Security Management articles from April 2003

Security Management archives from April 2003

Letters.
April 1, 2003... Interrogating the Interrogators In response to my article, "Confessions of an Interrogator" (October 2002), two readers wrote critical letters to the editor (January). I would like to address these criticisms. One writer felt the...

Frank talk about accounting practices. (News and Trends).
April 1, 2003... A well-known television commercial for Hebrew National noted that its hot dogs surpassed all government standards because the company had to answer to a higher authority." No such higher authority was there to protect investors and employees...

Privacy & American Business. (Did You Know That?).(public opinion on biometrics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The private sector is willing to accept biometric technologies, at least for certain applications, according to a study commissioned by SEARCH and developed by Dr. Alan Westin of Privacy & American Business, the publication of the think tank...

Federal Trade Commission. (Did You Know That?).(identity theft tops consumer complaint list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... For the third year in a row, identity theft has topped the list of consumer complaint categories recorded by the Federal Trade Commission. Forty-three percent of complaints registered in the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database related to identity...

The European Commission. (Did You Know That?).(video surveillance limitations)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The European Commission wants to identify limitations that should apply to video surveillance and safeguards that should be taken to protect the images of citizens. To participate in an online survey, go to SM Online.

Emergency management goes north. (News and Trends).(Canada prepares for terrorist threats)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Think of it as sort of the northbound version of the westward expansion that gripped the United States in the 19th century. This time, however, it is citizens from "countries of concern" who reside in the United States but are on the move. And...

Stay out of the kitchen. (News and Trends).(appliances thieves target homes under construction)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A recent crime prevention project by police in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which they targeted appliance thieves at home construction sites, could be summed up as "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen appliances." The project,...

Deflating air bag theft. (News and Trends).
April 1, 2003... It's an axiom in the security industry that for every new innovation, there's a criminal to exploit it. Such was the case in the early-to-mid 1990s, when air bags became mandatory in new cars, Quicker than an air bag can inflate after a crash,...

Home on the page @ www.securitymanagement.com. (News and Trends).
April 1, 2003... Continue to routinely check in with Security Management Online for the latest industry developments and breaking news. Following are some of the newer reports, documents, articles, and other materials on the Web site. Also, find the @ symbol...

When visitors become ghosts. (Working Wise).(Office Depot uses electronic visitor management system from Security Identification Systems Corp.)
April 1, 2003... For supply superstore Office Depot's headquarters in Delray Beach, Florida, tracking the 200-plus visitors that come to see its 2,500 employees on any given day has long been a challenge. After 9-11 made access control an increasing concern for...

Curing computer malfunctions. (Working Wise).(HealthFirst uses video cameras from Axis Communications)
April 1, 2003... Two years ago, the health information technology department at HealthFirst decided that it was time to do something about the constant computer malfunctions the department suffered. When investigating the problem, Steve Shim, the department's...

Court ruling takes ISPs off the hook. (Tech Talk).(Internet service providers have immunity from liability for information that travels through their networks)
April 1, 2003... The definition of "information" is at the heart of a recent federal court ruling that immunizes Internet service providers (ISPs) against lawsuits from customers whose computers get infected by malicious code that reached them through the ISP's...

Bankers fight fraud. (Tech Talk).(Florida Bankers Association, North Carolina Bankers Association share fraud database)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Two groups of bankers are now working together to fight fraud with the help of a database of reports of fraudulent activity. The Florida Bankers Association (FBA) created the FraudNet.com database in 2002 for use in Florida as a tool to combat...

Hardening e-mail. (Quick Bytes).(malicious intruder targets)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Mail servers and clients are two of the most frequent targets of malicious intruders, so protecting these vital resources needs to be a high priority. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has put together a list of the...

European cybersecurity agency. (Quick Bytes).(European Network and Information Security Agency)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The European Commission has created the European Network and Information Security Agency to advise the 15 member states on cybersecurity. The agency, set to begin operations in January 2004, has a budget of over $26 million to cover a five-year...

Tracking hackers. (Quick Bytes).(cyberinvestigators)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The TV drama CSI portrays the world of the crime-scene investigator as one filled with the latest tools that inevitably help lead the sleuths to the perpetrator. Cyberinvestigators also have many high-tech tools that help in their search for...

The right to be offline. (Tech Talk).(French employment code)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... With the proliferation of mail and intranets available through wireless or broadband connections, as well as the near-ubiquity of cell phones, the line between the office and the home is getting blurry. Do workers have a right to a "switch-off"...

A national Agenda for Cybersecurity R&D. (Tech Talk).
April 1, 2003... Both the public and private sectors have research and development projects that address information infrastructure protection problems. But between these efforts is a divide that opens these critical systems to threats ranging from teenage...

Federal IT funding. (Tech Talk).(homeland security systems)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... At the request of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on investigations, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has identified nearly $3 billion in funding for IT projects related to homeland security for fiscal years 2002 and 2003. For 2002, $1.2...

Are privacy and security mutually exclusive? (Tech Talk).
April 1, 2003... When the privacy of personal data comes into collision with the requirements of national security, controversy is inevitable. Witness the outcry that surrounded the Total Information Awareness (TIA) proposal, a project of the Defense Advanced...

Paying the price for spam. (Tech Talk).
April 1, 2003... What can be done to halt the onslaught of spam? The problem is reaching ever-higher proportions, both for corporations and users. On the corporate side, the concern is the rising cost of the traffic (more than $10 billion for American...

Drawing virtual lines in the law. (Internet Jurisdiction).
April 1, 2003... The Internet gives companies with Web sites the potential to reach a vast worldwide audience, but it may also expose them to an equally vast world of litigation. As a global network, the Internet gives companies with Web sites the...

How a confederate delivered the goods: strong sleuthing, some lucky breaks, and a street-smart staff helped break up a crime ring. (Loss Prevention).
April 1, 2003... The trailer delivered by the distribution company--a large, multisite distribution center based in New Jersey--was filled with an assortment of perishable and nonperishable food, tobacco products, healthcare and beauty supplies, and general...

Alarm design that rings true: in designing alarm systems, consultants and end users often forget to consider the basics--such as how the system can be defeated. (Intrusion Detection).
April 1, 2003... Alarm systems are often installed using a cookie-cutter design that fails to address the company's real needs and threats, which can result in disappointment down the road, increased liability, and ultimately, loss of property. With security...

IMO sets course for port security: a sea change is imminent now that the International Maritime Organization has agreed on a course of action for shoring up security at port facilities. (International Security).
April 1, 2003... Just as the waves created by a large vessel at sea take time to reach the shore, the effects from the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 have taken time to ripple through the maritime industry. But a sea change is imminent now that the...

If it's personal, it's protected: companies that do business in the European Union must understand the rules for handling personal data. (International Security).
April 1, 2003... Thanks to the Internet, companies can now easily gather, analyze, and market customer data throughout Europe and the world. But businesses must tread carefully through a thicket of legal dos and don'ts that has grown up in the European Union...

Forward Thinking for a changing world: Asis International 2003 49th Annual Seminars & Exhibits. (Seminar Preview and Advance Registration).(American Society for Industrial Security)
April 1, 2003... SEPTEMBER 15-18, 2003 ERNEST N. MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA More than ever, security is serious business. New threats. New challenges. New technologies. How do you stay on top of it all? And are you risking...

On patrol in cyberspace: a look at progress among local, state, and federal efforts to combat cybercrime, including credit card fraud and identity theft. (Computer Security).
April 1, 2003... It was 10:30 in the morning when a message popped up on the computer screen of a 13-year-old girl in Northern California. The instant message was unsolicited, meaning the alleged sender--Christopher Andreas Georghiou, a 21-year-old man in...

U.S. Judicial decisions. (Legal Reporter).(Darryl Veazey vs. LaSalle Telecommunications)
April 1, 2003... Retaliatory discharge. In a recent case, an Illinois appellate court ruled that an employee of a private company cannot invoke his Fifth Amendment rights during a corporate investigation. Darryl Veazey was hired by LaSalle...

Privacy. (International).(Proposal by Canadian government would require that all telecommunications providers develop the technical capability to provide access to their entire networks if required by law enforcement.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A new proposal by the Canadian government would require that all telecommunications providers--including those offering wire, cable, radio, optical, and electronic communications--develop the technical capability to provide access to their...

Workplace violence. (Elsewhere in the Courts...).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A Hawaiian circuit judge has ruled that the family members of those slain by Xerox employee Bryan Uyesugi cannot sue the company. Because the families were compensated under state workers' compensation laws, they also could not pursue a lawsuit...

Jurisdiction. (Elsewhere in the Courts...).(Columbia School of Journalism case)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In a recent case, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that an individual in Texas could not sue the Columbia School of Journalism for defamation. The plaintiff could not pursue his case because of lack of jurisdiction. The...

Privacy. (Elsewhere in the Courts...).(case with AOL and Yahoo!)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Virginia Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's decision ordering an Internet service provider to reveal the identity of an anonymous subscriber. In the case, an electronics company filed a lawsuit claiming libel and unfair business...

National ID. (International).(UK government announced plans for a national ID card)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The U.K. government has announced plans for a national ID card. The card would be given to lawful residents of Great Britain and would be used to officially establish a person's identity. The card would be distinct from existing driver's...

Maritime security. (U.S. Regulatory Issues).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued guidelines to help maritime companies develop security plans for, and implement security measures on, seagoing vessels. The guidance, called for by federal legislation passed last year,...

Hazardous materials. (U.S. Regulatory Issues).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... According to a recent report by the General Accounting Office (GAO), government officials cannot determine the amount of hazardous cargo that is transported by air in the United States. This is because only packages marked hazardous are...

Air cargo security. (U.S. Regulatory Issues).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Another GAO report looks at air cargo as a whole. According to the report, cargo shipped by air is vulnerable because of the lack of security coordination among some air carriers and freight forwarders. These security lapses, according to the...

Sentencing guidelines. (U.S. Regulatory Issues).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The U.S. Sentencing Commission has increased penalties for white-collar crime. The penalties apply to crimes that affect a large number of victims or endanger the solvency of large companies. For example, under the new guidelines, an...

Terrorism. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Senate approves bill requiring more information on Total Information Awareness Program)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Senate has approved a bill that will require the Pentagon to provide more information on the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program. The measure (an amendment to omnibus spending bill H.J. Res. 2) would give the Defense Department until...

Infant abduction. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(bill would require hospitals to implement security procedures)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill (H.R. 78) introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) would require hospitals reimbursed under the Medicare system to implement security procedures to reduce the likelihood of infant patient abduction and baby switching. Under the bill,...

Homeland security. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).
April 1, 2003... A bill (S. 6) introduced by Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) addresses homeland security issues. S. 6 is a comprehensive bill that would provide additional personnel for intelligence services and would provide grants for government information...

Seaport security. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill (S. 193), introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) would require that the Department of Energy evaluate radiation detection systems for use at U.S. seaports. The system, if successful, would be used to detect the presence of a dirty bomb...

Security standards. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill (S. 216) introduced by Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) would establish a Private Security Industry Task Force within the Department of Homeland Security. The task force would examine training, screening, standard-setting, retention, and...

Cargo security. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Two bills (S. 165 and S. 208) introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), respectively, address the issues of cargo security. S. 165 would require that cargo shipped via aircraft be inspected for security...

Identity theft. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill (S. 153) introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (DCA) would establish the crime of aggravated identity theft. Defined as identity theft committed to avoid felony violations--such as those related to theft from employee benefit plans and...

Chemical attacks. (U.S. Congressional Legislation).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill (S. 157) introduced by Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) would require that the government identify certain combinations of chemicals and substances as high threat based on the damage that could be done if those items were released. The...

Licensing. (U.S. State Legislation: Missouri).(bills would require state licensing of security guards and private investigators)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Two new bills (SB. 48 and S.B. 88) introduced in the Missouri Legislature would require that security guards, security guard firms, and private investigators be licensed by the state. S.B. 48 would require all security guards and guard...

Event Risk Management and Safety. (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... Event Risk Management and Safety. By Peter E. Tarlow, Ph.D.; published by John Wiley & Sons; available from ASIS International, Item #1517, 703/519-6200 (phone), 703/519-6299 (fax); 272 pages; $50 (ASIS members), $55 (nonmembers). Among...

El Secuestro y la Toma de Rehenes: una nueva realidad? (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... El Secuestroy la Toma de Rehenes: una noeva realidad? Edited by La Camara de Economta Venezolana Israelt (CEVI); published by CEVI; available from ASIS International, Item #1518, 703/519-6200 (phone), 703/519-6299 (fax); 458 pages; (ASIS...

Information Security Policies Made Easy, Version 9. (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... Information Security Policies Made Easy, Version 9. By Charles Cresson Wood; published by Baseline Software, 800-929-99955 (phone), 713/523-6393 (fax); 727-page volume plus CD-ROM; $795. Master plumbers often find that a portion of their...

Terrorism Response: Field Guide for Law Enforcement. (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... Terrorism Response: Field Guide for Law Enforcement. By Paul M. Maniscalco and Hank T. Christen; published by Prentice Hall, 800/282-0693 (phone), 800/835-5327 (fax); 80 pages; $30. Since 9-11, law enforcement trainers have been using the...

Access Denied: The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Business Online. (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... Access Denied: The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Business Online. By Cathy Cronkhite and Jack McCullough; published by McGraw Hill/Osborne Media, 877/833-5524 (phone), 614/759-3749 (fax); 304 pages; $24.99. Moore's law holds that...

Get.net.smart: Using the Internet and E-mail at Work. (Reviews).(Video Recording Review)
April 1, 2003... Get.net.smart: Using the Internet and E-mail at Work. Produced by Commonwealth Films, 617/262-5634 (phone), 617/262-6948 (fax), www.commonwealthfilms.com (Web); 22-minute videotape; $695. Employees must acknowledge their responsibility when...

419 Scam: Exploits of the Nigerian Con Man. (Reviews).(Book Review)
April 1, 2003... 419 Scam: Exploits of the Nigerian Con Man. By Charles Twe; published by Chicha Favours; available from charlestive@hotmail.com; 135 pages; $20. Can there possibly still be a businessperson alive who hasn't received an e-mail or a faxed...

Touch-screen entry panels. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... MESH telephone entry panels from Viscount Systems Inc. of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, come with a full-color keypad or touch-screen displays for entry into commercial or multiresidential buildings. Graphics can be customized, and the...

Optical turnstiles. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Alvarado of Chino, California, has redesigned its Supervisor 2000 line of optical turnstiles. The turnstiles use highly visible green, yellow, and red LED patterns to prompt users through the card presentation process. Enhanced electronic and...

Portable Barrier. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The Hazardous Environment Remote-controlled Barrier (HERB) is a completely portable radio-controlled unit that knocks down to fit inside any vehicle or two-inch trailer receiver. Made by Herbsafetygate.com of Bayfield, Colorado, the unit can be...

Portable intrusion detector. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The MilPAC 385 portable intrusion detection transceiver from Southwest Microwave of Tempe, Arizona, guards perimeters in extreme weather conditions. Consisting of a microwave sensor, a lightweight but heavy-duty aluminum tripod, and a monitor...

Guard tour reporting. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The TourWatch system from TISCOR of Poway, California, now works with the more durable DENSO BHT-6000 hand-held device, which replaces the DENSO BHT-6000 unit. The computerized system records tours and inspections performed by security...

Baggage screening. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... New York City-based L-3 Communications offers the VIS 108 and VDS 108 automated-hold baggage-screening systems, which are equipped with scatter-detection enhancement, threat image protection, and Ethernet and MIS networking capabilities. They...

Digital recorder and interface. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Vicon Industries, Inc., of Hauppauge, New York, now offers 320GB of internal storage in its new 16-Channel Digital Recorder and Multiplexer. The AurorAcorD AURC-CD320 also offers the AURC-NIU Network Interface option to transmit video and data...

Day/night cameras. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Two new cameras from Vicon Industries, Inc., of Hauppauge, New York, offer exceptional color and day/night functionality. A mechanical infrared filter automatically switches from color to black and white based on scene conditions. The VC5000...

Wireless CCTV. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... North American Video of Brick, New Jersey, has designed a video surveillance system that connects apartment buildings and provides police with real-time video in their patrol cars via wireless technology. Video from strategically placed cameras...

Digital storage and transmission. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The ADPRO FastTrace advanced digital recorder from Vision Fire & Security of Hingham, Massachusetts, offers rapid remote access and video alarm verification and control. It is easy to use and fully integrates into an existing security...

Increased digital storage. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Security practitioners can capture and archive more than 1 terabyte of continuous recording with the DSR2000e digital video recorder from GE Interlogix, Kalatel, of Corvallis, Oregon. Four internal hard drives can provide years of video image...

Undercover operatives. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... HUMINT Employment Services of Boca Raton, Florida, supplies undercover operatives to employers for investigation of employee misconduct, including internal theft, drug use and sales, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and more. Operatives...

Wireless guard application. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Scion Falcon from Scion Communications of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a mobile application for security guards and managers. Guards can use it to perform critical functions via wireless devices: access vital data, transmit accurate...

Armored passenger car. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan, has introduced the Lincoln Town Car Ballistic Protection Series for armored protection at a competitive price. The vehicle is designed to provide protection from powerful handgun and high-power rifle...

Power supplies. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The BPS series of filtered and regulated DC battery-charging power supplies from Securitron Magnalock Corporation of Sparks, Nevada, are rated Class II by Underwriters Laboratories. That classification means that output wires do not require a...

Cargo container software. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... N2N Smart Container Solutions is a suite of proprietary e-logistics solutions, built by Singapore-based PSA Logistics. The system is designed to extend and complement Smart and Secure Tradelanes, an industry initiative that encompasses...

High-capacity recorder. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Dedicated Micros Inc. of Chantilly, Virginia, has introduced the BX2-1TB digital video multiplex recorder with one terabyte of internal storage. The 16-channel unit contains four 250-GB hard drives that provide up to three months of continuous...

Intrusion detection transceiver. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Southwest Microwave of Tempe, Arizona, has introduced its Model 385 Outdoor Microwave Transceiver System for use at airports requiring precise intrusion detection. With a detection range of 100 to 400 feet, the transceiver also enables users to...

Mobile decontamination systems. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Swedish company Safety Equipment Development AB has worked with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency to develop a number of mobile decontamination systems for civilian and military applications, such as bacteriological and chemical...

Door controller. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Digital Security Controls Ltd. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has released the KT-100 Mini Door Controller. The compact unit incorporates all components found in larger controllers, including a two-reader interface and all the inputs and outputs...

Disaster recovery software. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... DisasterRecovery.com, Inc., of Ogdensburg, New York, has released an updated version of its Phoenix Disaster Recovery Planning software system for Internet service providers. The software is now a network-enabled, multi-user collaboration tool...

Video encoder. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... VBrick Systems, Inc., of Wallingford, Connecticut, has added dual OC-3 support for the fiber-optic-based VBrick 6000 encoder/decoder that delivers one- or two-way television over digital asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and IP networks....

Secure log-in device. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Aladdin Knowledge Systems of Arlington Heights, Illinois, has introduced the eToken Web Sign On, a device that caches and manages all Web log-in credentials (except the one password required to activate the device). The unit stores passwords,...

Secure e-mail. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... New spam and malicious code-controlling features have been added to version 3.5 of eSafe Mail and eSafe Gateway from Aladdin Knowledge Systems of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The newest version of eSafe offers a complete integrated solution...

PDA security system. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... St. Louis-based Asynchrony Solutions, Inc., has released PDA Defense Enterprise, a unified Windows-based policy editor to implement hand-held security policy across an enterprise for Palm, Windows Pocket PC, and Blackberry devices. The system...

Air filtration units. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The H12GPFU and H20GPFU from Hunter Manufacturing Company of Solon, Ohio, are individual distribution systems that filter air to protect from nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) threats. The portable units provide 3 to 4.5 cubic feet per...

Day/night camera. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... The Toshiba IK-64DNA is an infrared day/night camera optimized for 24-hour digital surveillance applications. Made by Toshiba Security Products of Irvine, California, the camera can capture excellent color images in daylight and change to...

DVR training CD. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Image Vault of New Albany, Indiana, a member of the FKI Security Group, has produced a new tutorial CD to simplify the sales, installation, and operation of its digital video recording systems. The new CD includes a brief description of the...

Fiber transmission. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Infinova of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, has introduced two new systems for the transmission of 10/100 Mbps Ethernet over fiber. The fiber-optic N3584 and N3784 products help customers extend or interconnect their data networks. The systems...

Guard tour tool. (Market Place).
April 1, 2003... Detex Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas, has introduced the GCS ProxiPen Data Acquisition Unit and WinDAU reporting software. Data points are RFID tags when the unit senses and reads automatically when they are in its reading range. It reads...