SubscribeCoast Guard tests fingerprinting at borders
March 12, 2008
“The Coast Guard is using a new weapon to fight illegal immigration: electronic fingerprinting.
A test program in which Coast Guard sailors take digital fingerprints from people picked up on boats headed to Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic has led to more than 100 prosecutions in the past year.” (USA Today)
Jordan releases leading al-Qaida mentor
March 12, 2008
“Jordanian authorities on Wednesday released Jordanian Sheik Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a leading al-Qaida mentor, after several years imprisonment without trial, security sources said.” (MSNBC)
Germany, US deepen anti-terror cooperation
March 11, 2008
“The United States and Germany agreed Tuesday to share more information on terror suspects in a deal that Washington hopes will be a model for cooperation with other countries.
The agreement, initialled in Berlin by US Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and US Attorney General Michael Mukasey and their German counterparts, also covers serious crimes other than terrorism, a statement said.” (Agence France Presse)
U.S. eyes terror listing for Venezuela over links to FARC
March 11, 2008
“The Bush administration has launched a preliminary legal inquiry that could land Venezuela on the U.S. list of nations that support terrorism, following reports of close Venezuelan links with Colombian rebels, a senior government official has confirmed.” (Houston Chronicle)
FBI Chief Confirms Misuse of Subpoenas
March 11, 2008
“FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III told senators yesterday that agents improperly used a type of administrative subpoena to obtain personal data about Americans until internal reforms were enacted last year.” (Washington Post)
Cyber Storm II gets started
March 11, 2008
“The private sector owns more than three-quarters of the country’s critical infrastructure. A large-scale, successful, coordinated attack could cripple the country’s economy. A cyberattack can originate in one country and pass through several others before reaching its target.” (Federal Computer Week)
London police targeted in al-Qaeda spy ring
March 10, 2008
“MI5 agents claim to have uncovered al-Qaeda spies in Britain’s police force.
According to a News Of The World report, four London Met officers were targeted after Scotland Yard secrets were passed on.” (Malaysia Sun)
Equipment spots nuclear materials in security test
March 7, 2008
“Equipment in two trailers sniffed out nuclear materials today on cars and trucks boarding the Bolivar Ferry in the first field test of the device in a maritime setting, a Homeland Security official said.
The transportable radiation monitoring system, or TRMS, began screening cars entering the ferry from Galveston Island for the first full-day of an eight-day trial, said Cpt. Jim Bamberger, Transportation Safety Agency branch chief.” (Houston Chronicle)
Chertoff celebrates DHS anniversary with defense of virtual fence
March 7, 2008
“Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff Wednesday strongly defended border security projects undertaken by his department, asserting that virtual fencing in Arizona is working and that border-control efforts are not being delayed by three years.” (GovExec)
Washington Prepares for Cyber War Games
March 7, 2008
“The U.S. government will conduct a series of cyber war games throughout next week to test its ability to recover from and respond to digital attacks.
Code-named ‘Cyber Storm II,’ this is the largest-ever exercise designed to evaluate the mettle of information technology experts and incident response teams from 18 federal agencies, including the CIA, Department of Defense, FBI, and NSA, as well as officials from nine states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. In addition, more than 40 companies will be playing, including Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical, McAfee, and Microsoft.” (Washington Post)