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Physical locks aren't very good. They keep the honest out, but any burglar worth his salt can pick the common door lock pretty quickly. It used to be that most people didn't know this. Sure, we all watched television criminals and private detectives pick locks with an ease only found on television and thought it realistic, but somehow we still held onto the belief that our own locks kept us safe from intruders. The Internet changed that. First was the MIT Guide to Lockpicking, written by the late Bob ("Ted the Tool") Baldwin. Then came Matt Blaze's 2003 paper on...

Apple today released Safari 4.0.3 which is recommended for all Safari users and includes improvements to stability, compatibility and security including: • Stability improvements for webpages that use the HTML 5 video tag • Stability improvements for 3rd-party plug-ins • Stability improvements for Top Sites • Fixes an issue that prevented some users from logging into iWork.com • Fixes an issue that could cause web content to be displayed in greyscale instead of color Safari 4.0.3 is available via Software Update and also as a standalone installer. More info and download links (40MB (Leopard), 26MB (Tiger), 27MB (Windows)) here. For...

The White House is having trouble filling its "cyber- security czar" slot? Big surprise. Sometimes being the guy "in charge" just means having a big target painted on your back. The last Russian czar, Nicholas II, was slaughtered along with his family in a melee of gunfire and stabbing bayonets.

Iraq’s three ground services. Iraq legally has only two ministries with significant combat paramilitary or military ground forces: 1. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) has the Iraqi Army with 14 divisions. (This is growing to 16 or 17 divisions soon with the new Kurdish additions.) 2. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has the Federal Police (FP) and the Department of Border Enforcement (DBE) with five DBE Divisions and four FP Divisions. (The Federal Police is projected to grow to 10-12 FP Divisions as they absorb the provincial emergency police and Kurdish elements.) Unless the Iraqi Government can fix this power...

Hope this is the right area to post this geek thing. I'm trying to locate a program to protect my laptop in case it's stolen. I have passwords on it but I would like to have a USB flash drive as a key/lock. If the flash drive is not installed then the laptop can't be booted or accessed in any way. The USB flash drive has to be inserted into the laptop before it's turned on and the laptop needs to access a program on it before it would boot. Any ideas?

The June 2009 quarterly report to congress “Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq” was released on 31 July 2009. The information in this report is only the unclassified portion of the report. The information contained is dated no later than 15 May 2009. This article will address noteworthy items from this report concerning Iraqi Security Force developments. [Speculation and comments in italics.] Budget issues are still causing major problems in the Ministry of Defense, especially as concerns personnel. This is especially impacting the Air Force and Navy. These are some of the key statements from the report:

Security researchers have found some serious flaws in software that uses the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption protocol used to secure communications on the Internet.At the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, researchers unveiled a number of attacks that could be used to compromise secure traffic travelling between Web sites and browsers.This type of attack could let an attacker steal passwords, hijack an on-line banking session or even push out a Firefox browser update that contained malicious code, the researchers said.The problems lie in the way that many browsers have implemented SSL, and also in the X.509 public...

About 40 soldiers with the Afghan National Army and two squads from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, executed a “cordon and knock” operation July 28, 2009 here. The main focus of this operation was to re-establish security in the area with the ANA out in the lead and show the local populace that Afghan and U.S. forces are here for their protection. A “cordon and knock” mission typically involves setting up a security perimeter around a specific objective with a maneuver element that conducts voluntary searches inside the cordon. “With this operation we were...

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Aug. 4, 2009 – Afghan National Police and U.S. military police assigned to Task Force Mountain Warrior conducted training here to boost security for Afghanistan’s upcoming presidential election. Army Sgt. Christopher C. Silva discusses training opportunities with Afghan National Police Maj. Sali Mohammed, operations officer for the Shigal district police station, July 15, 2009, at the Manogai Police Station in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Silva's unit has been conducting several meetings similar to this one throughout the province to help the Afghan National Police boost security for the August elections. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Eugene H. Cushing  (Click...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Aug. 3, 2009 – Over the past month, soldiers of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, have been learning new skills and taking on new challenges as they adapt to a different mission in Iraq. Rather than combat, the soldiers have been working hand in hand with provincial reconstruction teams that are assisting Iraqis as they build key infrastructures in Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna provinces. The soldiers provide security while reconstruction team members work to improve conditions in this war-torn country. “Working with the [provincial reconstruction team] has been pretty meaningful, just...

Join us for our regular Sunday night Nite Cap as we hoist a few and we w discuss Producer Tim Sumner's news story this week revealing the administrations movement that has aside a couple dozen beds in Supermax for Gitmo Prisoners and Debra Burlingame's subsequent article in the WSJ with author of "Inside Gitmo" Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu. http://www.insidegitmo.com/ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/freedom Learn HOW Richard Reid has used the constitution of the United States against its people. http://www.911familiesforamerica.org/?p=1364 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203609204574317090690242698.html We will further discuss the Center for Security Policy and their work and press conference Friday. http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/p18136.xml Also Tami Bell will be back...

An Iraqi tile-maker puts the finishing touches on a piece of tile at a factory in Boob al-Sham, July 30. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. BAGHDAD — In an open-air factory on the outskirts of northeast Baghdad, Iraqi workers diligently polish mosaic tiles with buffers, spraying water in circular, cascading waves. An Iraqi teenager sweeps the water toward a drainage ditch with a determined look on his face as the workers' machines drone on noisily. The owner of the factory, a distinguished Iraqi man with salt and pepper hair, strides toward the wrought iron gate...

La Raza held it's convention in guess who's hometown this week?: "At this week's annual convention in Chicago of one of the country's largest Hispanic advocacy organizations--the National Council of La Raza--attendees got tips on how to lobby lawmakers. The bill to bring back the "Dream Act" , HR 1751, was reintroduced in the U.S. House this past March. Last action it was refered to the House Subcommittee on Higher Education back in May. Call, write your representative.

With one bombshell already having been dropped at the BlackHat Conference (that most implementations of SSL are configured to give up everything including logins, credit cards, etc.), researchers dropped another one today when they demonstrated how the SMS infrastructures of GSM-flavored operators such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile are hackable to the point that cell phones can be hacked and their users can be tricked into divulging confidential information. By the time you read this, there will probably be some videos of the hacks posted to YouTube. But the net net is that there are different SMS message types....

Obama Used 39 Social Security Numbers?topic posted Mon, July 27, 2009 - 5:43 PM "Dr. Taitz brings forward allegations that Barrack Obama is unlawfully holding the position as President of the United States. She currently is representing approx. 170 military members including commissioned officers in a lawsuit to force Barrack Obama to produce his birth cirtificate, proving that he is eligible to hold the position of President."

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2009 – Increasing the numbers of Afghan military forces and police is essential for Afghanistan ultimately to assume responsibility for its own security, a senior U.S. diplomat said here yesterday. “An expansion of the armed services and police of Afghanistan is obviously necessary,” Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told reporters at a State Department news conference. “It’s absolutely essential that over time Afghanistan assume responsibility for its own security,” said Holbrooke, who was appointed to his position by President Barack Obama in January. On March 27, Obama announced his plan to...

Federal Websites: Cookie Policy During the Open Government Initiative outreach, Federal employees and the public have asked us questions about the federal government’s policy on cookies. As part of our effort to create a more open and innovative government, we’re working on a new cookie policy that we’ll want your input on. But before we get into that, let’s provide some context. In June 2000, the OMB Director issued a memorandum (M-00-13, later updated by M-03-22)) that prohibited Federal agencies from using certain web-tracking technologies, primarily persistent cookies, due to privacy concerns, unless the agency head approved of these technologies...

WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court ruling won't stand in the way of new oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington clarified late Tuesday that its decision earlier this year to block some Bush-era drilling plans was meant to apply only to activity in Alaska, not the Gulf.

Details about a U.S. Secret Service safe house for the First Family -- to be used in a national emergency -- were found to have leaked out on a LimeWire file-sharing network recently, members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee were told this morning.Also unearthed on LimeWire networks in recent days were presidential motorcade routes and a sensitive but unclassified document listing details on every nuclear facility in the country, Robert Boback, CEO of Tiversa Inc. told committee members. The disclosures prompted the chairman of the committee, Rep. Edolphus Towns, (D-N.Y.), to call for a ban on the...

* Mac expert shows how hackers can steal encrypted data * Demonstrates method at conference for security experts LAS VEGAS, July 29 (Reuters) - A Mac security expert has uncovered a technique that hackers could use to take control of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) computers and steal data that is scrambled to protect it from identity thieves. Prominent Mac researcher Dino Dai Zovi disclosed the software flaw at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, one of the world's top forums for exchanging information on Internet threats. About 4,000 security professionals are in attendance, including some who are really hackers....

The Facilities Protection Force (FPS) was formed as a minimally-trained guard force. Originally it was to be less than 10,000 personnel. It became a monstrosity. At its peak in 2007, the FPS claimed 150,000 personnel spread over 27 ministries and four autonomous departments. In January 2008, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) started taking over the FPS administration. By April 2008, four months later, the FPS payroll had been reduced to 98,000. The other 52,000 either was transferred, arrested, fired, or had never existed. The housecleaning of the FPS continues.

I suspect that China might be stealing our confidential data that is stored (or backed up) on external USB hard disks, such as those 1 TB commodities sold as Costco for $100. Early this year, I bought two 1 TB external USB drives to backup my computer. These drives cost a little over $100 with a five-year warranty. I figured, for redundancy, I’d copy my main C-drive data files to both drives, just in case one dies. Sure enough, six months later, I get the Windows XP error message “USB Device Not Recognized: one of the USB devices attached to...

This has happened once before, but today it happened 3 times! I decided to pop into NewsMax.com see what's going on, and instead of going to the main page, I get a popup window stating about a possible virus attack.... yeah yeah ok, the warning was fake, but no matter how you try to click out of it, it brings up a fake "scanning files" page, so I immediately shut down the network to prevent an actual virus upload (that's how these things work--they also shut off your firewall) Did all my usual scans, everything clean. So I tried again,...

An Apple expert and hacker has shown that the iPhone, in all its various forms and moltings, is child’s play to compromise. This comes despite assurances from Apple regarding the 3GS’s encryption feature. Bad news for businesspeople of the 21st century, who have glommed onto the iPhone and its service halo like no other device. The wonder-phone has certainly changed the way smartphones and other devices are made, but this isn’t the first time Apple’s security measures have been described as being seriously lacking. It seems that with a little creative coding, or access to an insecure computer, the iPhone...

Government leaders are not adequately protecting America and are setting the country on a course toward catastrophe if national security policy is not dramatically changed, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday. In a speech full of dire scenarios and gloomy predictions, the former House speaker argued that no price is too high for the federal government to pay when it comes to shoring up national security. "We are living at the edge of catastrophe," Gingrich said while laying out the flaws of the current governmental approach to security as well as his own framework for policy change. Gingrich said...

The Iraqi National Police (INP) have been renamed the Federal Police. This renaming is probably part of a consolidation and/or reorganization of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior paramilitary police forces. Details beyond that the Iraqi National Police is part of the newly designated Federal Police have not been made public. However, previous activity and reorganizations of Iraqi Police forces provide insights as to what is probably occurring. What follows is speculation based on those insights.

A Chilling Effect on U.S. CounterterrorismSecurity at Places of Worship: More Than a Matter of Faith By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart of Stratfor Jewish World Review July 17, 2009 / 25 Tamuz 5769 In recent months, several high-profile incidents have raised awareness of the threat posed by individuals and small groups operating under the principles of leaderless resistance. These incidents have included lone wolf attacks against a doctor who performed abortions in Kansas, an armed forces recruitment center in Arkansas and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Additionally, a grassroots jihadist cell was arrested for attempting to...

BAGHDAD — With more than 75 percent of Iraq’s gross domestic product coming from revenues generated by its offshore oil platforms, Iraq has a keen interest in protecting and controlling its territorial waters. To that end, representatives from the Iraqi Navy met with U.S. military personnel here June 12-14 for discussions on building coastal patrol boats.At this work definition conference, officials agreed on specifications to construct 35-meter patrol boats. The first four of a 15-boat construction program are due for delivery to Iraq by the end of 2010.“These patrol boats will protect Iraq’s offshore oil platforms, which are vital to...

Security researchers have published details of a security flaw that can crash multiple browsers across multiple platforms. There are many more flaws out there that are more serious, but the security shortcomings in JavaScript's DOM (Document Object Model) are nonetheless noteworthy because the issue affects Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome and Internet Explorer to a lesser or greater extent. Even smartphones, such as the iPhone and Nokia N95, as well at the Sony PS3 might be forced to crash using the approach, obliging users to reset devices. The flaw works by tricking a browser into allocating huge chunks of memory, behaviour...

Survey finds one in six consumers act on spam by Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service About one in six consumers have at some time acted on a spam message, affirming the economic incentive for spammers to keep churning out millions of obnoxious pitches per day, according to a new survey.Due to be released Wednesday, the survey was sponsored by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), an industrywide security think tank composed of service providers and network operators dedicated to fighting spam and malicious software.Eight hundred consumers in the U.S. and Canada were asked about their computer security practices habits...

On Thursday last week, Obama released the "Irbil Five" to Iran. It's difficult to fathom the wisdom of this move which further weakens our national security and the security of our armed forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The release of the Irbil Five, Laith Qazali, Binyam Mohammed, assorted Gitmo prisoners, the closing of Gitmo in general, all seem to me to be working against the security of America in the long run. Exactly how many of these thugs will be released before we have to pay the piper? What exactly does the Obama administration believe the Irbil Five will...

"...unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman keeps vigil in vain." Psalm 127:1 Truth: Unless the Lord watches over the cities, Homeland Security watches in vain. The current policy of our government in pressing for the establishment of a "Palestinian" state in Israel's land of Judea and Samaria is endangering the national security of the United States. The continued non-recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel by the U.S. State Dept.,- The continued policy of demanding Israel not build or settle in the land God brought Israel back to,- is seriously endangering the national security of...

Obama has appointed Arif Alikhan to a position with the Dept. of Homeland Security. Alikhan is reported to be affiliated with MPAC [ Muslim Public Affairs Council]. MPAC has major credibility problems and has advocated positions on issues contrary to America's national interests, and the national interests of our closests allys. IPT has more: Edina Lekovic, who serves as communications director for MPAC, was a "managing editor" of Al-Talib magazine which featured text in an article written by their staff that praised Osama Bin Laden as a "freedom fighter".

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently revoked Gov. Mark Sanford's access to classified federal security information, then reinstated it after acknowledging that the suspension was made in error. It was unclear late Thursday whether the suspension was related to Sanford's secret trip last month to Argentina to meet his mistress....

Microsoft was aware of a critical vulnerability in an Internet Explorer component at least 12 months before attackers started targeting it in lethal exploits that take full control of end-users' PCs, a member of its security team said Wednesday. The disclosure comes as attacks targeting the MSVidCtl ActiveX control vulnerability have increased exponentially. On Monday, online ads distributed by through the Giant Realm network on popular gaming websites began including code that exploits the bug, according to security firm ScanSafe. The ads mean that anyone using IE to browse sites such as diii.net and incgamers.com are risk if they run...

A government report that found federal buildings were vulnerable to terrorist attacks because of poor security that included guards asleep on duty or distracted by erotic Web sites drew outrage from lawmakers Wednesday. "As we approach the eighth anniversary of 9/11 ... it is outrageously unacceptable that the federal employees working in our federal buildings are still so utterly exposed to attacks by terrorists or other violent people," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., in a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing. A new Government Accountability Office report said investigators smuggled bomb components past Federal Protective Service guards into 10 government buildings,...

WASHINGTON -- Government investigators smuggled bomb-making materials into federal buildings past the police agency charged with protecting those buildings and found numerous other gaps in security, according to a congressional report. The Government Accountability Office said investigators carried bomb-making materials past security at 10 federal buildings. Security at these buildings and a total of about 9,000 federal buildings around the country is provided by the Federal Protective Service, a target of the probe.

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2009 – U.S. forces are helping to equip Afghan forces with the tools they need to improve security and commerce in Afghanistan. Army Spc. Jacob Morris constructs a covering for Combat Outpost Penich's new water pump as construction at the six-month-old base in Afghanistan’s Kunar province nears completion, July 3, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In recent days, U.S. forces trained Afghan border police on the use of up-armored Humvees, advised farmers to boost crop production and, to improve quality of life for their own, put the...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2009 – U.S. forces in Iraq demonstrated their ongoing commitment to building Iraqi sovereignty in recent days with a historic first visit by a U.S. Navy ship and joint operations and training efforts. Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team completed construction on this bridge, June 29, 2009, southeast of Qurnah, Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The USS Scout, an avenger-class mine countermeasure ship, pulled into port in Umm Qasr on June 30, marking the first visit by a U.S. Navy ship since the port transitioned to Iraqi control. "Today...

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 7, 2009 – Soldiers from the 554th Military Police Company out of Stuttgart, Germany, are assessing polling sites here for next month’s Afghan elections. Army Sgt. 1st Class John Moyle gives a child a high-five while pulling security watch during polling-site assessments in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, July 1, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Elizabeth K. Raney   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Sgt. 1st Class John Moyle, a platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, 554th Military Police Company who hails from Sunbury, Pa., said the purpose of the missions is to assess local security...

There’s a new reason to worry about the security of your Social Security number. Turns out, they can be guessed with relative ease. A group of researchers at Carnegie-Mellon University say they’ve discovered patterns in the issuance of numbers that make it relatively easy to deduce the personal information using publicly available information and some basic statistical analysis. The research could have far-ranging implications for financial institutions and other firms that rely on Social Security numbers to ward off identity theft. It could also unleash a wave of criminal imitators who will try to duplicate the research.

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – U.S. forces demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving security and development throughout Afghanistan in recent days, as several units took on new tasks and a reconstruction team helped to celebrate the opening of a new school. First graders at the newly opened Haish Saidqi Girls' School answer questions about what they want to be when they grow up. The school, funded by Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir, opened June 23, 2009, and will serve more than 500 girls, and a few young boys, from nearby villages in the Rokha district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province. U.S. Air...

Government officials accompanying President Shimon Peres in Kazakhstan accidentally left behind secret documents, including details of his itinerary, and threw security officials into a panic. The president’s spokeswoman confirmed to Israel National News that the documents had been forgotten and placed the source of the blunder in the Foreign Ministry.

SNIPPET: "Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel disagrees with the ACLU'S stance. "The lawsuit, however, in this particular case says that they are allowed to pray as a group only just one hour a week. The fact is that there is no constitutional right to assembly as a group five times a day, whether it's in the workplace or in the prison," he notes. Staver points out that Liberty Counsel completely supports religious liberty, regardless of a person's faith group. "But I think in the situation with regards to the Muslims, there is clearly a security issue at risk here when...

Lt. Col. Timothy Karcher, commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, presents Sameer al Haddad, a representative from the Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq, a symbolic key signifying the transfer of responsibility of Joint Security Station Sadr City in northeast Baghdad during the official ceremony, June 20. Photo by Sgt. Shejal Pulivarti, 1st Cavalry Division. BAGHDAD — A common sense of triumph and accomplishment drifted in the air during a ceremony in northeast Baghdad’s Sadr City district June 20, as U.S. Soldiers returned Joint Security Station (JSS) Sadr City to the Iraqi Army (IA), in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq...

An Iraqi welder fabricates the steel structure of the Umm Qasr pier and seawall project. The $53 million project is being managed by the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq. GRD photo by A. Al Bahrani. BASRAH — As part of a comprehensive plan to develop the Iraqi Navy’s (IqN) capabilities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is partnering with the Government of Iraq (GoI) by managing a $53 million pier and seawall project at Umm Qasr. Funded by the GoI, the new project in southern Iraq will provide the IqN new port facilities as...

In April, Transportation Security Administration agents detained Steve Bierfeldt at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport for no other reason than that he was carrying $4,700 in cash. The move immediately proved to be something of a public relations disaster, since the cash belonged to Rep. Ron Paul's libertarian-oriented Campaign for Liberty, of which Bierfeldt is the director of development, and the political activist used his cell phone to record the incident (mp3), including abusive language directed his way. Now the confrontation has sparked a lawsuit against the TSA, with the American Civil Liberties Union arguing Bierfeldt's case. In the wake of...

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2009 – As U.S. forces in Iraq prepare to pull back from most major cities by June 30 according to an agreement with the Iraqi government, U.S. air support will continue to enable and protect security gains made over the past two years, a U.S. commander said in a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable yesterday. Air Force Col. Michael Fantini, commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group, oversees a spectrum of air support missions that include nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; security operations support; high-end precision engagement; airlift of passengers and cargo; and combat search and rescue. His team...

...The new Administration is handing out Billions of dollars on “windmill technology” and “golf cart battery improvements” (i.e. green technologies) for “shovel ready” projects. What about American industry? I understand that when the American population votes into office a new “socialist” government, the “guns” will receive less, and “butter” will receive more. However, while Airbus is to received over 2.5 Billion dollars from European governments to fund their new aircraft systems, should the US Government be doing more assisting the American industrial worker while maintaining our National Security?... “History is repeating itself again!” When the next World War starts, will...

Note: The following text is a quote: TSA Testimony on Progress in Improving Transportation Security Speeches & Testimony UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION ORAL STATEMENT OF GALE D. ROSSIDES ACTING ADMINISTRATOR BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 10, 2009 Click here to read the written testimony on TSA's progress on improving transportation security. Good afternoon Chairwoman Jackson-Lee, Ranking Member Dent, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the President's FY 2010 budget request for the Transportation...