Protecting Children 11/28/2011

National governments, including those in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, are promoting legislation to protect children from pornography and other unsuitable Web content. The ability for mobile device users, many of whom are minors, to freely access the Web, has made this an especially critical issue for telecom operators. If implemented, legislation would require operators to actively block undesirable content and make certain types of content available only if users opt-in to receive it.

AT&T Security Probe 11/27/2011

AT&T Inc, the No. 2 U.S. mobile provider, said it is investigating an organized and systemic attempt to access wireless customers' information but that it did not believe any accounts were breached. The company, which had 100 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, said it is advising less than 1 percent of its mobile customers that there was an attempt to obtain information about their accounts.

National Food Security 11/27/2011

The proposed National Food Security Bill, when implemented, would add to inflationary pressures, Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao said.

Military Ornaments and Security Ornaments 11/26/2011

Military Ornaments

Police and Security Gifts 11/25/2011

Security for Olympic Games is Costly 11/25/2011

Taxpayers are paying out an enormous c250,000 a day on security to protect the Olympic venues, it has emerged. With construction already completed on five of the arenas the cost of providing security for them has dramatically increased. The new figure is more than triple what it cost to look after the venues a year ago.

Budget Issues Cause Security Problems 11/23/2011

If US Congress fails to take steps toward debt reduction over the next year, the Pentagon will face devastating, automatic, across-the-board cuts that will tear a seam in the nations defence, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned on Monday.

Four Rising Cyber Threats 11/23/2011

Criminal hackers never sleep, it seems. Just when you think you've battened down the hatches and fully safeguarded yourself or your business from electronic security risks, along comes a new exploit to keep you up at night. It might be an SMS text message with a malevolent payload or an errant signal designed to jam GPS receivers. Whether you are protecting corporate data or simply trying to keep your personal files safe, these threats -- some rapidly growing, others still emerging -- put your systems at risk. Fortunately, security procedures and tools are available to help you win the fight.

Cyber Security and the Power Grid 11/21/2011

Cyber security of the power grid is an often overlooked issue that could bring Connecticut, New England and possibly the country to its knees. While utilities, power generators and the grid administrator all value security, the electricity system is so complex and interdependent that one seemingly small and isolated failure can have serious ramifications.

Securing Mobile Devices 11/20/2011

IBM announced a new managed service to help IT administrators manage and support all the personal mobile devices being used by employees. With IBMs Hosted Mobile Device Security Management service, IT departments can ensure personal phones and tablets comply with corporate security policies, protect them from malware infections, track user activity and secure connections to the network, IBM said Nov. 11. The service would cover devices running Apples iOS, Google's Android, Research in Motions BlackBerry, Nokias Symbian and Microsofts Windows Mobile, according to IBM.

Security and Defense 11/19/2011

After saber-rattling IAEA report came out, Israel is giving the world some time to get tough on Tehran. Israel has now entered a waiting period. While just a week ago it seemed like fueled and armed Israel Air Force fighter jets were lining up on runways, ready to bomb Iran, this week they have been stored back in their concrete hangers to fight another day. The immediate impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency report released on Tuesday is that, for now, an Israeli strike on Iran will move to the back burner and instead Jerusalem will give the world some time to impose tougher sanctions on Iran.

Predator Drones Over Border 11/18/2011

Two Border Patrol agents walked by a patch of brush on a remote ranch and saw nothing. But 19,000 feet overhead in the night sky, a Predator unmanned aircraft kept its heat-sensing eye on the spot. In an operations center about 80 miles away, all eyes were on a suspicious dark cluster on a video screen. Moments later, the drone operators triggered the crafts infrared beam and pointed the agents directly to the undergrowth where two silent figures were hiding.

Rio Security Clean Up 11/17/2011

Police backed by tanks and helicopters charged into Rio de Janeiro’s biggest slum today to take control of the neighborhood from drug traffickers as part of the battle to secure the city before it hosts the 2016 Olympic Games. A 3,000-strong security force faced no resistance as it advanced into Rocinha, a maze of dwellings that house an estimated 100,000 people on a hillside overlooking some of Rios wealthiest communities. They searched the area for drug dealers, guns and drugs in preparation for the establishment of a so- called Police Pacification Unit, or UPP, which will allow the state to reclaim control of the community. Neighboring areas of Vidigal and Chacara do Ceu were also occupied. There was no conflict and no shots were fired during the action, which was backed by 24 armored vehicles and seven helicopters.

Security vs Abu Sayef 11/16/2011

Defense contractors in the United States, some eyeing to work in the Philippines for the first time, are scrambling to win a $200 million contract to support American troops in Mindanao. Nonetheless, they have yet to find Filipinos who can give them a true picture of what exactly they’ll be up against when they get there. A highly-placed source revealed the Pentagon has signaled it may bid out a fresh support contract for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines after the current contractor, Texas-based DynCorp International, finalizes its contract in September 2012.

Occupy Wall Street Security 11/15/2011

After a sexual assault at the crowded tent camp set up by Occupy Wall Street protestors in New York, security issues are starting to overshadow the more idealistic concerns of the activists. Ironically, the intense police presence deployed to keep the protestors under control does not extend into the camp at Zuccotti Park itself, where less savory residents have started to appear among the several hundred anti-capitalist demonstrators.

Apple Security and Sandbox 11/15/2011

Apple is upping its security requirements for apps on the Mac, a move that could hinder developers but better safeguard users. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company announced all apps submitted to the Mac App Store will require sandboxing support by March 2012. Sandboxing makes apps more secure by creating a barrier around the program that keeps it from accessing other aspects of users computers.

Cyber Attack Defense 11/14/2011

Cyber-security experts from the European Union and United States took part in simulated cyber-attacks against supervisory control and data acquisition systems and advanced persistent threats as part of The United States and European Union took part in the first-ever joint cyber-security exercise addressing how to cooperate and respond in the event of a cyber-attack on critical infrastructure.

Pirates Seize Oil Tanker 11/13/2011

Pirates seized an oil tanker off the coast of Nigerias southern delta, kidnapping the crew in a bid to steal ship’s cargo in the latest hijacking targeting the region, private security officials said Thursday.

Apple Security Chief 11/12/2011

Apples chief of security has left the company in the wake of controversy over how his team handled the investigation of a missing iPhone prototype this past summer, according to reports. John Theriault retired from his position as vice president of global security at Apple after a nearly five-year stint at the company.

Security at LAX 11/11/2011

Citing a $1.6-billion investment in security measures since 9/11, a study released Wednesday concludes that Los Angeles International Airport is much safer today but still needs to improve emergency management, the security of its facilities and the airport police force.

Homegrown Terrorism 11/10/2011

The arrest this week of four Georgia men charged with plotting to attack government officials with explosives and a biotoxin raises the question of just how big of a threat are homegrown terrorists in the United States? While security experts obviously can not put a ranking on a would-be terrorist, there are some reasons why the homegrown variety pose a unique challenge to law enforcement.

Mobile Security 11/09/2011

Long-associated with the PC, but only recently applied to smartphones and tablet computers. We — especially IT professionals — know that these devices are really pocketable computers.

China Cyber Attacks 11/08/2011

Cyber attacks traced to China targeted at least 48 chemical and military-related companies in an effort to steal technical secrets, a U.S. computer security company said Tuesday, adding to complaints about pervasive Internet crime linked to this country. The targets included 29 chemical companies and 19 others that make advanced materials used by the military, California-based Symantec Corp. said in a report. It said the group included multiple Fortune 100 companies but did not identify them or say where they were located.

Boost Security 11/07/2011

While conventional wisdom says virtualized environments and public clouds create massive security headaches, the godfather of Xen, Simon Crosby, says virtualization actually holds a key to better security. Isolation -- the ability to restrict what computing goes on in a given context -- is a fundamental characteristic of virtualization that can be exploited to improve trustworthiness of processes on a physical system even if other processes have been compromised, says Crosby, a creator of the open source hypervisor and a founder of startup Bromium, which is looking to use Xen features to boost security.

Security Services 11/06/2011

With the ever-increasing risk of cyber-threats as well as the financial and compliance liability attached to possible incidents, information security is a key element in your technology remit that needs attention. Managed security services, or MSS, are network security services that have been outsourced to a service provider; a company providing such is called a managed security service provider, or MSSP.

XML Security Concern 10/30/2011

A weakness in XML Encryption can be exploited to decrypt sensitive information, researchers say. XML Encryption is used for securing communications between Web services by many companies, including IBM, Microsoft and Red Hat. Researchers Juraj Somorovsky and Tibor Jager from the Ruhr University of Bochum (RUB) in Germany, devised an attack that decrypts data secured with the DES - Data Encryption Standard or the AES - Advanced Encryption Standard in CBC - cipher block chaining mode. They plan to present their findings in more detail at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security later this year.

Risk of Security in Mobile Environment 10/29/2011

Computer security involves more than installing an antivirus utility on your PC. Malicious hackers are on a mission to steal money and wreak havoc, and they will do it by any means possible. The growing number of mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, and the popularity of social networks give them new avenues in which to expand their cybercrime. The amount of malware spreading on phones and tablets continued to surge this year, rising 22 percent over 2010 in the first half of 2011, according to a McAfee study

Security In Iraq an Issue 10/27/2011

Iraqis fretted about the ability of their armed forces to protect them from violence after U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday all U.S. troops would withdraw by the end of the year. Washington and Baghdad failed to agree on the issue of immunity for U.S. forces after months of talks over whether American soldiers would stay on as trainers more than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Obamas announcement prompted worries among Iraqis over the stability of their country and a possible slide back into sectarian violence.

Security in the Cloud 10/27/2011

Security, cited as an issue with cloud computing when the concept began to take hold several years ago, remains a pivotal concern for developers, an IBM official stressed on Wednesday afternoon. Executives from IBM and Amazon sparred over the degree of security issues pertinent to cloud computing during a conference panel session at the ZendCon 2011 event in Santa Clara, Calif.

Palestinian Vote 10/26/2011

A Palestinian official on Saturday expressed hopes that the United Nations Security Council would vote on the U.N. membership of an independent Palestinian state next month.

Secure the Internet 10/25/2011

The computer networks that control power plants and financial systems will never be secure enough, so government and corporate leaders should consider developing a new, highly secure alternative Internet, a top FBI official said. Shawn Henry, the FBIs executive assistant director, said critical systems are under increasing threat from terror groups looking to buy or lease the computer skills and malware needed to launch a cyber attack.

UN Security Votes 10/24/2011

Round and round they went. After a day of marathon voting for Security Council seats, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly still could not decide between Azerbaijan and Slovenia, putting off the 11th ballot until Monday. Does it matter? Yes. The 15-member U.N. Security Council, whose decisions are mandatory, can be critical in getting world support for sanctions, initiating peacekeeping missions or threatening states to cool it -- or else. For countries initiating action, a positive vote in the Council shows international backing.

Los Alamos 10/22/2011

The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement complex at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is intended to replace a World War II-era plutonium facility at an earthquake-prone location. The potential facility has long been under consideration, and its completion would probably require nearly 10 years, according to AP. Officials have maintained that the site, to be used by researchers studying radioactive substances such as plutonium, is critical to fulfilling Los Alamoss nuclear weapons mission and would neither produce nor hold nuclear bombs. Opponents have derided the initiative as an unneeded and expensive means of generating nuclear armaments

Cyber Security Awareness 10/22/2011

National Cyber Security Awareness Month Each October, in an effort to increase awareness and prevention of online security problems, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance spearhead National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). The Higher Education Information Security Council also promotes and participates in the campaign, joining forces with a range of organizations to expand cyber security awareness across the country. Schools and universities are encouraged to participate in their capacity as educators.

Border Security a Real Concern 10/21/2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday an Iranian-backed terror plot coordinated in Mexico proves the U.S. must secure its southern border, an attempt to shore up his standing among Republicans on immigration. The Republican presidential hopeful used Tuesdays announcement that Iranian forces had sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. to call for more border troops, improved fencing along the Mexican border and increased border patrols including the use of predator drone surveillance.

Security Cuts 10/20/2011

An editorial on Monday identified specific weapons programs that could be targeted for cuts as the Pentagon faces growing pressure to help curb the federal deficit. There is, however, a huge area of potential Defense Department savings that does not involve equipment and war- fighting capabilities: bringing under control the galloping -- and unsustainable -- cost of providing well-deserved benefits to those who serve our country. The main issue here is Tricare, the health-insurance program for active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops and retirees, as well as their dependents. This year, the Pentagon plans to spend $52 billion on the program, or almost 8 percent of its $700 billion budget.

Cloud Security 10/19/2011

IT network services provider Juniper announced on Friday that its SRX Series Services Gateways have been selected by Dell to help secure its cloud data center. This news comes on the heels of Juniper Networks appointments in the Asia-Pacific region.

Border Security 10/19/2011

Two retired generals claim doing business along the Texas-Mexico border is like being in a war zone. They took their message to Congress on Friday, and some lawmakers did not like it. The retired generals released their strategic military analysis of the border. They started studying the situation after the Texas Legislature hired them. The ex-military men took their report to Washington on Friday. Congressman Michael McCaul called the retired generals to Capitol Hill to testify.

Chat Down vs Pat Down 10/18/2011

Chat-downs, a play on the word pat-down, describing the physical screening that has angered some passengers as too intrusive, are part of the U.S. governments effort to adopt a broader strategy of sifting out people who might pose a greater security risk among the roughly 1.2 million people who fly each day.

Yemeni Security Issues 10/17/2011

Yemeni security forces unleashed a deadly assault on anti-government protesters in the nation's capital on Saturday and deadly fighting raged between government forces and tribal fighters, witnesses said. At least 10 people were killed and 38 others were wounded, said Mohammed Al-Qubati, who was at the scene of the protests in Sanaas Change Square. He said forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators who planned to march to the city center from the square.

Energy Companies a Risk 10/13/2011

U.S. utilities and industries face a rising number of cyber break-ins by attackers using more sophisticated methods, a senior Homeland Security Department official said during the government's first media tour of secretive defense labs intended to protect the U.S. power grid, water systems and other vulnerable infrastructure. Acting DHS Deputy Undersecretary Greg Schaffer told reporters Thursday that the worlds utilities and industries increasingly are becoming vulnerable as they wire their industrial machinery to the Internet.

SAT Cheating Likely More Common, Than Most Think 10/12/2011

The administrators of college entrance exams should make immediate security changes to stop cheating, said the prosecutor who has accused a college student of using a fake ID to take exams for six of his buddies — one of them a girl. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice told The Associated Press on Thursday that she suspects cheating is widespread and that security changes should be implemented as soon as this weekend, when nearly 700,000 students are expected to take the SATs.

Security Fears and Mobile Devices 10/11/2011

The risks mobile devices pose to enterprises and consumers are mounting with the rising adoption of smartphones and tablets. Not only are cybercriminals finding the growing base lucrative to target, weaknesses and vulnerabilities of mobile platforms also make their effort worthwhile. David Hall, Symantecs regional consumer product marketing manager for the Asia-Pacific region, told ZDNet Asia the fact that more are using smartphones and tablets, have not gone unnoticed by cybercriminals. Citing the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume 16, Hall said that mobile operating and system vulnerabilities jumped from 115 in 2009 to 163 last year--an increase of 42 percent. As more users download and install third-party applications for mobile devices, the possibility of installing malicious apps also increase, he added in his e-mail. Malicious codes are now designed to generate revenue and there are likely to be more threats created for these devices as people increasingly use them for sensitive transactions such as online shopping and banking, he explained.

Security is a Battlefield 10/10/2011

Organizations must understand that security is like warfare, and in a world where they will be compromised, they have to strategize the best approach to defend, revise their battleplan and eliminate adversaries, according to Eddie Schwartz, RSAs first chief security officer. Schwartz, who came into office in June this year, said information security involves three elements: studying the enemy, attack and defense. He finds it fascinating to think about how organizations defend themselves in a world where you cannot "put a wall around" themselves nor predict the nature and timing of cyberattacks. The C-level executive, who has practised karate and aikido for as long as he has been in the security industry, said that like defending a castle or yourself on a battlefiield traditional concepts sometimes do not work for organizations and new concepts must be applied.

Pakistan Security Issues 10/09/2011

Pakistans political and military leadership have closed ranks, shrugging off intense US pressure to do more to combat militant groups and accusing Washington of using the country as a scapegoat for NATO failures in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held crisis talks with opposition leaders and military officers to formulate a response to US accusations that its security services were working hand in hand with the militant Haqqani network.

Social Media Pose Security Risks 10/08/2011

Virus and malware attacks against organizations have increased because of employees using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media in the workplace, according to a global study. Of the 4,640 organizations surveyed by the Ponemon Institute, a research firm, more than half said these computer attacks grew as a result of workers using social networks. About a quarter of those respondents said the attacks rose by more than 50 percent. As social media services play a bigger role in businesses, many organizations find themselves ill-equipped to handle the accompanying security risks, according to the report. Researchers surveyed information-technology employees at organizations in the U.S., India, Brazil, Germany and elsewhere, and found that only 35 percent had a policy on using social media at work. Of those, 35 percent enforce it.

Palestines UN Application 10/07/2011

The U.N. Security Council on Monday took up the issue of the Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership. The meeting was mostly procedural and that the council is expected to meet again on the subject later this week. The 15-member Security Council met behind closed doors for less than one hour.  Afterward, Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, who holds the rotating presidency this month, spoke to the press.

Cyber Security Awareness 10/06/2011

Lookout Mobile Security, a smartphone security company dedicated to making the mobile experience safe for everyone, is joining the National Cyber Security Alliance in support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month this October. Millions of consumers now regard their smartphone as their most personal computer and use their phone to bank, shop and send valuable information. As mobile devices have become an essential tool for everyday life--they have also become an attractive target for hackers. In fact, according to Lookouts 2011 Mobile Threat Report, up to one million mobile phone users will be affected by mobile security threats in 2011. During National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Lookout aims to increase consumer awareness about the various cyber threats to smartphones and educate mobile users about the steps they can take to best protect themselves. To this end, Lookout will be running an educational series on its blog, to help smartphone users understand how to best protect their phone and personal information. In addition, Lookout will be giving away Lookout Premium accounts on Twitter and Facebook throughout the month to encourage awareness.

Syria Sanctions in Question 10/05/2011

The Security Council is divided over whether to even threaten U.N. sanctions against Syria. The council met again last Thursday behind closed doors to try to bridge divisions on what would be a first U.N. resolution condemning President Bashar Assads six-month military crackdown and calling for inclusive political talks. But the Europeans and Russia remained at odds over mentioning the possibility of sanctions.

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