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Hackers fail in AT&T cyberattack
Last week AT&T announced that it had successfully fended off an attack by hackers; the company said it is still unclear what the hackers’ intentions were, but no accounts were breached
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DERMALOG sets fingerprint ID speed record
DERMALOG Identification Systems has set a new speed record for identifying fingerprints; the company’s newest system, the DERMALOG Next Generation AFIS, correctly identified an individual’s ten fingerprints in .89 seconds from a database containing more than 129 million fingerprints
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SAIC wins $90 million contract to support DHS relocation
Government contractor Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) was recently awarded a $90 million subcontract to assist in the relocation of DHS’ headquarters; SAIC will work as a subcontractor for General Dynamics, which received the $876 million prime task order in July by the General Services Administration
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Universal Detection announces record revenues
Last week Universal Detection Technology, which sells detection technology for biological, chemical, and radiological threats, reported its highest revenues for its third quarter in more than three years; Universal Detection saw its third quarter revenues increase 6,000 percent to $113,519 compared to $1,821 for the same period last year
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Device allows summoning help where no cellular coverage is available
People who work or travel in remote places often find themselves in areas where there is no cellular coverage; summoning emergency help is thus difficult, if not impossible; a Colorado company offers a solution
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World record in fingerprint identification: 129 million records in one second
A German biometric company says its new solution has set a world record: it correctly identified the ten fingerprints of one individual within a second from a database of more than 129,296,050 fingerprints
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Game to improve defense, homeland security decision making
Raytheon BBN Technologies has been awarded a $10.5 million multi-year contract to develop serious games that result in better decision-making by teaching participants to recognize and mitigate the effects of their own biases when analyzing information used to make decisions
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Gartner: global security service spending to reach $35.1 billion in 2011
Worldwide security services spending is on pace to reach $35.1 billion in 2011, up from $31.1 billion in 2010, according to Gartner, Inc.; the market is forecast to total $38.3 billion in 2012, and surpass $49.1 billion in 2015
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Strong growth in biometrics industry projected
Fueled by concerns about terrorism and other security concerns, the global biometrics industry is set to expand to $16.47 billion by 2017, according to a recent report by market research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA)
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Sprint customers first to receive wireless emergency alerts
Thanks to Sprint, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will now be able to broadcast wireless emergency alerts to cell phones for the first time; the move allows FEMA, the president of the United States, the National Weather Service, or local and state emergency officials to broadcast warning messages and safety information through text messages
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Europe faces rare Earth metal shortages
The EU’s ambitious low-carbon energy production goal depends on five technologies: nuclear, solar, wind, bio-energy, and carbon capture; these technologies, in turn, depend on rare Earth metals; the EU estimates that a large-scale deployment of only one of these technologies — solar energy — will require half the current world supply of tellurium and 25 percent of the supply of indium
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Budget cuts force military contractors to look inward for business
With U.S. military operations overseas drawing down and the U.S. defense budget likely to shrink , contractors are increasingly looking to domestic markets for their products
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Futuristic border gate system opens in El Paso
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has opened the first pedestrian border crossing in El Paso, Texas, that deploys a combination of gate systems, mobile handheld devices, and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology more efficiently to identify and process pedestrians crossing the border into the United States
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Giving hardware a second life in disasters
A software version of CharTec BDR appliance enables CharTec’s partners to provide backup and disaster recovery offerings by reusing existing hardware or BDR solutions
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Ballistic clipboard protects police from gun fire
Routine traffic stops, warrant calls and first responses have the potential of being some of the most dangerous moments in the field; a standard issue clipboard provides little in the way of reliable protection in the event of gunfire; a new clip board provides multi-hit protection against gun fire
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The long view
U.S. contemplates responses to a cyber-Pearl Harbor attack on critical infrastructure
Cybersecurity experts often contemplate how U.S. security agencies would react to a cyber-9/11 or a digital Pearl Harbor, in which a computer attack would unplug the power grid, disable communications lines, empty bank accounts, and result in loss of life. “Ultimately, it absolutely could happen,” says one expert. “Yeah, that thought keeps me up at night, in terms of what portion of our critical infrastructure could be really brought to its knees.”
To bolster the world’s inadequate cyber governance framework, a “Cyber WHO” is needed
A new report on cyber governance commissioned by Zurich Insurance Group highlights challenges to digital security and identifies new opportunities for business. It calls for the establishment of guiding principles to build resilience and the establishment of supranational governance bodies such as a Cyber Stability Board and a “Cyber WHO.”
More money, different approach offer opportunities to border security tech companies
The number of border agents has reached roughly 21,000, up from 5,000 two decades ago. In fiscal year 2012, spending for border and immigration enforcement totaled almost $18 billion — 24 percent more than the combined budgets of the FBI, the DEA, the Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (total: $14.4 billion). One major trend driving the border security industry is the government’s shift from large-scale border security infrastructure projects to small unit security systems.
Coastal communities can lower flood insurance rates by addressing sea-level rise
City leaders and property developers in Tampa Bay are urging coastal communities to prepare today for sea-level rise and future floods in order to keep flood insurance rates low in the future. FEMA, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP), is increasing flood insurance premiums across the country, partly to offset losses from recent disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Cities can reduce insurance premiums for nearly all residents who carry flood coverage by improving storm-water drainage, updating building codes to reflect projected rise in sea-levels, moving homes out of potentially hazardous areas, and effectively informing residents about storm danger and evacuation routes.
Changing human behavior key to tackling California drought: Expert
California is experiencing a drought that has gone far beyond a “dry spell,” and the state has imposed the first water restriction in state history, aiming to cut back on water consumption by 25 percent. One expert says that strict water conservation measures are long overdue, and that “what is happening is a realization that you can’t simply transplant another ecosystem onto a California desert system or arid southwestern system. In a sense, California and much of the U.S. southwest are living beyond their ecological means. Certain lifestyles have been adopted and crops are being grown that are not endemic or sustainable for this particular bioregion.” He adds: “This is a moment for not just cutting off personal water use and turning the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth, as important as that is. This is a moment of reflection, invitation and, I hope, legislation that will cause people to think about water use in the industrial sector too. This is for the long-term prosperity of the state and sustainability of the ecosystem.”