Volume 3, Issue 6

April 2006  

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SMUGGLERS EXPLOIT HOLE IN PORT SECURITY

UPGRADES URGED FOR SECURITY GUARDS

MANY STATE HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTORS UNHAPPY
WITH FEDERAL INTELLIGENCE SHARING

THE DETECTIVE AND THE DATABASE

ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD CONDUCTS FIRST STATEWIDE WMD DRILL

SUDOKU USED AS BAIT FOR ADWARE DOWNLOAD

SMUGGLERS EXPLOIT HOLE IN PORT SECURITY

When 22 Chinese nationals let themselves out of a cramped cargo container at the Port of Seattle last week, it ended their dangerous and costly two−week trip from Shanghai. After a few minutes of freedom and fresh air, however, they were apprehended and are likely to be deported. There was no indication that the 18 men and four women had terrorist ties, officials say, but they had made it to a major downtown area at a time of rising concern about port vulnerability. Some wonder just how easy it would have been to load that 40−foot metal box aboard the MV Rotterdam, a vessel of China Shipping Line, with a weapon of mass destruction. The episode highlights two things: growing and in some ways uncontrolled emigration to the U.S. from China; and the post−9/11 effort by officials and lawmakers to tighten security at American ports. While the U.S. government now spends nearly $3 billion a year on maritime security, much more needs to be done, according to those dealing with the 21,000 cargo containers entering U.S. ports everyday. The number of containers being inspected has doubled in recent years, but that's still only about six percent of the total.

Source: www.csmonitor.com (4/11/06) Knickerbocker, Brad

UPGRADES URGED FOR SECURITY GUARDS

Officials in Los Angeles vowed on Thursday to forge a closer working relationship with the private security guards that help protect the city's commercial buildings and to help improve the guards' working conditions. "When I was in Israel recently on a trip on security, one of the aspects that was emphasized was the need to work with private security forces," said City Council member Jack Weiss. "In many cases--if there is a terrorist attack, a fire, or an earthquake--these are the people who will be first responders." Spurred into action by a recent study showing that the turnover rate among L.A. security guards who protect commercial buildings stands at more than 100 percent, city officials are seeking to improve the guards' pay rate, training, and benefits. City officials said they will first focus on improving conditions for security guards who protect commercial buildings, with the possibility of expanding the effort to helping guards who work at other types of buildings.

Source: LA Daily News (04/07/06) ; Orlov, Rick

MANY STATE HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTORS UNHAPPY WITH FEDERAL INTELLIGENCE SHARING

The National Governors Association's second annual report on homeland security, released Wednesday, concludes that 60 percent of state homeland security directors are unhappy with the specificity of terrorism intelligence they receive from the federal government and 55 percent are unhappy with the "actionable quality" of the intelligence. Also, a majority of the 40 state, territory, and commonwealth homeland security directors who responded to the survey believe that their emergency-response abilities have been reduced by at least 25 percent due to multiple demands on National Guard forces. Among other concerns, the homeland security directors said that the Department of Homeland Security's state grant program needs to provide more emphasis on disaster prevention and recovery. The DHS said that it is already addressing the concerns raised by the report, and a department spokesman promised that next year's report will show much improvement.

Source: Associated Press (04/05/06) ; Crary, David

THE DETECTIVE AND THE DATABASE

There are times when traditional investigative techniques alone cannot help security professionals track down a crime. In these instances, teaming up with an information technology expert to conduct a data mining probe can reveal what traditional investigative methods do not. For example, the author of this case, private investigation consultant Charles A. Harold, used data mining to help solve the mystery of two $75,000 Sony BVW-75 tape machines that had been stolen from his employer. Harold operated on the assumption that the theft was an inside job and that the person who stole the machines would attempt to sell the machines through newspaper ads or online ads during business hours, and might use his work phone to call his home message machine and check for responses to his ad. Information about BVW-75 tape machines that were being sold over the Internet or through newspaper ads was collected and placed in a Microsoft Access database, as were 8 million of the company's phone call records. A programmer was hired to create custom code that would search the database to match the phone numbers from the online and newspaper ads with phone numbers from the company's phone call records. This method did indeed reveal that an employee had been making dozens of phone calls from work to a number listed in the newspaper ads; that the number was the employee's home phone number; and that the employee made several phone calls to a company that specializes in buying and selling used broadcast equipment. This information identified the employee as the prime suspect and led to other information that eventually helped convict the employee.

Source: Security Management (03/06) Vol. 50, No.3, P. 66; Harold, Charles A.

Quote of the Month: It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD CONDUCTS FIRST STATEWIDE WMD DRILL

The Illinois National Guard’s (ING) first statewide simulated weapons of mass destruction (WMD) attack, called Heartland Strike, was conducted Saturday, April 8, in Seneca, IL. About 300 Guardsmen and 50 local residents participated. Lt. Col. Tim Franklin of ING headquarters in Springfield said Monday, April 10, the simulated WMD attack was very successful, based on the way the troops responded, and how the first responders in Seneca and Marseilles, including police, firefighters and ambulance personnel, teamed up with the military. The weekend disaster drill was the first of its kind statewide for the ING. The first ever drill was last year at Camp Lincoln in Springfield in cooperation with the headquarters’ Joint Task Force. The next simulation is tentatively scheduled in the Chicago area in May.

Source: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com

SUDOKU USED AS BAIT FOR ADWARE DOWNLOAD

Adware traffickers have begun to lure users into dangerous Websites using a sudoku puzzle as bait. The game is functional, so users with vulnerable Windows PCs would have no idea that YazzleSudoku, an adware program, has been loaded onto their PC. It's only possible to play the game if users agree to have adware loaded onto their PC.

Source: www.channelregister.co.uk (4/10/06) Leyden, John