Industry gives government low cyber security grades
Feb 8, 2007
The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) has given the government low grades on its cyber security. The Alliance has called on the federal government to significantly bolster its efforts to ensure the security of sensitive information, to improve the security and resiliency of the critical information infrastructure and to increase federal information assurance in 2007 -- all areas CSIA graded in 2006 with a "D."...
Bush proposes DHS budget increase
Feb 8, 2007
The White House's $34.6 billion budget request for the Department of Homeland Security includes boosts for some multibillion-dollar programs supported by Lockheed Martin Corp. and other top defense contractors...
Designing systems to guard against terrorism
Feb 8, 2007
When creating systems to protect people and places against terrorist attacks, government officials should take into account that terrorists actively seek and find ways around defensive measures deployed against them, a RAND Corp. study says.
The report examines defensive technologies -- the systems and approaches used to protect an area and its people from terrorism -- along with the methods terrorist groups have historically used to thwart attempts to discover and frustrate their efforts....
Procurement Close-up: Lockheed Martin wins TWIC contract
Jan 25, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration has awarded a contract for new, secure identification cards for port workers to Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md....
Tips for landing government contracts
By Marsha Lindquist
Any company that does contract work for the federal government knows that oral presentations are a part of the game. Unfortunately, because giving a federal government presentation is so different from a typical ...
SIA survey to help in FIPS 201 implementation
Jan 25, 2007
Members of the Security Industry Association (www.siaonline.org) have been invited to contribute to a government study intended to forecast the availability of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) equipment meeting FIPS-201 application criteria.
Participating in the study will allow SIA members to directly influence the specifications of HSPD-12 and the range of FIPS-201 applications, including the Transportation Worker Identification Credential Program (TWIC) and First Responder Authentication Cards (FRAC)....
Congressional shift means Homeland subcommittee changes
Jan 25, 2007
A change in the guard in Congress has prompted an overhaul of the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland security subcommittees.
The House Homeland Security Committee has formed the following subcommittees in the 110th Congress:...
Homeland security innovators compete in "Defend America Challenge"
Jan 25, 2007
The Chesapeake Innovation Center, America's first business accelerator for Homeland and national security, recently hosted the finalists for its first "Defend America Challenge," a competition to expedite the transfer of innovation into the marketplace.
The center received 50 applications for the challenge, ranging from three-page outlines to ...
Majority of Americans support biometrics in IDs
Jan 11, 2007
Eighty-two percent of Americans support the use of biometric identification on passports, according to a recent survey conducted by TRUSTe and market information group TNS. Three-quarters of Americans support the addition of biometric information to driver's licenses and nearly as many (72.6 percent) support adding it to Social Security cards....
Purdue University to create Homeland security training center
Jan 11, 2007
Purdue University is leading a $1.65 million effort to convert the National Guard's Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana into a Homeland security training center....
Chertoff defends risk-based approach to anti-terror grants
Jan 11, 2007
Seaports, rail and bus systems, trucking companies and other private industries at risk of terrorist attack will share nearly a half-billion dollars in anti-terrorism grants this year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says.
"We're investing resources where risk is greatest and where the funds will have the most significant impact," said Chertoff, responding to critics who complained that the highest-risk cities did not get a big enough share of federal Homeland security money last year...
TWIC program for port security nears implementation
Jan 11, 2007
The Department of Homeland Security has issued the final rule for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, which enhances port security by checking the backgrounds of workers before they are granted unescorted access to secure areas of vessels and maritime facilities.
The rule lays out the enrollment process, disqualifying crimes, usage procedures, fees and other requirements for workers, port owners and operators....
Communications interoperability remains a nationwide challenge
Jan 11, 2007
Only six major U.S. cities have achieved full "advanced implementation" of interoperable communications, according to a nationwide assessment conducted by the Department of Homeland Security....
DHS admits it did not follow privacy laws
Dec 27, 2006
The Department of Homeland Security has admitted it did not follow the Privacy Act two years ago in obtaining more commercial data about U.S. airline passengers than it had announced it would....
US-VISIT faces land border challenges
Dec 27, 2006
The US-VISIT program to collect, maintain, and share data on selected foreign nationals entering and exiting the United States at air, sea and land ports of entry has insufficient management controls to identify problems and evaluate operations, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report....
