News
Senate bill would give DHS new authority to remove corrupted software from federal systems
With the volume of cyber attacks on government computer systems jumping from 5,500 in 2006 to more than 77,000 in 2015, legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday would give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tools to better protect against foreign attacks. The Federal... Read More »
DHS needs to enhance cybersecurity risk mitigation efforts despite progress, GAO finds
Despite recent efforts to mitigate cybersecurity risks to networks supporting the nation’s critical infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has “not taken sufficient actions” to accomplish that goal, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released... Read More »
DHS S&T conducts land and maritime drone testing in January
For the first time, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) was able to test drones for land and maritime usefulness to federal agencies, conducting tests at two sites in Mississippi back in January. To do so, they worked with the United States... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration sets screening record during 2018 spring travel period
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set a new screening record during the 2018 spring travel period, March 15 through April 15. TSA screened more than 72 million passengers and almost 45 million checked bags, a nearly 5 percent increase over the same period last year. Of all... Read More »
GAO makes FEMA grant assessment recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the manner in which the agency assesses its grant programming. In 2012 the GAO identified coordination challenges among Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)... Read More »
BAE Systems, Dell EMC announce collaboration to offer cloud solution for U.S. government
BAE Systems and Dell EMC announced Monday a collaboration to offer a scalable, hybrid cloud solution for the U.S. government. “Our federated secure cloud is not just a modified commercial cloud environment for government use,” Al Whitmore, president of BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security... Read More »
HHS announces purchase of anthrax antitoxin to enhance national biomedical preparedness
In an effort to bolster national biomedical preparedness efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response (ASPR) announced Monday the purchase of the anthrax treatment Anthim for $25.2 million. Developed through a... Read More »As ‘migrant caravan’ approaches southern border, Trump administration threatens prosecution
A “migrant caravan” from Central America began approaching the southern U.S. border on Monday, prompting Trump administration officials to warn that any violators of immigration law will face prosecution. The caravan totaled about 1,500 people when it embarked from the Mexico-Guatemala... Read More »
Tools enhance cybersecurity initiatives
The National Security Agency (NSA) has developed a set of tools, called Unfetter, designed to bolster cybersecurity initiatives. Officials said Unfetter offers critical research insights to anyone, positioning decision-makers in various industries to incorporate network-protection... Read More »
West Nile Virus struck again after two year hiatus, reaching new areas
A recently released study, presented to the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, demonstrated a 2017 reemergence of West Nile Virus (WNV) spreading to new areas in Greece. In all, scientists found 26 patients with the disease. An additional 19 had WNV fever.... Read More »
Senior police officials participate in international training course on major event security
Senior police officials from 24 countries recently participated in a hands-on training course on securing major sporting events. The International Criminal Police Organization’s (INTERPOL) Project Stadia and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) developed and... Read More »
Cyber experts participate in world’s largest cyber defence exercise
Approximately 1,000 cyber experts from nearly 30 nations are participating this week in Locked Shields, the largest international live-fire cyber defence exercise in the world. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), which is based... Read More »
Sen. Tester highlights homeland security funding priorities in government funding bill
During a roundtable discussion in Montana on Friday, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) highlighted provisions of the federal omnibus spending bill that are designed to bolster homeland security by increasing resources for critical security and local police departments. Tester, the ranking member of... Read More »
State Department reauthorization bill outlines personnel, IT, and embassy security enhancements
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a markup on Thursday of State Department reauthorization bill that would enhance training and recruitment of diplomats, make embassies more secure, crack down on public corruption, and harden information technology (IT) systems. Under the... Read More »
DHS cybersecurity program adds South Korean cybersecurity agency to threat indicator partnership
The Department of Homeland Security’s Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) system added a new partner to its shared exchange, in the form of the Korea Internet and Security Agency. The union allows American and South Korean interests to rapidly exchange cyber threat indicators. This could... Read More »
Science and Technology Directorate working to improve analytics capabilities across Homeland Security Enterprise
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to introduce its System of Systems Operational Analytics (SoSOA) program, which aims to improve analytical capabilities for decision-making across the Homeland Security Enterprise. S&T is currently... Read More »
Firm lands intelligence, cybersecurity contracts
The technology firm Engility secured three sole-source awards with the nation’s intelligence community during the first quarter of 2018, totaling $76 million. “Sole-source awards, especially with customers conducting some of the most critical work in the nation, attest to the one-of-a-kind,... Read More »
Air Force Intelligence Squadron holds Artificial Intelligence and Design Thinking seminar
The 526th Intelligence Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, recently hosted an Artificial Intelligence and Design Thinking seminar at AFWERX Vegas, which more than 100 Airmen, contractors, and Department of Defense employees attended. AFWERX Vegas, a branch of DEFENSEWERX, is a... Read More »
Senate bill calls for national strategy to combat global financial networks used by criminal syndicates
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would require President Trump to draft a national strategy to identify and disrupt global financial networks used by transnational criminal organizations to transfer an estimated $870 billion around the world. Under the Criminal... Read More »
Navy-Coast Guard collaboration on drug interdiction efforts discussed in Senate hearing
Noting that only an estimated 25 percent of drug shipments coming into the United States by sea are intercepted, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) called on the Navy and Coast Guard to better coordinate interdiction efforts during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday. King... Read More »
United Nations Department of Safety and Security unable to enter Douma, Syria, for reconnaissance
A reconnaissance mission led by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) was forced to turn back from Douma, Syria, this week under fire. The mission was meant to be a preliminary for an Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact-Finding Mission in the... Read More »
Researcher explores chlorinated lipids as a quick test, treatment for chlorine gas exposure
Chlorinated lipids may be the answer to quickly testing and treating individuals who may have been exposed to chlorine gas, a Saint Louis University professor recently said. Quickly determining which chemical agent was used is allows medical personnel to take appropriate countermeasures to save... Read More »
Small satellites aid remote area search and rescue efforts
The Department of Homeland Security is touting the benefits of small satellites used to help search and rescue teams locate emergency beacons in remote areas, such as the Arctic. Officials said the Raytheon Company crafted two Polar Scout devices, with smallsats apertures and sensors capable of... Read More »
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrest 225 in New York
Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 225 individuals in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley during a recent six-day enforcement action. ICE’s ERO arrested the 225 individuals for allegedly violating U.S.... Read More »
NSA hosts researchers from six Science and Security Privacy initiative ‘lablets’
The National Security Agency (NSA) recently hosted researchers from “lablets” taking part in its Science of Security and Privacy (SoS) initiative, which advances the design of trusted systems across disciplines ranging from computer science to behavioral science. Since its launch in 2012,... Read More »
IAEA uses drones to release sterile mosquitoes in high-risk Zika areas
Marking a milestone in the fight against vector-borne diseases, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) successfully released radiation-sterilized mosquitoes from drones in Brazil last as part of ongoing efforts to control mosquito populations there. IAEA, the Food and Agriculture... Read More »
Bacterial ‘gene swapping’ may cause spread of disease, study finds
Scientists from the University of Liverpool recently determined the exact means by which bacteria can swap genetic material with one another -- something they conclude can spark the outbreak of infectious diseases. They have dubbed the process horizontal gene transfer, something that has... Read More »
U.S. Attorney Stuart announces major enforcement action against drug trafficking organization
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart announced Tuesday a major enforcement action targeting for arrest approximately 100 defendants recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Huntington, West Virginia for drug-related charges, including involvement in the Peterson Drug Trafficking Organization... Read More »
Rep. Cole advocates sustained funding for biodefense and emergency health response
U.S. agencies need a more predictable and accessible source of funds to support a rapid response to public health emergencies, including outbreaks of disease and bioterror attacks, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said Wednesday. Cole addressed a panel of government officials testifying at a House... Read More »
Information sharing aids coastal surveillance efforts
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said information sharing has proven beneficial to coastal surveillance initiatives. Officials said the Integrated Maritime Domain Enterprise - Coastal Surveillance System (IMDE-CSS) has evolved beyond the... Read More »
Brunei Darussalam makes progress toward Chemical Weapons Convention legislation implementation
Brunei Darussalam created a plan to establish a National Authority and draft implementing legislation on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) during a National Awareness-Raising and Legislative Assistance Workshop held recently April in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Workshop participants... Read More »
House bill seeks to bolster military electromagnetic spectrum operations readiness
The U.S. military would take steps to secure access to the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) needed to use many communication and navigational devices and to ward off enemy attempts at jamming or deception, under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. The U.S.... Read More »
House bill would enhance sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders of immigration crimes
Sentencing guidelines would be strengthened for new crimes committed by undocumented immigrants who were previously convicted of unlawful entry to the country under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. The Peter, Ellie and Grayson Victims of Illegal Criminal Entry... Read More »
DHS S&T awards nearly $190,000 to London-based effort to improve International Screening Process
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded this week $189,863 to a London startup for efforts to improve the international passenger screening process. The funds were pulled from the S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), which... Read More »