Global Warming is Now Officially Considered a Threat to U.S. National Security – Homeland Security Digital Library
For the first time, Pentagon planners in 2010 will include climate change among the security threats identified in the Quadrennial Defense Review , the Congress-mandated report that updates Pentagon priorities every four years.
Among the many important findings in the Report Card issued by the co-chairs of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission, Congress’s failure to consolidate oversight of homeland security received a big fat “F.” The co-chairs, former senators Graham and Talent do not make this finding lightly given their years of elected service on the Hill. It is a bipartisan finding that should get attention, but it appears to keep falling on deaf ears inside the Capitol.
NIST releases update to smart grid standards – NextGov
The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Wednesday released additional details on requirements for developing the smart electric grid.
Today, we tend to conflate cyber crime with cyber espionage and cyber warfare. We call all of them attacks, and this confuses an issue that is already complicated and hard to understand. Cyber crime is basically a commercial endeavor, designed to make money. The others are intended to gain advantage or cause mischief. So, what are some cyber crime examples?
The recent earthquake in Haiti has been tragic, with the numbers of those dead and missing constantly rising. Many countries have answered the call for aid, the U.S. second to none. As a former U.S. Coast Guard officer, this e-mail from Admiral Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant, is a fine example of why I am so proud of the USCG.
By Justin Hienz
Perhaps America’s most critical infrastructure is its national electrical grid. It has served us well to this point, supporting all our grandiose and astounding technological innovations. But the grid is getting old, and it doesn’t keep up with our innovations (and electronic appetites) as well as it should. So, we’re upgrading – to a Smart Grid. It is clear the Smart Grid touches on every aspect of homeland security, and the time to improve Smart Grid security is now, while we are developing it.
The January 12, 2010 headline of The Washington Examiner was irresponsible, reckless, and salacious. Splashed across the front page read: “Terror threat to city water.” As a water security guy, I was sucked in. After reading the informative (if not boring) article about DC water’s switch in disinfection processes, a change that was publicly announced three years ago, I realized I had been Rickrolled by a dying paper’s feeble attempt to increase its dwindling circulation.
As the country’s various homeland and intelligence agencies begin to implement the post-Delta Flight 253 changes ordered by the President, it is becoming painfully obvious that we are falling into the same post-9/11 reaction – we are federalizing a national moment. If we are to be a resilient and resourceful nation, the private sector must play a key role in the strategic response and corrective actions following an event such as that on Flight 253.
Last Friday, the editorial board of the New York Times added its considerable weight to the growing list of thought leaders advocating the completion of the 9-11 Commission recommendations – namely, the consolidation of congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Entitled “88, Count ‘Em,” the Times editors called the 88 committees and subcommittees who claim a piece of DHS oversight “little more than a competitive rush for headlines.”
Many commentators (including me) have called Cloud Computing the way of the future. Indeed, I still believe that is true; however, a new wrinkle has come up with regard to the cloud’s security. It seems hackers are using the computing power of the cloud to do bad things. Instead of laboriously working through passwords trying to crack them, hackers have used cloud providers’ linked virtual networks to apply enormous computing power to break codes and perform attacks.
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