www.reliantsecurity.net

www.reliantsecurity.net

www.reliantsecurity.net

Marshall Keith James of SoBran, Inc. wrote an interesting article for security managers who are working against the grain in this environment. http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/facing-challenge-protecting-critical-infrastructure-apathetic-environment-m-k-james-sobran-inc?page=0,0

Some of his advice to security managers is as follows:

• Articulate the threats to your operation without exaggeration
• Understand and test your security plan
• Identify potential targets and specific threats
• Avoid pre-packaged solutions which are "hazard centric"
• Counter apathy with enthusiasm
• Develop advisory relationships with security professionals experienced in plan development and implementation

Reliant Security provides professional security services and consulting to business and government clients throughout the Western United States.

www.reliantsecurity.net

See the AFP article here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRMjda7dUrbt8_XlVUWSB4Dmr01w

The bill increases funding for cybersecurity research and a public awareness campaign.  The bill allocates 400 million dollars for security related grants through the National Science Foundation and seeks to increase cooperation between research universities and government agencies charged with protecting networks that are critical to the nation.

As businesses and government agencies become more dependent on the internet to conduct business, the risks of hacking, data theft and network disruptions are growing.

Following passage of the bill, Oregon Democratic Representative, David Wu, said that, "Securing cyberspace is vitally important to both our safety and our national economy.  We cannot stand by and let the most powerful tool for connecting Americans with each other and the world remain the Wild West of technology."

Reliant Security provides the latest security solutions for clients throughout the western United States.

www.reliantsecurity.net

Due to the proliferation of banking Trojans on the internet, experts recommend that small businesses dedicate a pc exclusively for Internet banking which does not otherwise access the internet or email.

The risks for business are particularly acute as they do not enjoy the same banking protections as consumers.  Depending on how a fradulent transfer was initiated and when it was detected, businesses may not be able to recover all of their losses and banks may not be obligated to make them whole.

Security managers must constantly update their electronic defenses and continually educate their users to stay one step ahead of the thieves and avoid becoming the next corporate victim of online bank fraud.

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Some of the most common passwords found were, "12345, 123456, iloveyou, and the word "password."  In the age of automated hacking tools that can "guess" thousands of passwords per minute, these common simple passwords leave you accounts at risk.  Once your account has been compromised not only can hackers access your private data but they can use your ID for phishing campaigns against everyone in your contact list which can be very embarrassing and damaging to your reputation and that of your company.

Some best practices for passwords are:

1) Use multiple passwords

2) Don't use common identifiers like your initials and date of birth

3) Make your passwords longer

4) Use a mix of letters and numbers upper and lowercase

It is a hassle to remember multiple passwords but it is an even bigger hassle to explain to all your contacts that your email was hacked and that you didn't really intent to send them that email about how much money they can make from Google by posting links from home and taking online surveys.

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One article written by Philip Elliot for Associated Press on the event aftermath can be seen here:   http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/80460127.html

While this near tragedy will likely result in some security improvements, especially regarding inter-agency intelligence sharing, the bottom line is that it will be virtually impossible to stop every terrorist attack every time if we are to maintain some semblance of the "free society" that we currently enjoy in the United States.  The good news in this story is that yet again another heroic citizen intervened to help stop this disaster.

The intervention of the alert citizen highlights a key security concept that is often overlooked:  real security requires security awareness and a proactive approach by every citizen.

This concept is called "domain awareness" in Maritime Security.  Domain Awareness "is defined as the effective understanding of anything associated with the... domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_Domain_Awareness Maritime Security protocols require some level of domain awareness training for all employees who work at waterfront facilities.

The threat of international terrorism requires an alert and engaged citizenry.  The threat of theft and crime at a business requires alert and engaged employees.  The latter can be achieved through security preparedness planning and on-going training.

Security Guards and police will provide the front line defense but there will never be enough of them to secure every area at every time.  These first responders need to be altered to suspicious persons and behavior by citizens and employees who are aware of their surroundings and taking responsibility for their collective security.

Reliant Security provides professional security services and training to clients in the Western United States.

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See the report here: http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=11720475

The Washington State policy underscores the need for security contractors and all employers in Washington State to conduct thorough background investigations on all potential employees to make sure that they are legally qualified to work in the US.

Reliant Security monitors the latest industry trends and changes in the legal environment in order to provide our customers with the information needed to adhere to current best practices.

www.reliantsecurity.net

See the article here:   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704431804574539754148537802.html

The Journal reports that robberies in 2008 are up over ten percent and that burglaries are up over three and a half percent over 2004 levels.  Multiple anecdotes are related in the article.  One public relations firm in Washington D.C. that was robbed three different times reported that, "All of these people had on ties and were wearing dress pants."

Several businesses that were targeted suffered from poor security practices such as leaving ground floor doors unlocked and poorly trained employees who failed to challenge unknown persons seen in the office.  Some employees involved in these incidents suffered from sever emotional trauma and feelings of insecurity for weeks afterward.

If a people ever finds themselves the victims of a robbery or burglary they are advised to cooperate, avoid eye contact and maintain as much distance as possible from the perpetrator.

Reliant Security provides security guards to companies and banks often after they have been robbed or burglarized in order to prevent future occurrences and re-assure their employees that their workplace is safe.  Reliant Security is able to provide security audits and training for employees on "domain security awareness" in order for companies to increase the security at their workplace.

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