Security Management Web Highlights for March 2009

Web Highlights MARCH 2009 HOME | THE MAGAZINE | NEWS | BEYOND PRINT | MARKETPLACE | EVENTS | FORUM | CONTACT US   SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE READER SERVICE CARD MARKETPLACE HEADLINE NEWS Experts Explain the Threats Facing Afghanistan and Pakistan to Lawmakers Mar 05, 2009 - Experts yesterday outlined three important things lawmakers should know as the United States fights Taliban militants and al Qaeda terrorists inside Afghanistan and Pakistan and along the two countries' borders. NYPD Suffers Massive Data Breach Mar 05, 2009 - The New York Police Department is sending out 80,000 letters to current and retired police officers after a civilian employee allegedly stole their personal information from a secure police office located in a warehouse on Staten Island, New York. The Culture of Convenience Threatens IT Security, Intelligence Official Says Mar 04, 2009 - The culture of convenience surrounding information technologies concerns one of the U.S. intelligence community's top officials. Worm Burrows into Social Networking Web Sites Mar 04, 2009 - A worm preying on Facebook accounts in December is back with a vengeance, PCWorld.com reports. But this time, it's burrowing into other social networking Web sites, including Myspace, Friendster, LiveJournal and others. Terrorists Attack Sri Lankan Cricket Team in Pakistan Mar 04, 2009 - In an audacious commando-style raid reminiscent of the November attacks against Mumbai, terrorists in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday attacked a bus full of Sri Lankan cricket players wounding seven players and killing eight, mostly police officers. India's Security Guards Become First Line of Defense Mar 03, 2009 - In the fallout from the Mumbai terrorist attacks last year, there is one Indian industry growing in power and influence as the rest grind slowly down: the guarding industry.   HOT DOCUMENTS 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: The U.S. State Department's annual review of foreign governments' efforts to implement their international obligations under mulitple United Nations' drug control conventions. Rewriting the Narrative: An Integrated Strategy for Counterradicalization: This presidential task force report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy provides strategies for countering the spread of Islamic extremism abroad and in the United States. This challenge remains a "daunting and urgent task for the Obama administration," according to the report. A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America's Promise: Peruse the spending priorities for defense, homeland security, and intelligence in President Barack Obama's proposed 2010 budget. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward: The state of forensic science in the United States must be overhauled, this report from the National Research Council concludes, because too many citizens have been conflicted of crimes they did not commit because of faulty and unreliable forensic evidence. Annual Threat Assessment of the Intelligence Community: The greatest near-term threat the United States faces is the global economic crisis which could create political instability, renew economic nationalism, and hurt the ability of allies to meet their defense and humanitarian obligations internationally, according to Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair. . FROM THE PRINT EDITION 1. HazMat Safety 2. Seeing in the Dark 3. Audio Highlights (Podcast) 4. Tracking Guards 5. NGO Security 6. Streamlining Internet Services 7. Read All About It 8. Question of the Month 1. Cover Feature: HazMat Safety Hazardous materials are transported daily across the United States in huge volumes via rail. Before transport and at transfer points along the way, this dangerous cargo is often left sitting unguarded in factory lots and rail yards in major U.S. cities, creating a potential risk to homeland security. Would-be terrorists could, for example, attach homemade bombs to tank car hulls. The resulting explosions would release clouds of toxic gases and kill or sicken tens of thousands of people, depending on the amounts and the population density in the vicinity. With that scenario in mind, federal agencies late last year issued a pair of new rules governing hazmat transport by rail. @ Learn about these new rules and how the industry is responding in "Is Hazmat Safety on Track?" by Assistant Editor Joseph Straw. 2. Seeing in the Dark Darkness has always been the criminal's friend, and the camera's enemy. However, new technologies are creating tools that can assist in "no light" surveillance. Thermal imagers detect heat differences between items in the field of view. LED illumination actively lights up a surveillance area with infrared light. Continuous wave lasers safely provide light for extra-long ranges, and a nascent technology allows a camera sensor to use natural atmospheric light to illuminate scenes. @ In "Shedding Light on Nighttime Surveillance," Assistant Editor Laura Spadanuta explores the latest advances in these and other technologies that create excellent images in near and total darkness. 3. Podcast: Audio Highlights Listen in as host editor Laura Spadanuta discusses advances in nighttime surveillance, the challenges of combating Internet hate speech, new technology that could help catch terrorists through their cell phones, software security, and court cases on workplace liability and discrimination. Enjoy the podcast via your PC or on any portable player. The audio can be downloaded directly from the Web site or you can subscribe through iTunes and get the monthly updates automatically. Please let us know how you like the highlights. We welcome suggestions. Just e-mail the editor at sharowitz@asisonline.org 4. Tracking Guards Incorrect and missing information in its old guard tour system prompted Metro Protective Agency to look for a better solution. The contract security firm wanted the ability to store data at both the client's and its own premises. It also wanted to track guards in real time via the Internet. The company settled on the GuardTrax system from NovaTracker. Security officers now carry a hand-held device that includes a GPS locator and a number pad with four programmable buttons that make it easy to report problems. @ Read about how the system is working in "Keeping Tours on Track" by Senior Editor Teresa Anderson. 5. NGO Security As worldwide security challenges increase for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), those groups have responded with more sophisticated security measures. For example, the World Wildlife Fund International has shifted responsibility for security from its legal department to a new safety, security, and risk management department. This new department is developing policies, procedures, and standards to protect its employees and assets. @ This month's "International" by Assistant Editor Stephanie Berrong reports on the changes at the organization. Also in the March issue, she examines the new approach to Africa being taken by the U.S. military and the challenges of fighting global hate speech on the Internet. 6. Streamlining Internet Services A growing number of companies are using managed online services that provide functions ranging from human resources and communications to security. To manage the multiple providers, TriCipher is offering a product that gives customers a way of signing onto multiple Web services with a single user name and password. It also helps by consolidating records of who is using which service and when. @ See how the solution helps one company in "Technofile" by Associate Editor John Wagley. 7. Read All About It In Terrorist Recognition Handbook, author Malcolm Nance goes well beyond what appears in most terrorism manuals, such as rote definitions, chronologies, and weapons lists. While he provides this information, he places it in the context of how it can be used to predict and thwart terrorism, primarily at the tactical level. He gives the reader a balanced dose of respect for enemy capabilities while dispelling any notion of terrorists' invincibility. @ Col. Christopher G. Essig, an inspector general in the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, reviews this book in the March edition of Security Management. Other reviewers examine books on transportation security, biometrics, and covert surveillance. 8. 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: Does anyone know where to find a source for security system specs—something to tell the contractor that wires can only run along these types of walls, they cannot be x distance from this area, etc.? @ To register and participate in the Forums, just click here. It's free! ONLINE PRODUCT INFORMATION SERVICE INFORMATION Because you are a valued subscriber to Security Management magazine, we would like to welcome you to the Security Management Online Product Information Service. You can instantly request product and service information from our March 2009 issue. Select one or more categories of interest to view the advertisements and product announcements for the selected categories. Request more information about products and services using our reader service Web site. Also New Online: -- Find links to the latest security reports and other resources through "Beyond Print." -- Check for Breaking News. -- 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 36,000 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: How to foil phishing schemes Preparing for the 2010 Olympics Tracking wireless devices How to fire an IT manager 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 Thank you for signing up to receive the SM Online E-News, an informal periodic alert to make you aware of breaking security news and upcoming monthly features that you can read by going to SM Online. (You will only receive this alert if you requested it. If you wish to leave the list, see the instructions at the end.) This mail is never sent unsolicited. You have subscribed to receive this information. To unsubscribe from this e-letter, please click here.