "American Muslims remain more moderate, diverse and integrated than the Muslim populations in any other Western society. Despite the efforts of al-Qaeda propagandists like al-Awlaki, the evidence of even modest sympathy for the enemy existing inside the U.S. is minuscule. The paranoia about homegrown terrorism thus vastly overstates al-Qaeda's strength and reflects our leaders' inability to make honest assessments about the true threats to America's security."

♦ The Afghan government is scrutinizing private security companies again. "A special committee appointed by Mr. Karzai to investigate the companies has found that 18 have committed 'major offenses,' although that number may have later been lowered, according to an Afghan official who has read the committee’s report," reports The New York Times. "While the offenses cited were less than explosive — there were no charges, for instance, of murder or the inadvertent killing of innocents — some Western officials worry that Mr. Karzai may use them to try to speed the departure of the companies faster than his government is able to replace them with a promised Afghan force."

♦ The British government is divided over revisions to the country's counterterrorism policies, especially control orders. "The home secretary can issue a control order, restricting a terror suspect's movements and described by some as a form of house arrest, where the authorities believe them to be a risk to the public. The orders were introduced by Labour in 2005. The Lib Dems had pledged to scrap them, claiming they infringed civil liberties," reports the Guardian. "One suggested replacement is a new system of 'surveillance orders', easing curfews and restrictions on the use of mobile phones and computers. It is understood the revised form of control orders could include concessions over pastoral care, education and work. Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, indicated today that a deal had been reached that would 'restore this delicate balance' between security and civil liberties."

♦ The state of West Virginia is looking to build a joint facility for the state's homeland security-related agencies. "State Homeland Security and Emergency Services Director Jimmy Gianato says the state Office of Emergency Services, the National Guard, the National Weather Service, the state Fusion Center and the state Department of Transportation are all involved in the discussions," according to Metro News. "Gianato says the joint facility will cost about $10 million to build. He recently asked the House of Delegates Finance Committee for a $5 million state commitment. Gianato says the National Guard already owns the property that's being prepared for construction."