Morning Security Brief: Internet Voting, First Preventers, U.K. Metal Thefts, IED Detection, & Border Security Contract

♦ Security worries continue to plague Internet voting with the mid-term elections just a week away. "State efforts to let military and overseas voters cast ballots using the Internet have set off warnings from computer security experts that elections could be subject to cyberattacks," reports USA Today. "The debate intensified after the District of Columbia tested an Internet voting system for possible use next month and invited computer scientists to try hacking into it. They did, without much trouble." According to USA Today's Richard Wolf, Arizona and West Virginia will allow voters to use the Internet to cast their votes next week while more than 20 other states allow e-mail voting. David Jefferson, a computer scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who chairs VerifiedVoting.org, an election security group, told USA Today "Nobody knows how to conduct an election that is immune to the kinds of attacks we in the security community know how to do. We can't have our election systems exposed to cyberattacks."

♦ Vice President Joe Biden told the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference that local cops are a necessary layer of security to detect and disrupt terrorist attacks. During his speech, Biden urged "police and local law enforcement to share information and be on alert in the fight against terrorism, saying 'it's the local cop who's going to discover the terrorist.'" Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano echoed that sentiment, noting "the FBI is operating under the premise that the individuals prepared to carry out terrorist acts are already in the country and may be unknown to the intelligence community and federal authorities."

♦ The rising price of refined copper has led to an epidemic of metal thefts across the United Kingdom, according to the BBC. In respond, the British Transport Police are requesting more power to deal with the problem. "Police want to see CCTV brought in to record who brings in the scrap metal, with the seller having to provide a photo ID to prove who they are," reports the BBC. "They also want powers to close down suspected rogue dealers on the spot, and they want metal users to consider embossing their metal to make it less attractive to steal."

♦ Despite billions of dollars spent on IED detection, man's best friend is still the best option, according to the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO). "'Dogs are the best detectors,' Oates said at an Oct. 20 news conference at JIEDDO headquarters in Arlington, Va.When dogs are teamed with small dismounted teams of U.S. and Afghan troops, they are capable of detecting 80 percent of IEDs, he said. 'That combo presents the best detection system we currently have.'" reports National Defense. "Since it was created in 2006, JIEDDO has eagerly sought out every possible technological tool it could find in government, industry and academia to locate and remotely detonate IEDs, which have caused the majority of U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. So far it has spent nearly $17 billion on new technologies and training programs."

♦ U.S. Customs and Border Protection has awarded Unisys a large contract to produce an advanced identification system for vehicles and people crossing into the United States through land ports of entry. "The five-year Land Border Integration contract from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a unit within the Homeland Security Department, has a ceiling value of $350 million over five years and allows for additional scope to be added at the government’s discretion, according to a Unisys statement released today," reports Washington Technology. "The new contract follows Unisys’ work on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative contract, awarded in 2008, the company said." According to WT, the project will rely heavily on license plate readers.