Opinion: March 2009 Archives

Alex Pentland, an MIT computer professor, argued in a recent report by the World Economic Forum that the growing amount of "digital breadcrumbs" we all leave behind were of enormous social and scientific value.  Prof. Pentland further discussed how the owners of these data were increasingly exposed to misuse and violation of privacy as "reality mining" allows companies and governments to piece together ever more extensive data on behavior patterns and personal movements.  READ MORE

The networks powering industrial control systems have been breached more than 125 times in the past decade, with one resulting in U.S. deaths, a control systems expert said in recent  testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  READ MORE

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hearing: Cybersecurity - Assessing Our Vulnerabilities and Developing An Effective Defense

Joe Weiss, a member of the San Francisco Bay Area InfraGard chapter, was quoted extensively in the referenced Computerworld.com article.  Dr. Weiss also testified at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Hearing.

RELATED

The "Smart Grid" may be vulnerable to hackers - The Smart Grid will use advanced sensors to improve electricity efficiency and reliability.  Experts are saying before we go rushing headstrong into a Smart Grid concept, we need to be sure we build with security in-mind from the start. READ MORE

Five witnesses, including representatives from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Microsoft Corp. and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), presented a sobering picture of the current state of national cybersecurity initiatives and highlighted a variety of issues that they said need to be addressed on a high-priority at a March 10th hearing of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.  READ MORE

Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security web site, includes a video of this hearing.

In a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Influenza Pandemic: Sustaining Focus on the Nation's Planning and Preparedness Efforts, Congress' investigative arm warned that even though "national priorities are shifting as a pandemic has yet to occur, and the nation's financial crisis and other national issues have become more immediate and pressing ... an influenza pandemic [nevertheless] remains a real threat to our nation and to the world."  READ MORE

Download the GAO report...

RELATED:

Scientists at the National Emergency Management Summit say pandemic is certain - expert panel tells emergency managers it's just a matter of when the avian flu will spark a pandemic. READ MORE

RELATED:

5 Myths About Pandemic Panic. READ MORE

At a recent conference of the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, Dr. Joel Brenner the the National Counterintelligence Executive, discussed the vulnerability of our ever expanding array of electronic communications devices and the growth in the number and types of groups exploiting them.  READ MORE

Download Dr. Brenner's speech...

Toffler Associates recently completed a paper entitled "Guarding our Future", a report on protecting the future of the nation's infrastructure. The report examines the current and emerging conditions that will shape the future of infrastructure and infrastructure protection. DOWNLOAD REPORT