IT Security

Border agents can’t conduct forensic searches of electronic devices like laptop computers, cell phones and camera memory sticks without a reasonable idea that criminal activity has occurred, said a federal appeals court on March 8.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, struck down on March 8 an earlier district court’s ruling in the case of Howard Cotterman, by not excluding searches of electronic gear, but by raising the standard for initiating them.

The FBI’s cyber division plans to gather personal information from approximately 7,200 individuals each year who want to become members of the Bureau’s National Infragard Program.

Infragard is a public-private partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector who are focused on intrusions and vulnerabilities affecting 18 critical infrastructures.

Not surprisingly, the cyber emergency response team that helps protect critical infrastructure computer systems reported a busy year in 2012.

The Industrial Control System Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) issued on March 7 a report on its activities in 2012.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has approved global management consulting Accenture Federal Services and veteran-owned Vius LLC for participation in the department's Mentor/Protege Program.

The Mentor/Protege Program encourages private-sector relationships and expands DHS's efforts to identify and respond to the developmental needs of veteran-owned businesses, said Accenture. The program's goal is to enhance participants' ability to compete successfully for federal government contracts.

A former cleared American guard (CAG) at a U.S. consulate under construction in China will serve nine years in federal prison for trying to sell access to, and photos of, restricted areas of the site to Chinese intelligence officials so they could plant listening devices and avoid security measures there.

Hundreds of companies that planned to attend the Department of Homeland Security’s March 18 industry day to talk with the agency’s experts, will have to wait.

The tenth issue of the infamous terrorist-authored Web magazine, Inspire, includes an article from now-deceased Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya Al Libi.

The English language magazine published by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was started in 2010 to foment acts of domestic terror in the west. Its second issue included an article that suggested domestic terrorist to open fire at Washington, DC, restaurants and “mow down” people on the street. It has also carried articles with titles like “How to Make A Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”

Federal law enforcement needs private industry help to battle a growing and dire cyber threat to the U.S., the FBI told a gathering of the nation’s leading cyber security experts.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) formally issued a Request for Information (RFI) on developing voluntary industry standards to protect against Cyber attacks and intrusions.

The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) has conducted a flash poll on President Obama’s recent executive order, entitled "Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity."

During the eight-hour period the poll was open, more than 100 HSPI stakeholders responded, offering their perspectives on the executive order and cybersecurity more generally. Findings culled from the first 100 individuals surveyed included these highlights: