"We are literally giving our keys to terrorists," "A terrorist attack using tractor trailers is inevitable, at least according to Terry M. Evans, CEO and President of Fleet Defender Consulting Services LLC."
http://enews.primediabusiness.com/enews/acss/security_beat/current SECURITY BEAT July 26, 2005 Table Of Contents Terrorism preparendess in NYC brings unexpected results Industry group takes identity fraud message to Congress Radioactive passengers setting off alarms Tractor trailer attack inevitable? News Terrorism preparendess in NYC brings unexpected results The New York Police Department has dispatched its own explosives expert to Great Britain to study the London suicide bombings. And although terrorism is uppermost on patrolling officers' minds in the New York subway, the increased vigilance has netted a pleasant side effect: Crime in the subways is down 23 percent over last year. Transit officials say their increased presence has "led to a drastic drop in violence." But the city is pushing on in its anti-terrorism efforts. According to The Associated Press, the NYPD has contacted chemical suppliers and other potential commercial sources for bomb components in the New York city area and asked them to contact investigators if they notice anything suspicious. Investigators in London have reportedly speculated the bombers in the July 7 attacks used TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, a highly unstable explosive made from commercially available chemicals such as acid, acetone and peroxide. An NYPD detective with training in explosives recently returned to New York "with a detailed analysis of the bomb-making techniques used in London," says Michael Sheehan, deputy commissioner of counterterrorism. Officials said the expert's trip was part of broader effort to work with private companies to secure the city. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly recently invited 600 security directors from large hotels, Wall Street firms, Broadway theaters, storage facilities and other businesses to police headquarters to unveil a program called NYPD Shield. The program will encourage businesses to team with the NYPD to assess and revise their security measures. The police department plans to share unclassified intelligence and security tips at an upcoming series of counterterrorism briefings and training programs. Sheehan said the NYPD already has conducted hundreds of security assessments of businesses around the city, advising them to use more video surveillance, better lighting and more guards. The department hopes "to strike a balance between protecting the sites and keeping the city open and inviting to live, work and invest in," he told The AP. Industry group takes identity fraud message to Congress More than 100 members of the The National Counsel of Investigation and Security Services (NCISS) collectively met with various members of the U.S. Senate and House to discuss the potential harmful and unintended ramifications of various personal information protection bills and to form an Identity Fraud Summit. "Congress was very receptive," said Brain McGuinness, president of NCISS (www.nciss.org). "We provided legislators with insight into the role of professional investigators, the judicial system, the legal community, law enforcement, corporate security and private citizens." The Hill appointments and Summit are continuations of NCISS' efforts to draw attention to the concerns and potential unintended problems created by limiting the access of investigators to information that helps them fight crime. While NCISS advocates the protection of personal identification information, including stiffer penalties and improved enforcement, as well as notification of security breaches, the organization is working to develop legislation that provides an exemption for licensed investigators requiring access for specific cases, particularly identity theft. The NCISS, with the support of security organizations including ASIS Intl., Security Companies Organized for Legislative Action (SCOLA) and the International Association of Security and Investigative Regulators (IASIR), have developed a "Six Point Identity Protection Program": 1. Conduct thorough credentialing of new accounts and those where a review indicates a new check is in order; 2. Deny Internet sales of personal identification information to the general public; 3. Increase penalties, such as fines and jail sentences, for the misuse of personal information; 4. Enact legislation requiring data providers to notify customers of breaches; 5. Prohibit use of Social Security Numbers on identification documents such as healthcare insurance cards, drivers' licenses and state permits; and 6. Allow access to personal data for licensed individuals who can demonstrate a need and have submitted to a background investigation. Radioactive passengers setting off alarms For some medical tests, radioactive chemicals are injected right into the bloodstream. While the medical procedure is a safe one, a U.S. News and World Report article says it can cause an alarm when a person goes through a security screen -- as a commercial pilot recently discovered. The pilot's story appeared in Lancet, a British medical journal. To check out a possible heart problem, the pilot was given a thallium scan, a test in which radioactive isotope thallium-201 is injected into the bloodstream. The radioactive isotope travels to the heart so the cardiologist can tell whether the heart muscle is getting enough blood. Two days after the test, the pilot flew to Moscow, where he was pulled aside in the airport after setting off a radiation detector. After hours of questioning, security officials let him go. The same thing happened again four days later at the same airport. The problem has been around for a while. A 1986 New England Journal of Medicine article reported that two patients had been seized by the Secret Service after the thallium in their blood set off radiation detectors in the White House. But with new fears of terrorism, sensitive detectors are appearing in more places. And the thallium test is only one of many that use radioisotopes. The pilot's doctor now offers patients a letter they can carry if they plan to travel within a month of the thallium scan, explaining what the test is and providing the phone number of someone at the hospital who could explain further. Patients who plan to travel or visit a federal building while radioactive should ask for a letter from their doctor, radiologist Lionel Zuckier of New Jersey Medical School, told the magazine. Tractor trailer attack inevitable? A terrorist attack using tractor trailers is inevitable, at least according to Terry M. Evans, CEO and President of Fleet Defender Consulting Services LLC. "We are literally giving our keys to terrorists," he says. The trucking industry and the government have been slow to react to this impending threat, Evans says. He says the government's Highway Watch Program is a great first step but it is not nearly enough. "Awareness training is wonderful and we absolutely need to alert and wake up the trucking industry," Evans continues. "The problem is that our back door has been left wide open and this training may very well be currently provided to the very terrorists we are attempting to combat. We do little to actually screen drivers today. Fake documents and bogus employment histories can be easily secured, and even an incompetent terrorist would have little struggle with gaining access to our nation's highways." Evans goes on to point out that there is no basic security -- such as fingerprinting CDL licensed drivers. "We regularly hand out commercial driver's licenses without establishing clear proof of identity." Evans concludes by pointing out that many truckers do not secure their vehicles or loads at truck stops and other rest areas. One truck he found idling at a rest stop, he says, was hauling gallons of gasoline -- certainly a potential terrorist target. Business Beat * Denali Advanced Integration, has signed on as one of the charter members of the SAFLINK Partner Program of Saflink Corp., Bellevue, Wash. * Video Security Solutions Inc., Oradell, N.J., has been named manufacturer's representative for Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Flair Security Products, and Structured Cable Products. * BroadWare Technologies Inc., Cupertino, Calif., has partnered with ARINC Inc., Annapolis, Md., to create security solutions for airport, rail, other transportation customers, and nuclear power plants. * Vidient Systems Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has formed a partnership with Warren Associates, Livermore, Calif., under which Warren will market and sell Vidient SmartCatch 2.1 video surveillance software in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii. People in the News * Gregory Kemper has been named north central regional sales manager for Integral Technologies, Indianapolis. * Michael E. Morrissey has joined PBS&J, Orlando, Fla., as director of strategic growth. * Angela Capelle has joined Walden Security, Chattanooga, Tenn., as senior director of human resources. * David Koma has joined OMNIKEY Americas, Irvine, Calif., as regional sales director. * Doug Rieman has been named director of south central regional sales for Digital Monitoring Products, Springfield Mo. * Vince Giovinco has been appointed national sales manager for Toshiba America, Irvine, Calif. Events Aug. 1-5 14th USENIX Security Symposium Baltimore Organizer: USENIX www.usenix.org Aug. 4-6 APPA 2004 Educational Facilities Leadership Forum Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, Orlando, Fla. Organizer: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers www.appa.org/education Aug. 16-17 Midwest Security and Police Conference Expo Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont, IL. www.mspce.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Aug. 22-25 2005 BICSI Fall Conference Nashville Organizer: BICSI Information: (800) 242-7405 www.bicsi.org Aug. 24 "Suicide Terror: The Definitive Overview of the Threat" Kentucky 502-574-3731 Aug. 28-Sept. 2 SANS Virginia Beach 2005 Virginia Beach, Va. Organizer: The SANS Institute www.sans.org Sept. 9-10 CPP/PSP/CPI Review Orlando, Fla. Sponsor: ASIS International Information: (703) 519-6200 asisonline.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sept. 12-15 ASIS International 51st Annual Seminar and Exhibits 2005 Orlando, Fla. Sponsor: ASIS International Information: (703) 519-6200 asisonline.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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