Security Management News & Analysis

Former DHS Official Recommends Reorganizing the Department

By Matthew Harwood — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:59:24 -0500

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should begin a fundamental reorganization by developing a unified field structure for its components and separating operational and acquisition responsibilities, according to a former DHS official.

Worth a Look: iHound

By John Wagley — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:06:02 -0500

Mobile devices can be easily lost or stolen. One application, which works with both Apple and Android platforms, can quickly and accurately track devices and offers a host of additional security features at relatively low cost.

Morning Security Brief: CBP Audit, Unauthorized Prison Visits, The Met Cites Human Error in Data Breach, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:11:45 -0500

►U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaves private sector port facilities that store cargo at risk because it doesn’t require background checks for CBP employees who work there, according to a new Inspector General report. “The IG office surveyed 41 facilities at five US ports, screening 203 employees.

U.S. No-Fly List Doubles in One Year

By Carlton Purvis — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:15:49 -0500

The list of suspected terrorists who are banned from flying to or within the United States has doubled in the past year. A year ago, the list had around 10,000 known terrorists and now has 21,000, according to government data provided to the Associated Press.

Return of The Troubles?

By Matthew Harwood — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:49:56 -0500

Between 1969 and the 1998 signing of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, more than 3,600 people were killed in Northern Ireland in a period known as “The Troubles.” The Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought Protestant Unionist paramilitaries, the British Army, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in an attempt to free Northern Ireland of British rule. Though nothing can erase the legacy of hate and hurt, the peace has lasted for nearly 14 years.

Morning Security Brief: U.S. Terrorism Hot Spots Mapped, Boko Haram Spokesman Arrested, Airborne Smugglers, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:14:48 -0500

►Nearly 30 percent of terrorist attacks took place in just five counties, according to a new study from the University of Maryland that maps terrorism “hot spots” in the United States. Criminology professor Gary LaFree set out to find what areas are most prone to terrorism, the geographic concentration of attacks, and specific ideologies motivate and concentrate terrorist attacks, and what factors increase the risk that an attack will occur in a particular area.

Editor's Note: Is It Foolish to Fool Yourself?

By Sherry Harowitz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:34:28 -0500

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman has written a book about how cognitive illusions blind us to reason. He notes that telling Wall Street traders that their performance is no better than a roll of the dice does not shake their confidence in their ability. He marvels at the disconnect. This might at first seem to be an inherent flaw in human design, tantamount to a manufacturer’s defect in human nature.

Morning Security Brief: Air Marshal Discrimination, Immigration Reform, Super Bowl Security, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:37:22 -0500

HHS Lists Top Disaster Apps For First Responders and the Public

Staff Reports — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:40:56 -0500

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Information Research Center has published a list of recommended smartphone apps and mobile optimized Web sites to put disaster information at the fingertips of both first responders and the public.

This list features around 20 apps that provide instant information on disaster resources and medicine, and hazardous events.

Morning Security Brief: Whistleblowers Sue the FDA, Couple Barred From U.S. Over Tweets, Email Providers Fight Spam, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:42:47 -0500

►A group of FDA whistleblowers are suing the agency for monitoring their personal e-mails. In past testimony, the scientists told Congress that the FDA was approving medical devices that they believed posed risks to patients. For the next two years, their personal e-mails were monitored at work. The information from these e-mails “eventually contributed to the harassment or dismissal of all six of the FDA employees,” CBS reports.

Hackers Could Scan Your Bank Card Through Your Clothing

By Carlton Purvis — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:17:15 -0500

Shmoocon hackers showed over the weekend that with the conveniences that come from moving toward a more digital world, also come new vulnerabilities waiting to be exploited.

Saturday, Kristin Paget, chief Hacker for Recursion Ventures, a consulting and development company, showed in a live demonstration that security features for contactless payment cards can be exploited relatively cheaply and easily.

A Worldwide Perspective

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:17:43 -0500

Eduard J. Emde, CPP, took the helm as ASIS International’s president on January 1. For the first time in the Society’s 57-year history, a European is in charge, and one with a truly international perspective. With experience in corporate security management and risk analysis at international companies and agencies, this native of the Netherlands is ready to steer ASIS deeper into global waters.

Morning Security Brief: Private GPS Tracking, Oakland Occupiers Clash With Police, Facebook Sues Marketing Company, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:21:29 -0500

The Pineapple Express: Hak5 Builds A Bigger, Better WiFi Honey Pot

By Carlton Purvis — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:24:00 -0500

Morning Security Brief: School Attack Thwarted In Utah, Somali Pirates, Man Sues After Being Rejected For Police Job, and More

By Carlton Purvis — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:14:25 -0500

►A Columbine-style massacre was in it’s final planning stages when police in Roy, Utah arrested two high school students on Thursday. The two students, Dallin Todd Morgan, 18, and Joshua Kyler Hoggan, 16, planned to attack a school assembly with bombs and make their getaway in an airplane. “Maps of the school and information about security systems had been prepared with plans to escape using a plane," Roy Police said in a statement.