In the NEWS

Mar 1, 2002 12:00 PM

Highlights from our daily newsfeed at www.securitysolutions.com

• ENRON TEAM FORMS ITS OWN SECURITY FIRM

  The Houston Chronicle has reported that the top security team from troubled energy giant Enron, which includes four former CIA officers and an ex-FBI agent, has formed its own private consulting firm. The new firm, Secure Solutions Intl., will continue to work for Enron through a consulting contract. While employed by Enron, the security team acted as an in-house detective agency, investigating fraud and other violations by Enron workers. Former FBI agent John W. Presley, who was Enron's director of corporate security, will now lead SSI. He is joined by, among others, former CIA officer David M. Cromley and a former investigator for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. (posted Feb. 1, 2002)

• FAA TESTS NEW NETWORKED SECURITY ID SYSTEM

  A security screening system establishing a computer network linking every ticket reservation system in the U.S. to private and government databases will be tested by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a Washington Post report. The network is designed to instantly reveal personal information about passengers, including travel history and living arrangements. The network would use data-mining software to pluck information on passengers from a variety of sources. The system's goal would be to mark any subtle patterns or unusual data that could suggest a potential threat. After reviewing the data, the system would assign each passenger a threat index score, and those with high scores would be singled out for further inspection by airport officials. (posted Feb. 7, 2002)

• BUSH COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT ISSUES WARNING

  President Bush's top computer security advisor, Cyber Security Czar Richard Clarke, says high-tech companies, customers and government agencies are well aware of their own security vulnerabilities but are reluctant to pay to fix them. Clarke warns that it is just a matter of time before terrorists use those flaws to their advantage — launching an attack on critical infrastructure such as the electricity grid or air traffic control. “They look for the seams,” Clarke said during a speech at the RSA Conference in San Jose, Calif. “Our infrastructure is fragile.” President Bush is proposing a 64 percent increase in spending for computer security to $2.7 billion in 2002. Clarke has suggested several changes to address the security concerns, including moving all government Web sites to a new private network called GOVNET. Clarke also advocates government-industry cooperation. (posted Feb. 27, 2002)

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