Security Management articles from January 2004

Security Management archives from January 2004

Valuing security.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... Some people, it is said, know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Putting a price on core values, like security, is especially difficult. Businesses must nonetheless decide what they think security is worth in terms of budget...

Wrong diagnosis.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I recently read the article "Forward Thinking for a Changing World" (November), which summarizes many events and presentations from the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits. One speaker mentioned in the piece states that "to fight terrorism, it is...

Toy weapons under fire.(News and Trends)
January 1, 2004... In late October of last year, a toy gun that was part of a congressional aide's Halloween costume triggered a scare that shut down the Cannon House Office Building, sealed off underground corridors, and sent Capitol Police and SWAT teams...

Did you know that?(News and Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * The revenue generated from human smuggling and trafficking, $10 billion annually, exceeds the gross domestic product for dozens of countries, including Jordan, Bolivia, and Georgia. The estimate was issued by the United Nations General...

Did you know that?(News and Trends)(white paper recently made available by the American Society of Safety Engineers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Are you newly tasked with safety, health, or environmental issues? A white paper recently made available by the American Society of Safety Engineers defines the body of knowledge needed to perform those functions. @ The paper, which can be...

Did you know that?(News and Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * The U.S. Department of Transportation offers a series of links and resources for hazmat security. These include hazmat transportation security FAQs, guidelines on the use of placards, a security awareness CD-ROM, and a list of legislation and...

Did you know that?(News and Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Access control manufacturers, specifiers, integrators, and installers: rejoice. The Freedonia Group predicts a 10 percent annual growth in the market through 2007. Leading the way will be biometric systems.

Thieves can't hide from pryin' eyes.(News and Trends)(methods to control shoplifting)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... It's said that nobody likes a busybody, but security professionals are one exception to that rule. Highly curious and observant people scare off crooks and make excellent witnesses. For example, recent research shows that the presence of...

Talk about it: it's worth the risk.(News and Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Everyone knows that the first step in risk management is to identify the risks. But many professionals give short shrift to another important step: communicating that risk to employees and the public. In Communicating Risk, the British...

CAPPS still bottled up.(News and Trends)(Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... By this summer, the Transportation Security Administration hopes to have its passenger data-collection program, CAPPS II (the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System), up and running. But will that actually happen? The timetable is in...

CIA warns of bioweapons future.(News and Trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Until now, the only downside of unraveling the human genome has been the prospect of unregulated cloning. Now the CIA has unveiled a grimmer concern: that biotechnological advances leading to and engendered by the genome study could yield...

Home on the page @ www.security management.com.(News and Trends)
January 1, 2004... Visited by more than 40,000 virtual information seekers monthly, Security Management Online continues to offer security professionals the actionable information they need. Some of the most recent examples of such information is below. Also look...

Getting backup before going down.(Working Wise)(Multiple Risk Managers Inc., insurance industry)
January 1, 2004... As an insurance company, Multiple Risk Managers, Inc., handles a lot of sensitive customer information that it cannot afford to lose. It also must comply with regulations governing its records management. For example, in Alaska, where the...

What if Freddie Krueger wrote code?(Tech Talk)(consequences of teaming up of spammers and virus writers)
January 1, 2004... It sounds like a cheap horror-movie sequel: The Spammers Meet the Virus Writers. But in this case, the horrors are real. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The plot centers on successive versions of the Sobig worm unleashed at regular intervals...

The state of the CSIRT.(Tech Talk)(computer security incident response team)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Despite the best efforts of IT security personnel and a range of devices from firewalls and intrusion detection sensors to virtual private networks, computer intrusions still manage to threaten corporate networks. Therefore, many organizations...

Protecting the domain name system.(Quick bytes)(Internet Software Consortium)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Protecting the domain name system. One year after a hacker attack on the Internet's domain name system (DNS), which translates Web addresses into numerical form, a center under the aegis of the Internet Software Consortium (which operates one...

Boosting the antivirus market.(Quick bytes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Boosting the antivirus market. The ongoing onslaught of computer viruses and worms and the ever-increasing sophistication of malicious code are likely to prove beneficial to the makers of antivirus tools, according to a recent report by...

IT security reactive, not proactive.(Quick bytes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * IT security reactive, not proactive. A new security survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers has found that IT professionals are now spending about half their time on preventive security measures but would like to spend about three-quarters of their...

SCADA under scrutiny.(Tech Talk)(supervisory control and data acquisition)
January 1, 2004... After widespread blackouts last year across parts of the north-east, Congress redoubled its efforts to identify weaknesses in the nation's critical infrastructure, in particular those related to the SCADA (supervisory control and data...

DHS meets Cyber challenges.(Tech Talk)(Department of Homeland Secuirity)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Robert Liscouski, assistant secretary for infrastructure protection within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), gave a progress report recently to a House subcommittee on what had already been done and what was in the works to implement...

The Constitution in the Internet age.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which asserts the right of citizens to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures, "has proven to be exceptionally adaptable when applied to technological issues," particularly those that...

Digital dos and don'ts.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... An investigator needs to seize a computer for a forensic examination. The computer is turned on. Should the investigator turn it off, or simply unplug it? And if the latter, should the plug be pulled from the wall or from the back of the...

Picturing better passwords for PDAs.(Tech Talk)(picture passwords for Personal digital assistants)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Small mobile devices such as PDAs are notoriously easy to steal or leave behind at airport security screening counters; one information security company estimates that more than 10 such devices are lost or stolen every minute worldwide. PINs...

Visiting the Oracle benchmark.(Tech Talk)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Organizations using Oracle databases on Windows and Unix operating systems can now compare their security configuration against a benchmark created by experts at the Center for Internet Security (CIS), the Department of Energy, the Department...

The key to earnings: businesses have increased the attention they pay to security issues. Find out whether security salaries have increased accordingly.(Special Salary Survey)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... Security professionals did well in 2002, with overall compensation among security managers up 13 percent from 2001, according to the ASIS International 2003 Employment Survey. The highest paid security professionals manage multiple facilities...

Shared intelligence makes everyone smarter; information-sharing initiatives are critical to homeland security efforts. Here's a progress report on the most significant efforts now underway.(Homeland Security)(information-sharing programs and networks)
January 1, 2004... If someone were to write the book Everything I Need to Know About Homeland Security I Learned in Kindergarten, chapter one would be called "Sharing." Just as we were encouraged to let schoolmates use our things and join our games, the book...

How companies can compete for contracts; more and more technology providers will be contracting with the department of Homeland Security. To be successful, they must know how to proceed.(Homeland Security)(Security, Planning, and Integrated Resources of Information Technology)(qualified anti-terrorism technology)
January 1, 2004... On a new ABC television series, Threat Matrix, an opening scene featured satellite photographs that were used to track cargo ship movements while, simultaneously, analysts pulled up crew lists, ownership records, and cargo manifests. All these...

Protecting the zone: London City Airport made the entry points to the Restricted Zone the top priority for an access control update.(Access Control)
January 1, 2004... More than 1,600 employees and 1.7 million passengers passed through London City Airport in 2002, making it one of the United Kingdom's busiest airports for business travel. Two events in 2001 and 2002 led the airport to conduct a full-scale...

If you're combating Terrorism and you don't understand the Enemy ... you're missing a piece of the puzzle.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 22[nd] Annual Government/Industry Conference on Global Terrorism: Understanding the Enemy - A Fundamental Education March 15 - 17, 2004 Ritz Carlton - Pentagon City Arlington, VA Get an insider perspective as you delve into...

Building up system defenses: hackers are relentlessly looking for weaknesses in the corporate network. Find out how to build up your system's resistance to attacks.(Computer Security)
January 1, 2004... Imagine that to secure your home, it wasn't enough to merely lock the doors and windows. Imagine that each day, criminals could find ten new ways to get in, and even though you might be quickly overwhelmed with trying to plug each of those...

Who's pulling the data strings? To discover who's behind a Web site, investigators need to understand the technical terms that reveal the site's true origins.(Investigations)
January 1, 2004... Attempts to police the lawless frontiers of cyberspace are hampered by the ease with which individuals are able to create Web sites without leaving a clear trail. At a low cost and with virtually no technical know-how, anyone can create a...

ASIS Conference: International security management.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... EUROPE 22 - 25 February 2004 Madrid | Spain NORTH CONVENTION CENTRE - PARQUE FERIAL JUAN CARLOS I Join high-level security directors and managers in Madrid for the ASIS International Third European Conference! Tackling complex issues...

U.S. judicial decisions.(case against Delta Airlines Inc's flight attendant)
January 1, 2004... Drug testing. An appellate court has ruled that an airline employee's state lawsuit against a drug testing lab is not preempted by federal law. The case, in which a lab was found negligent in analyzing a urine sample, was consistent with...

Elsewhere in the courts ...(Legal Reporter)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Unlawful arrest. In a lawsuit alleging wrongful arrest of employees after a unionization election, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled that the company cannot be held liable. The employees were held by the company's...

Elsewhere in the courts ...(Legal Reporter)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Emotional distress. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently ruled that a hospital could not be held liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress for refusing entry to hostile patrons. In the case, the parents of...

Elsewhere in the courts ...(Legal Reporter)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... * Retaliation. An appellate court has reversed a lower court's ruling granting summary judgment to a employer who released private information about an employee to the media. The employer obtained a private investigator to conduct a background...

U.S. regulatory issues.(Legal Reporter)
January 1, 2004... SAFETY Act. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a second interim rule that would implement the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002, also known as the SAFETY Act. The act is designed to...

U.S. congressional legislation.(Legal Reporter)
January 1, 2004... Discrimination. A bill (S. 1053) that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of genetic information has been approved by the Senate and has been received in the House of Representatives. For the bill to move forward...

U.S. state legislation.(Legal Reporter)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Louisiana Licensing. A new law (formerly H.B. 310) recently enacted in Louisiana will require that alarm industry employees and locksmiths be licensed by the state. The bill also requires that employees who install or maintain access...

The Manager's Handbook for Corporate Security: Establishing and Managing A Successful Assets Protection Program.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... The Manager's Handbook for Corporate Security: Establishing and Managing A Successful Assets Protection Program. By Gerald L. Kovacich and Edward P. Halibozek; published by Butterworth-Heinemann; available from ASIS International, Item #1571,...

Parapolice: A Revolution in the Business of Law Enforcement.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Parapolice: A Revolution in the Business of Law Enforcement. By Ross McLeod; published by Boheme Press, www.bohemeonline.com; 143 pages; See www.amazon.com for links to sites selling the book, which is available new and used for a range of...

Secure Coding: Principles and Practices.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Secure Coding: Principles and Practices. By Mark G. Graff and Kenneth R. van Wyk; published by O'Reilly & Associates, 800/998-9938 (phone), www.oreilly.com (Web); 224 pages; $29.95. In the movie Seabiscuit, the titular racehorse doesn't...

Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know. By Ben Rothke; published by McGraw-Hill Professional Education, 888/878-5150 (phone), www.mcgraw-hill.com (Web); 46 pages; $7.95. Forget firewalls, intrusion detection, and virtual...

The Brother: The Untold Story of Atomic Spy David Greenglass and How He Sent His Sister, Ethel Rosenberg, to the Electric Chair.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... The Brother: The Untold Story of Atomic Spy David Greenglass and How He Sent His Sister, Ethel Rosenberg, to the Electric Chair. By Sam Roberts; published by Random House; available at www.amazon.com; 543 pages; $24.50 (at amazon.com). ...

Web Services Security.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Web Services Security. By Mark O'Neill and various contributing authors; published by McGraw Hill Osborne Media, www.osborne.com (Web); 312 pages; $49.99. This book starts out strong but falls victim to a common problem of books written by...

A Faceless Enemy: The Origins of Modern Terrorism.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... A Faceless Enemy: The Origins of Modern Terrorism. By Glenn Schweitzer and Carole Schweitzer; published by Perseus Publishing, available at www.amazon.com (Web); 349 pages; $11.90 (at amazon.com). Judged by how well the content of the book...

ASIS events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... FEBRUARY 2-4 Disaster Management, San Francisco, CA 6-7 CPP Review, Atlanta, GA 6-7 PSP Review, Atlanta, GA 6-7 PCI Review, Atlanta, GA 9-13 Physical Security: Intro, Los Angeles, CA 22-25 European Conference, Madrid,...

Industry events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... JANUARY 27-29 International IP in Security Exhibition and Conference; Coventry, England; 870/787-0546; www.iipsec.com FEBRUARY 2 Security Industry Association's Corporate Roundtable; Miami, FL; 703/683-0334;...

Business news.(Industry Focus)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has reached an agreement with the Centre National de Prevention et de Protection (CNPP) to allow the organization to translate NFPA 13, Standard for Installation of Sprinkler Systems, into French....

Collaborations.(Industry Focus)
January 1, 2004... ActivCard has announced that a variety of its authentication methods are supported by Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server software so Citrix customers can select ActivCard software, smart cards, and other credentials. AEP Systems and...

Business-to-business deals.(Industry Focus)(contracts of Security industry)
January 1, 2004... The Central Station Alarm Association has reached a reciprocal recognition agreement with the Security Industry Association under which both groups' central station operator training courses will qualify for continuing education credit for...

Strategic moves in the news.(Industry Focus)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... STRATEGIC MOVES IN THE NEWS WHO WHAT OF/WITH RESULT TippingPoint Partnership Citadel Group The companies will Technologies, jointly sell and deploy Inc. ...

Government contracts.(Industry Focus)
January 1, 2004... Cloakware Corporation is being evaluated by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory as part of an initiative to secure the most critical applications at the Department of Defense. Databac Group is providing photo identity cards and security...

Marketing agreements.(Industry Focus)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Active Control Technology Inc. and Code Blue Corporation have signed an exclusive contract to distribute the new Circle-of-Safety wireless personal alarm system. The SecureLink family of solutions from DVTel Inc. has been added to the PSA...

Awards and certifications.(Industry Focus)
January 1, 2004... Actuality Systems has received an Advanced Technology Grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology for commercialization of its scalable 3D holographic video. Brush Industries has earned ISO 9001:2000 certification from the...

ASIS Security Management Conference in Madrid.(ASIS News)
January 1, 2004... ASIS International is holding a Security Management Conference in Madrid, Spain, February 22-25 at the North Convention Centre--Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I. The conference, which is cosponsored by the International Facility Management...

Four new Web-based courses offered.(ASIS News)(CCTV, Biometrics. Digital video and Fiber optics courses by ASIS International and STAM Multimedia Inc)
January 1, 2004... ASIS International is partnering with STAM Multimedia Inc. to offer Web-based training courses on security technology that allows students to learn at their own pace, anywhere, at any time. Currently, the four courses available are "Biometric...

ASIS Issues New Guidelines.(ASIS News)
January 1, 2004... Caption: ASIS Issues New Guidelines At the National Press Club in November, ASIS International announced the release of two new draft guidelines: Threat Advisory System Response (TASR) and Chief Security Officer (CSO). "ASIS is...

FCRA amended.(ASIS News)(Fair Credit Reporting Act)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... ASIS International begins the new year with a major legislative victory under its belt. Late in 2003, as this January issue was going to press, the Congress passed and the President was expected to sign into law reauthorization of the Fair...

Can the low-bid mentality be beat? Guard service providers need to educate end users and push for standards if they want to improve the industry's performance and profitability.(Viewpoint)
January 1, 2004... A recent USA Today article depicted contract security officers in a very negative light, calling them "homeland defense's weak link." Like many articles that have been written on this topic, this piece overstated the extent of the problem and...