SM Online January 2017

​WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

Terrorist groups, transnational crime organizations, and even rogue security personnel are all contributing to the growing international problem of wildlife trafficking, a multibillion-dollar international criminal activity. Besides endangering rare species, wildlife trafficking contributes to instability and violence. A recent study of the issue by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Combating Wildlife Trafficking​, examines the problem and some potential remedies. Read the report and watch video related to the report via SM Online.

WATER SECURITY

How will water problems impact U.S. national security interests over the next 30 years? The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence studied this question, reporting on possible water shortages​, poor quality, or floods that could cause instability. 

DISCRIMINATION

Muslim women face a triple penalty when trying to find jobs in Europe: their race, gender, and religion, according to a report​ issued by the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee. 

PASSWORDS

Sixty-three percent of confirmed data breaches in 2015 involved leveraging weak, default, or stolen passwords, according to the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Incident Report. Attackers used stolen passwords to steal more credentials, export data using malware, and to conduct phishing.​

AIRPORT SECURITY

Congress passed legislation​ to verity that airports have working plans in place to respond to security incidents inside their perimeters, including plans to respond to active shooters, acts of terrorism, and incidents that target passenger-screening checkpoints.

INFORMATION SECURITY

As part of its Global State of Information Security Survey 2017​, PricewaterhouseCoopers asked financial institutions about cyberattacks, cloud adoption, and the Internet of Things. Among the findings: 35 percent of institutions cited “threats from outside the country” as their biggest IT security challenge. 

INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS

Congress passed legislation​ that requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to achieve and maintain interoperable communications for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies. 

TERRORISM INSURANCE

Congress reauthorized the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, which allows the federal government to repay business costs following a catastrophic attack that costs more than $200 million in damages.