Copper Theft Still A Rising Problem For States
Unprecedented copper thefts have spurred a crackdown to stop the damage, as at least 16 states have passed or proposed new laws, and businesses have boosted security and offered bounties for information on the thieves, reports USA Today.
The crackdown comes as losses to businesses hover around $1 billion, the U.S. Department of Energy reports, and as escalating thefts have disrupted the flow of electricity, slowed construction projects and knocked out irrigation networks crucial to commercial farms.
Seizing on rising worldwide demand and surging value for the popular metal -- up from 80 cents per pound in 2003 to about $3.50 this year -- thieves sell stolen copper for millions of dollars in cash, state and federal authorities say....
AvaLAN Executive Speaks At Monitoring And Networking Conference
Ray Shilling, vice president of sales and marketing at AvaLAN Wireless Systems, a developer in the wireless Ethernet market, will deliver a presentation at the Sixth Annual Remote Monitoring and Networking Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Shilling will speak on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. about "Installing Wireless Network-based Security Devices Using the Increasingly-Crowded Unlicensed Radio Spectrum."
"The use of wireless network technologies is expanding rapidly; so much so that it is becoming increasingly critical for integrators to fully research the subject prior to deploying products in this very crowded unlicensed bandwidth space," Shilling says. ...
CDW-G Releases Annual Higher Education IT Security Report Card
CDW Government Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CDW Corp. and source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, has released the results of its third annual Higher Education IT Security Report Card, a national survey that asks higher education IT directors and managers to rate the state of IT security and the support they receive from constituents on their campuses. The 2007 report provides three-year trend data along with additional insights on increasingly complex campus security issues such as converged IT and physical security solutions.
According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, there have been 148 publicly-disclosed data breaches at colleges and universities since 2005. While some incidents are unintentional, such as a data file posted to a public Web site, hacker activity and malicious attacks account for much of the data loss....
A Global Index To Track Security Fears
Technology consultant Unisys Corp. has begun regular polling of consumers around the world to find out what they view as the most serious threats to their security.
Unisys will use results of the three-times-a-year consumer surveys to create the Unisys Security Index, a standard to measure consumer perception of threats. The index will help Unisys with its own business, as well as offer insight to its clients in the public and private sectors, Tim Kelleher, vice president of enterprise security, told Dow Jones Newswires.
The index includes not only consumer opinions on IT security, but on national security, financial and personal security. ...
Gartner: No Additional Investment Needed For Security Threats
IT managers trying to figure out how much money to budget for information security purposes each year might want to take note of some recent advice from Gartner Inc.: Despite the growth in targeted attacks and the continuing discovery of new vulnerabilities, almost 90 percent of the threats companies face today can be handled without any extra investment in security.
Instead, companies need to reduce some of the money they've spent over the past few years protecting against mass attacks -- redirecting those freed-up resources to confront more narrowly directed emerging threats.
A lot of companies spend too much money on security controls such as firewalls, antivirus software and other desktop protection tools designed to defend against traditional mass attacks, Gartner analyst John Pescatore told ComputerWorld....
Study Says Active RFID Leading Cargo Security Technology
According to a new study from ABI Research, although the ISO committee concerned with cargo container security has released a standard based on active RFID, many end-users would prefer to employ passive RFID solutions, or none at all, Canadian Transportation & Logistics reports.
In the absence of a mandate from government, amid continuing questions about the costs and benefits of installing container security and tracking devices, the market for these systems remains largely undeveloped as forces driving and inhibiting its growth seek a balance, says the report.
The cargo tracking and security market is not immune from the active vs. passive cost-benefit-performance debate, says ABI Research director Michael Liard....
Security Executive Council Offers "Ask the Experts" Online Feature
The Security Executive Council (SEC) has announced the launch of a new online feature: Faculty Advisor (secleader.typepad.com). Through this interactive function, security professionals can call on the knowledge and experience of SEC faculty to answer pressing questions on all types of security-related topics, including security careers, business alignment, executive relationships, regulations, security's value, measures and metrics and SEC tools and products.
This new, free service will provide security practitioners impartial, expert advice on issues that directly impact their security programs. Any security practitioner may submit a question....
Visitor Management Doesn't Have To Be Expensive
Threats and potential dangers can be found in most neighborhoods throughout the nation. Every school needs a visitor-management plan that is well-written, well-rehearsed and well-enforced as one of the first steps in protecting people and property, according to an article in American School & University, a sister publication.
School administrators no longer can pretend that their facilities are safe havens from the troubles that occur in society....
New Standard Of Good Practice Launched For 2007
The Information Security Forum (ISF) has publicly launched the 2007 version of its international Standard of Good Practice for Information Security, which can be downloaded free of charge from www.isfstandard.com.
Aimed at major national and international organizations, the Standard provides a key resource for organizations committed to reducing the business risks associated with information systems. Drawing on the practical experiences of more than 300 international organizations, including many of the Fortune 100 companies, the standard reflects the latest thinking on information security through workshops, face-to-face meetings and interviews, as well as the results of the ISF's in-depth research and its comprehensive information security-benchmarking tool -- the Information Security Status Survey. ...
The Most Powerful Weapon: Asking A Good Question
The most useful, effective, deterring and inexpensive weapon against criminals and terrorists is the ability to ask a good question, according to Chameleon Associates, an investigation and security services consulting firm.
For years, security has been investing billions of dollars into hardware, weapons, technology, manpower and especially training. Armed security officers are required to undergo training in handling a gun and in shooting. Many of those officers go through numerous weeks of training to hone their tactical skills. But how many officers are trained to effectively use the one weapon readily available and that affords the most powerful impact in terms of protection? ... a good question....
Surveillance Does Not Equal Safety, ACLU Says
Americans are trading in their Bill of Rights for a bill of goods, the American Civil Liberties Union has warned.
Cities and counties, taking a cue -- and billions of dollars -- from the federal government, are buying into the idea that more surveillance translates into safer communities and a more secure nation, the group says.
And it's happening under the noses of a largely acquiescent public, Barbara Zerbe Macnab told The Contra Costa Times. She is chairwoman of the ACLU's Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-Kensington chapter in California. There is no public outrage," she says. "That's what frightens me most."...
Survey Says Corporations Don't Trust Web Applications Security
Cenzic Inc., a provider of application security vulnerability assessment and risk management solutions, and Executive Alliance have released the results of a study that examines the state of application security entitled "The Voice of IT Leadership on Web Security: 2007." The survey focuses on security issues and insights affecting the C-level executive, with the results reflecting responses from 476 information security professionals.
The survey uncovered that among executives there is a general lack of confidence in current solutions and methods protecting companies from being hacked, with half of respondents either partially or not at all confident that their current application security methods and solutions can protect their organization's Web site from hackers....
NASCO Presents 2007 Colonel Minot B. Dodson Award
The National Association of Security Companies (NASCO), a contract security trade association representing firms that employ nearly 450,000 security officers nationwide, presented the 2007 Colonel Minot B. Dodson Award to long-time private security industry leader G.R. "Rick" Massimei, special consultant, U.S. Security Associates at NASCO's Private Security Breakfast held during the ASIS International Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Las Vegas on Sept. 24.
During the breakfast, attended by nearly 100 senior contract security executives, The Brownyard Group, a provider of liability insurance to security guard firms, also recognized Security Officer Tim Foster from U.S Security Associates with the W.H. Brownyard Award for his heroic action in the face of adversity. ...
Report Says Change To Continue For Wireless Public Safety Networks
Public safety networks in the United States are undergoing a significant transformation proving beneficial to the wide range of radio manufacturers serving the industry, according to a new report from Visant Strategies.
Public safety agencies are now embracing technological changes and achieving early adopter status in respect to a number of disruptive technologies including SDR, peer-to-peer meshes and public wireless LANs, the study finds.
"There will be great change and today the industry has proceeded about midway down a fairly clear evolutionary path culminating in digital, fully interoperable, standards-based radios supporting flexible ad hoc architectures, frequency and protocol agility and high-speed data," says study author Dan Sweeney. ...
BNSF Enhances Citizens For Rail Security Program
Railroads transport much of the food, building materials, coal for electricity and consumer products that are utilized each day, and breaches in railroad security can threaten the national, state and local economies. As part of heightened security awareness, Americans are being asked to be the eyes and ears for law enforcement officers.
To help improve security, BNSF Railway Company has expanded its Citizens for Rail Security program by launching two videos aimed at community groups and law enforcement agencies. ...
Online Training Program For PSNA Certification Launches
The first in a series of five new courses for security and IT professionals engaged in IP networking and security integration that leads to certification as a Physical Security Network Associate (PSNA) are now available online. The launch of the PSNA Certification Online Training program was announced by Connie Moorhead, president of The CMOOR Group, a developer of security industry online training and educational programs.
"These are the only online courses that offer dedicated training to support IP networking and convergence models," Moorhead says. "There is an incredible need for this information now and especially as the industry integrates this technology over the next ten years." ...
Mayor Bloomberg Sees Necessity In Surveillance
Residents of big cities like New York and London must accept that they are under constant watch by video cameras, says New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg, holding talks with his London counterpart Ken Livingstone, says such measures as London's "ring of steel" -- a network of closed-circuit cameras that monitors the city center -- were a necessary protection in a dangerous world, reports The Associated Press.
"In this day and age, if you think that cameras aren't watching you all the time, you are very naive," Bloomberg says....
Cyber-Threats Outpace Security Measures
Despite the increase in government compliance requirements and the proliferation of security tools, companies continue to underestimate the threat from phishing, data loss and other cyber vulnerabilities, says McAfee CEO David DeWalt.
In a keynote address at the InformationWeek 500 conference in Tucson, and reported in Information Week, DeWalt said, "It's amazing how low the awareness is of cyber-security threats," among both government officials and corporate executives. "As the world has flattened, we've seen a significant amount of emerging threats from increasingly sophisticated groups attacking organizations around the world."...
Annual Theft Survey Shows Rise In Employee Theft
According to 19th Annual Theft Survey by Jack L. Hayes International, Fruitland Park, Fla., loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm, there were more than 530,000 shoplifters and dishonest employees apprehended and more than $116 million was recovered from those thieves by just 23 major retailers in 2006.
Shoplifters and dishonest employees stole more than $6 billion in 2006 from these 23 major retailers.
"This is only the second time in the past nine years where both the apprehensions and recovery dollars from shoplifters and dishonest employees has increased. Shoplifting apprehensions and recovery dollars were up 11.2 percent and 13.9 percent respectively," says Mark R. Doyle, president of Jack L. Hayes International. ...
School Safety Self-Assessment Tool Available To School Leaders
CDW Government Inc. (CDW-G), a subsidiary of CDW Corp. and source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, has published its School Safety Index Self-Assessment Tool, which allows school leaders to participate in CDW-G's School Safety Index survey and receive instant scores to learn how their school or district compares to the national school safety average CDW-G reported in June.
The School Safety Index published in June is based on a May 2007 survey of 381 school district IT and security directors on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety. It highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety. ...
Security Industry Association Launches Training Initiative
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced the launch of a new training initiative to meet the security industry's need for timely and relevant training. SIA identified the first seven critical job roles in the security technology industry, developed a competency model to represent the skills needed to perform these jobs effectively, and built a listing of courses applicable to the needed skills -- a curriculum map.
"The mission of SIA Education is to raise the level of knowledge and professionalism in the security technology industry channel," says Richard Chace, SIA executive director and CEO....
Lenel Presents OpenAccess Partner Pavilion At ASIS 2007
Lenel Systems International, Pittsford, N.Y., is presenting its OpenAccess Partner Pavilion at ASIS International 2007 this week in Las Vegas. The OpenAccess Partner Pavilion, located in booth #1697, showcases eight system manufacturers, each of which has utilized Lenel software Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to develop an interface between its product and Lenel's OnGuard security management solution.
The partners offer systems that are complementary to the OnGuard solution, which greatly expands the range of opportunity for all customers. ...
Research Casts Doubts On Cost-Savings of Analog Systems
Contrary to popular belief, an IP-based system of 40 cameras offers a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than an analog-based surveillance system, according to a new independent study released this week by network video provider Axis Communications, Chelmsford, Mass. The study also shows that if IP infrastructure is in place, the IP-based video surveillance system will always be lower cost for any system size. ...
Introducing The Top 20 New Products Of 2007
During the ASIS International show in Las Vegas this week, judges selected the top 20 finalists in Access Control & Security Systems' sixth annual New Product of the Year competition. The finalists will be featured in the October issue of the magazine, when readers will be allowed to vote for their favorite....
Survey Shows Security Programs Missing Opportunity
The Security Executive Council has announced the results of its June/July International Security Research Database survey and the posting of the next set of survey questions online at csoexecutivecouncil.com. Each survey's results will help expand and improve the Council's International Security Research Database, a new tool with which security professionals can measure the business value of their security operations by comparing their organization to others across the globe.
The June/July survey provided interesting insights into the frequency of workplace violence incidents and methods of gathering and reporting security-related data to management. ...
