Top Stories


orbitz site

Orbitz and Expedia Reach $110,000 Settlement with Pennsylvania AG Over 2017 Data Breach

The travel companies were fined for lax data security practices that potentially led to a breach affecting 880,000 payment cards globally.

camera with facial recognition software

Second Massachusetts Town Bans Government Use of Facial Recognition

The vote marks the fourth town that has banned facial recognition this year, following Somerville, Mass. and San Francisco and Oakland in California.

New Orleans Becomes Latest City To Suffer Ransomware Attack

The cyberattack caused the city to completely shut down its network for several days, but did not affect emergency services.

CBP Sign

ICE, Customs and Border Protection Face Lawsuit Over ‘Stingray’ Cell Phone Surveillance Tech

There is little known about the government’s use of “stingrays,” which tracks the locations of a cell phone and all devices within its range.

seattle tacoma airport

Seattle-Tacoma Airport Becomes First To Resist Government Push For Facial Recognition Expansion

The Port of Seattle Commission approved a moratorium on new biometric technology programs on Tuesday amid concern over data privacy and the tool’s accuracy.

Lindsey Graham

Senators to Big Tech Companies: Build A Back Door For Law Enforcement To Access Encrypted Messages, Or Else

The ongoing debate over Apple and Facebook’s decision to not build “backdoors” for law enforcement to obtain encrypted messages continued to rage during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

ring doorbell camera

Hackers Have Developed Software To Break Into Ring Security Camera Accounts, And It’s Working

A Mississippi family had their Ring account hacked, allowing a man to speak to their eight-year-old daughter through the speaker.

Ojo Technology Names New Vice President of Services

Chris Krajewski previously served as general manager for Ojo's Central Valley office



cyber attack

Pensacola Government Faces Cyber Attack Hours After Shooting at Naval Base

The government has not linked the attack to the shooting, which is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Hospital Front

Family of Chicago Hospital Shooting Victim Files Suit Against Security Company, Hospital

The lawsuit argues that Mercy Hospital and SDI Security did not follow their own protocols by failing to issue alerts or initiating a lockdown of the building.

NJ state police

Gun Battle in New Jersey Ends With Six Deaths, Including Police Officer

The shooting in Jersey City lasted for over an hour and ended with a firefight between the suspects and several police officers.

Huawei Files Second Lawsuit Against U.S. Government Over Ban

After the FCC voted to ban telecommunications companies from using subsidies to buy equipment from Huawei, the Chinese company filed suit.

5G Inherits Some 4G Vulnerabilities

Commercial 5G mobile networks are only just becoming available, with highly developed use cases for improving autonomous automobiles navigation and smart-sensor networks, and new vulnerabilities and security requirements are already emerging.

Why IoT Security Needs A Totally Different Approach: Lock the Doors

We all heard it growing up, “Close and lock the doors when you leave the house!” We all knew where the doors were and how to lock them. It was easy. But what if you don’t know where all the “doors are” and they don’t all have “locks?” What’s the move then?

When Compliance isn’t Good Enough: Thinking Beyond Regulations is a Must

With the January 2020 deadline for CCPA compliance looming, what lessons from GDPR compliance apply most this time around? Topping the list should be thinking and acting beyond compliance to build and sustain a long-range view of data security.

Hikvision camera

Study: One Billion Surveillance Cameras Expected to Be Installed Globally By 2021

China is home to more than 54 percent of those cameras, and the most growth is expected in developing countries like India and Brazil.

Decoding Data Privacy Regulations

There are three types of organizations: Those who have been hacked; those who are doing everything in their power to not be hacked; and those who are being hacked right now, without even knowing it.

Maintaining Your Cybersecurity

Today’s security networks have evolved from where they were 20 years ago. With these changes, we have seen many amazing advances in the technology and the connectivity between the systems which comprise today’s complex security systems. Through these advancements has also come concerns on how we secure these systems and the data within them.

fbi logo

Shooting At Pensacola Naval Base is Being Investigated as Terrorism, FBI Says

Friends of the gunman, who was in the Saudi air force, have been cooperating with the investigation into the attack, which killed three sailors.

CBP website

Customs and Border Protection Drops Plans To Expand Facial Recognition Scans to American Travelers

The decision to reverse plans to expand facial recognition at ports of entry came after widespread criticism from legislators and activists.

naval air station pensacola

Four People Dead, Including Suspect, After Shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola

This is the second time in three days that a shooter has opened fire at a U.S. naval base.

port of entry

House Legislation Would Increase Use of Non-Intrusive Inspection Tech at Ports of Entry

Two House members want the Department of Homeland Security to increase its rate of inspection from 15 percent of commercial vehicles to 100 percent.

customs officer

American Citizens Could Be Subject to Required Facial Recognition Scans While Entering or Leaving U.S.

The Trump administration plans to expand facial scans from a pilot program for foreign travelers to include all travelers, including permanent residents and citizens.

PPSS Group Launch Next Generation Body Armor

U.K.-based company will begin offering the product in January 2020.

security system installation

How Innovation in Security Integration Can Be Recognized and Incentivized

Many security solutions providers are redesigning and upgrading systems every day. It’s time for them to be rewarded with the R&D Tax Credit.

ESA Youth Scholarship

ESA Opens 2020 Scholarship Applications for Children of First Responders

The first-place winner will be honored with their parent at the ESA Expo in June.

pearl harbor

Shooting At Pearl Harbor Naval Base Kills Two Workers, Injures Another

The gunman, a current U.S. sailor, shot the three civilian workers before turning the gun on himself.

holiday mall

Are Seasonal Workers Putting Your Business Data at Risk?

The influx of temporary workers can often threaten data security for retailers. But it doesn't have to.

FaceApp

FBI Warns That FaceApp and Other Apps Developed in Russia Are ‘Potential Counterintelligence Threats’

The viral app concerned senators due to the amount of data that it collected, including facial scans of users.

chinese facial recognition phone

China Implements Mandatory Facial Recognition Scans For New Cell Phone Users

The government claims that the new requirement will prevent fraud for citizens, but critics see it as the furthering of invasive surveillance measures.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”