Larry Anderson's Security Beat

Some of the electronic features we all love in our new cars depend on a connection to the Internet. But what are the cybersecurity risks involved in that connection? Could a widespread cyberattack turn our cars into deathtraps and create a traffic catastrophe on the scale of 9/11? That’s the scenario described in a report from the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog, which warns that a fleet-wide cyberattack at rush hour could result in a 9/11-style catastrophe with approximately 3,000 dea...

A video analytics system that provides ‘behavioural understanding’ can yield more meaningful and actionable data for a range of applications. In public safety and security, such a system can alert on violent or suspicious behaviours, such as people fighting, vandalism, people with weapons, etc. In advanced traffic surveillance and monitoring, it can provide alerts to vehicle collisions (accidents), traffic hazards or vehicle that aren’t using the road properly, such as a car...

An interim Federal Acquisition Rule (FAR) detailing how the U.S. Federal government will implement a ban on government use of video surveillance products from Chinese manufacturers has been released just days before the August 13, 2019, deadline for the ban to take effect. The interim rule will take effect immediately; it notes there are "urgent and compelling reasons… to promulgate this interim rule without prior opportunity for public comment". After the interim rule is published in th...

Gunshot detectors use digital microphones installed on (or in) buildings or along streets that listen for evidence of gunshots, provide near instantaneous notification, triangulate the location of shooters and direction of a shot, detect the type of gun and ultimately aid in catching fleeing suspects and solving crimes. Gunshot detection is just one technology playing a role in the larger trend by city agencies to improve core city services. Cities are turning to what are referred to as ‘...

The mission of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is to ensure the reliability of the North American bulk power system (BPS). While electric utility companies are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the electric grid, regulators such as NERC and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are charged with the overall responsibility of ensuring reliability and security. NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards, annually assesses seasonal...

The ban on U.S. government usage of Chinese-made video surveillance products was signed into law last year and was scheduled to take effect a year later – on August 13, 2019. With that deadline looming, there are questions about whether government agencies and departments will comply in time. A year ago, the U.S. Congress passed, and the President signed, a ban on government uses of video surveillance equipment produced by two of the world’s top manufacturers – Hikvision and D...

Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2019 will blow into the Windy City this fall, combining a tradeshow, a full schedule of professional education sessions, plenty of industry networking opportunities, and an annual reunion of the top professionals from around the world tasked with protecting people, property and assets. GSX – the trade show and industry event 'formerly known as' the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits – will be Sept. 8-12 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. The show promi...

Police in the United Kingdom have been testing the effectiveness of live facial recognition (LFR) for several years now, but future uses of the technology have been called into question. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), an independent authority that seeks to uphold information rights in the public interest, has weighed in on issues of data privacy related to LFR, and Members of Parliament (MPs) have called for a moratorium on uses of the technology. The big question is whether...

Intelligent solutions, such as those derived from artificial intelligence, help critical infrastructure organisations make sense of vast amounts of data. These integrated applications, such as advanced video analytics and facial recognition, can automatically pinpoint potential breaches and significant events, and send alerts to the appropriate personnel, departments, and agencies. These solutions can be powerful in unifying disparate command centre technologies, fusing critical data input from...

The devil is in the details. The broader implications of the U.S. Government ban on Chinese video surveillance manufacturers are being clarified in the federal rule-making process, and a public hearing in July gave the industry a chance to speak up about the impact of the law. Ban on equipment The hearing centered on Section 889 of Title VII of the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) for FY 2019, specifically paragraph (a)(1)(B). The paragraph "prohibits agencies from entering into a con...

Critical infrastructure facilities are vulnerable to many security challenges, from terrorism to natural disasters. Challenges also include vandalism, theft, employee identification and verification, access control, regulations, and the increasing infiltration of connectivity and the Internet of Things. In addition, many critical infrastructure facilities are housed in harsh and hazardous environments, which adds to the challenges to keep employees and facilities secure. The security risks faci...

School shootings, especially in the United States, present an ongoing tragedy and a challenge to the security industry. We like to think we have solutions that can help, if not “solve”, the problem: but how effective are they at the end of the day? The sad answer – even after dozens of school shootings and even in the wrenching aftermath of the latest one – is that we don’t know. There is a gaping lack of knowledge and research when it comes to measuring the effec...