Opinion: April 2009 Archives

Update - April 29, 2009 - 14:10 PDT
Center for Disease Control (CDC) Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist, DOWNLOAD

UPDATE - April 28, 2009
Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues State of Emergency Proclamation to Confront Swine Flu Outbreak READ

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Swine Flu Web Site, GO THERE

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Swine Flu Twitter Site, GO THERE

California Department of Public Health Services Swine Flue News Web Site, GO THERE

California Department of Public Health Services Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, DOWNLOAD (.pdf)

Santa Clara County Public Health Department Guide

   DOWNLOAD
     

OPINION:  Keep things in perspective ..."Every year in the United States, on average 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and; about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes."  Source - CDC

The Verizon forensics team analyzed thousands of data points from investigations around the world - including many never publicly reported - and found that in 2008 alone, more than 285 million records were compromised. That's more than the previous four years combined. The 2009 Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report offers an objective view of these data breaches, including analysis that we believe will be helpful to the planning and security efforts of our readers. DOWNLOAD REPORT

A recent article in TIME magazine suggests that the U.S. power grid is not really that vulnerable because the electricity-distribution system is highly decentralized, and there's no central control system.  READ MORE

OPINION:  This article might over-simplify things.  It is true that the over-all U.S. system is decentralized, but as we have seen a "regional" outage can affect millions.  For example, the Northeast Blackout of 2003 was a massive widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and Ontario, Canada on Thursday, August 14, 2003, at approximately 4:15 pm EDT (20:15 UTC). At the time, it was the most widespread electrical blackout in history.The blackout affected an estimated 10 million people in the Canadian province of Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. states. READ MORE

The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report offers analysis and discussion of threat activity over a one-year period. It covers Internet threat activities, vulnerabilities, malicious code, phishing, spam and security risks as well as future trends. The fourteenth version of the report, released April 14, 2009, is now available.  MORE INFO

The DHS Fusion Center initiative has inspired several dozen state and local centers nationwide over the past few years, including the Northern California Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center.  The fusion center concept has nonetheless been a civil liberties lightning rod and, by implication a political hot potato.  Recent testimony by the DHS civil liberties officer dispels negative myths but acknowledges real privacy challenges of fusion centers.  READ MORE

Testimony of Acting Deputy Officer for Programs and Compliance David D. Gersten, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, before the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment, "The Future of Fusion Centers" - MORE INFO

Amit Yoran, the first director of the DHS National Cyber Security Division recently spoke to ExecutiveBiz on what it will take to re-align DHS and why he thinks handing the cyber mission to NSA would still be "ill-advised."  READ MORE