Government Security


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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 shopping

Government Warns Shoppers of Rise in Counterfeit Retailers During Holiday Shopping Season

Officials have seen an increase of counterfeit goods being sold directly to customers as well as a rise in the use of the dark web.

drone airport

Congressmen Protest TSA Plan to Shoot Down Drones Near Airports

Two House members say the Department of Homeland Security does not have enough authority to deploy defense equipment to take down drones.

huawei

Senators Call For Commerce Department To Stop Licensing Tech Sales to Huawei

Huawei has started granting licenses to companies, including Microsoft, hoping to sell products to the Chinese tech giant.

healthcare workers

House of Representatives Passes Bill Addressing Violence Against Healthcare Workers

The legislation faces a tough road ahead in the Senate and a potential veto from the Trump administration, which opposes the current version of the bill.

Capitol Hill at sunset

New Bill Would Require Federal Law Enforcement To Obtain Warrant Before Using Facial Recognition

The bipartisan legislation would prevent “abuse” of the surveillance tool by federal authorities, according to Sens. Chris Coons and Mike Lee.

louisiana capitol

Louisiana Faces Down Ransomware Attack On State Agencies

Several services were shut down on Monday, but the governor says that it was a pre-emptive measure and that the ransomware did not infect all government servers.

camera with facial recognition software

Portland Seeks to Become First City in Maine to Ban Facial Recognition Technology

The ban seeks to prohibit the use of all facial recognition technology by city officials and employees in Portland, Maine.

department of justice

Federal Prosecutors Charge 10 Men in Romance Scams Based in Nigeria

Authorities have arrested seven men across the U.S. who were part of the money laundering fraud scheme.

port of entry and customs agent

Federal Court Rules That Warrantless Device Searches at Airports, Ports of Entry Violate Fourth Amendment

Under the terms of the ruling, border agents must demonstrate “individualized suspicion” of international travelers before officials can seize and search an electronic device.

Gun Manufacturer Could be Held Liable for Sandy Hook Shooting

Gun Manufacturer Could be Held Liable for Sandy Hook Shooting

The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to shield a major arms manufacturer from potential liability in the 2012 school shooting that left 26 students and educators dead in Newtown, Connecticut.

Watchdog Group Sues ICE For Records of Facial Recognition Use and Data Collection Methods

Watchdog Group Sues ICE For Records of Facial Recognition Use and Data Collection Methods

The Project on Government Oversight wants more information about how the agency has solicited facial recognition software from Amazon and other companies.

LAPD officer

Los Angeles Police Plan to Review Body Camera Footage for Instances of ‘Biased Policing’

The new approach to reviewing officers’ footage comes as researchers question how much impact body cameras have had on police behavior.

video surveillance camera

Security Tech Company Raided, Charged With Selling Chinese-Made Equipment to Federal Agencies

Seven current and former employees at Aventura Technologies are facing federal charges for falsely claiming their products were manufactured in the U.S.

Commerce committee

Senators Introduce Bill Aiming to Grow Cybersecurity Workforce

The legislation is part of a growing industry-wide and government effort to attract more workers to the cybersecurity field.

California DMV

California DMV Data Breach Allowed Social Security Information of Thousands to Be Improperly Accessed

The DMV, already besieged by other issues, says that 3,200 license holders had their data improperly exposed to federal agencies, including immigration authorities.

pollling place

As Companies Push Mobile Voting, Experts Warn of Potential Election Security Issues

More counties want to expand mobile and online voting, but cybersecurity experts say there are still too many vulnerabilities to roll out mobile voting systems.

Huawei Sign

Commerce Secretary: Licenses For Companies to Sell Exports to Huawei Are Coming “Very Shortly”

The government has received over 200 requests from American companies to continue doing business with Huawei.

Border Wall in San Diego

Report: Smugglers Crossing U.S.-Mexico Border Have Been Able to Cut Through New Bollards

While the sawing incidents are concerning to border agents, they say that new electronic sensors and the deployment of other resources are making bollard incidents less common.

Cory Booker

Booker Introduces Legislation to Ban Facial Recognition From Federal Public Housing

The senator and presidential candidate says that the technology needs “better safeguards” before it is deployed in housing.

drone above mountain

Interior Department Grounds Entire Drone Fleet Due to Chinese Cyberattack Concerns

All of the drones used by the department were either manufactured in China or use parts that were made in the country, sparking concerns about potential hacking threats.

ACLU logo

ACLU Sues Justice Department, FBI For Records Showing Agencies’ Use of Facial Recognition Software

The ACLU’s lawsuit is the most recent development in a growing debate over regulation of facial recognition use by law enforcement.

Christopher Wray

FBI Reconsidering Body Camera Policy Amid Tensions With Local Police Departments

Police chiefs want their officers to wear body cameras at all times, but officers serving on federal task forces are forbidden from doing so.

TikTok app

Senators Ask U.S. Intelligence To Investigate Potential Security Risks of TikTok and Chinese-Owned Companies

Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton sent a letter to the director of national intelligence expressing concerns about ByteDance, which owns the video app TikTok.

Capitol Hill at sunset

'Cyber Shield Act’ Aims To Establish Cybersecurity Standards for IoT Devices

The bill, introduced by Democratic legislators on Tuesday, would direct a committee to create security benchmarks and then give labels to products who meet those standards.

NYC City Hall

New York City Considers Legislation To Regulate Facial Recognition Use By Businesses, Property Owners

Lawmakers in the city are not advocating outright bans, but say that regulation is necessary to know how police and business owners are using the software.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon

Senate Bill Would Impose Steep Fines, Potential Jail Time For Executives Who Violate Data Privacy Rules

Sen. Ron Wyden, a staunch advocate of increased cybersecurity regulations, introduced the legislation as part of an effort to track how companies collect and share customer data.

training session

First-Of-Its-Kind Program Will Train Health Professionals to Counsel Patients on Gun Violence Prevention

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill awarding millions of dollars in funding to UC Davis, which will teach healthcare providers intervention techniques for patients.

police officer on motorcycle

Berkeley Becomes Fourth U.S. City to Ban Police Use of Facial Recognition

Two other California cities have already adopted similar policies, and the state has also passed a ban on facial recognition in police body cameras.

baltimore aerial view

Baltimore Considers Deploying Aerial Surveillance Planes to Fight Crime

While the program has substantial public support and funding promised by philanthropists, the police commissioner has expressed doubts about its effectiveness.

border patrol car

Border Patrol May Give Body Cameras To Agents at Certain Checkpoints

Customs and Border Protection is asking vendors to describe their ability to provide body cameras, video management, facial recognition technology and more.

ONVIF Suspends Dahua and Hikvision

ONVIF Suspends Dahua and Hikvision

Hikvision and Dahua Technology has been “suspended,” and effectively expelled, from ONVIF.

California Becomes Third State to Ban Facial Recognition Software in Police Body Cameras

California Becomes Third State to Ban Facial Recognition Software in Police Body Cameras

The measure, which will last until at least 2023, does not ban police from using facial recognition in other types of cameras.

Hikvision, Dahua Technology Among Chinese Companies Added to U.S. Government Blacklist

Hikvision, Dahua Technology Among Chinese Companies Added to U.S. Government Blacklist

The Trump administration has added 28 more Chinese organizations to its entity list, which forbids American companies from selling their products to foreign companies without government permission.

Attorney General Pressures Facebook To Delay End-To-End Encryption, Citing Child Abuse Concerns

Attorney General Pressures Facebook To Delay End-To-End Encryption, Citing Child Abuse Concerns

Law enforcement are increasingly worried about the possibility of end-to-end encryption, which does not provide police with a way to access communications between potential suspects.

Justice Apologizes For Iowa Court System Authorizing Security Vulnerability Testing That Led To Break-Ins

Justice Apologizes For Iowa Court System Authorizing Security Vulnerability Testing That Led To Break-Ins

At a legislative hearing Friday, court administrators answered questions about their decision to hire “penetration testers” who were arrested for burglary last month.

Microsoft: Iranian Hackers Targeted Email Accounts of Presidential Campaign, U.S. Officials

Microsoft: Iranian Hackers Targeted Email Accounts of Presidential Campaign, U.S. Officials

Over 200 accounts were targeted by the group of hackers, but only four were compromised, according to Microsoft.

FBI Warns Businesses and Organizations of Rising “High-Impact” Ransomware Threat

FBI Warns Businesses and Organizations of Rising “High-Impact” Ransomware Threat

Even if an organization decides to pay a ransom against the FBI’s advice, they should report the crime to law enforcement, according to the FBI alert.

France Plans to Become First European Country to Use Facial Recognition for Digital Identity System

France Plans to Become First European Country to Use Facial Recognition for Digital Identity System

The French government plans to introduce a program called Alicem that will require residents to take a selfie video to compare to their passport photo.

FDA Warns Medical Device Manufacturers of “Urgent” Cybersecurity Flaws

FDA Warns Medical Device Manufacturers of “Urgent” Cybersecurity Flaws

Security researchers found 11 significant vulnerabilities in devices that use the IPnet software, though there are no confirmed incidents involving takeovers of the devices.

One Year Before Real ID Deadline, Americans Are Not Prepared For Airport Security Change

One Year Before Real ID Deadline, Americans Are Not Prepared For Airport Security Change

A majority of Americans did not know about the changing ID requirements for boarding planes in a recent survey, and DHS said that only 27 percent of residents have been issued a Real ID.

Government Renews Efforts to Find and Fix Cyber Vulnerabilities in Aviation Systems

Government Renews Efforts to Find and Fix Cyber Vulnerabilities in Aviation Systems

The Department of Homeland Security is refocusing its efforts on cyber threats to aircraft, and the Air Force is sponsoring “hacking villages” to discover hacking vulnerabilities.

Stop at the Point of Contact

Stop at the Point of Contact

The vast majority of discussions involving security and parking areas focus on protecting people and property from vandalism, theft or violent crimes.

Analytics Driven Solutions

Analytics-Driven Solutions

As city streets and sidewalks become progressively more congested, city planners are facing new safety challenges, including distracted pedestrians, a growing numbers of bicyclists on the road and an increase in public transportation.

Upgrade Access Status

Upgrade Access Status

Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia offers three daily commercial flights to and from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, along with general aviation.

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New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • 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.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.