Security Management Online E-Letter for May 2008

 E-News – Vol 7. No. 5  May 1, 2008

Today's Headlines

Security Management highlights also include:

• Deterring Criminals
• Digital Video Snags
• Electronic Voting
• Emergency Management
• Phishing from Social Sites
• Drug Dependency
• Read All About It
• Online Forum Question

Deterring Criminals

When contemplating crime, offenders gravitate to easy targets. Situational and environmental crime-control measures can help change the would-be criminal's mind regarding whether committing the offense is worth the risk. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is the most well known of the environmental crime control theories, and others include defensible space theory, routine activity theory, situational crime prevention theory, and crime pattern theory.

@ Glen Kitteringham, CPP, leads readers through the theories and their practical applications in "Where Criminals Fear to Tread." A longtime security professional, Kitteringham has worked in the commercial real estate industry for the past ten years.

Digital Video Snags

Internet Protocol (IP) video has made surveillance much cheaper and more effective. But companies that implement a network-video solution have to address a different set of security issues. For example, a denial-of-service attack on the network could potentially bring down a monitoring system or a hacker could access video feeds.

@ In "Digital Video Vulnerabilities" Jason Schmitt of Steelbox Networks reports on some of the challenges and solutions associated with the new technology.

Electronic Voting

Voter advocates and computer scientists are concerned about the security of electronic voting machines. In 2006, a New York University study looked at three types of voting machines and found significant vulnerabilities with all three. Several states have run studies on their own voting machines, and some of those have found other problems.

@ This month's "Intelligence" looks at the issues that might affect how your vote is counted in November. (Print edition only)

Emergency Management

After four years of proposals and revisions, a plan for responding to disasters of all kinds has been issued. The National Response Framework complements the National Incident Management System, which provides guidelines to state and local emergency managers for preparedness and a template for command of disaster management.

@ Read about the plan and how it can be used in this month's "Homeland Security."

Phishing from Social Sites

Social networking sites are causing new headaches for executives and IT professionals. Sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn make personal and employment information easy to find for phishers as well as for colleagues. Armed with such information, a phisher can craft a convincing e-mail that draws in the victim through familiarity.

@ Learn more about this problem and how to combat it in the May "Technofile."

Drug Dependency

A federal appeals court has ruled that a hospital is not required to accommodate the restrictions on a nurse's working environment brought about by her drug dependency. In the written opinion, the court noted that the case was unique because her claimed disability also happens to be illegal. Such conduct is not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

@ Learn more about this decision and others in this month's "Legal Report." (Print edition only)

Read All About It

The world of security design consulting is a small one—so much so that newcomers may have difficulty finding someone to teach them the ropes. Fortunately, one established expert, Brian Gouin, has put the basics on paper. In the book Security Design Consulting, Gouin describes the nuts and bolts of starting and running a consultancy, including marketing, assessments, proposal writing, service agreements, report writing, and billing.

@ Susan Gallagher, New Zealand-based consultant for business and government, reviews the book in this month's edition of Security Management.

Online Discussion Forum
Question of the Month

Visit the Forums on SM Online to share information and experiences with your peers. Here's a question recently posed by one visitor:
I've noticed that many guard services firms use craigslist for free advertising. Can anyone suggest a better approach?

@ To register and participate in the Forums, just click here. It's free!

Also New Online:

-- Find links to the latest security reports and other resources through "Beyond Print."

-- Check for Breaking News and lend your expertise to others by commenting on individual news items.

-- See Marketplace for the latest products and services. And if you need a local supplier, check out the ASIS Security Industry Buyers Guide Online.

-- Get the latest info on events and training programs.

-- Link to www.asisonline.org, ASIS's Web page, for more industry events, workshops, and resources.

And much more...

-- Don't forget to go to www.securitymanagement.com on a daily basis to get the latest news from "Today's Headlines."

Security Management is the award-winning publication of ASIS International, the preeminent international organization for security professionals with more than 35,000 members worldwide.

Check out ASIS Online for more industry events, workshops, and resources.

-- Subscribe to the print edition to get even more valuable advice. This month features articles about:

• Discouraging loitering
• Self-assessments for government contractors

Click here to subscribe.

We welcome comments on content from the Web site or the print magazine, as well as suggestions regarding topics for future coverage. Send e-mail to:

Sherry Harowitz
Editor
Security Management
sharowitz@asisonline.org

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