SM Online March 2017
DEFENSE UTILITIES
There are nearly 2,000 electric, water, wastewater, and natural gas systems that help the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) accomplish its mission. When these systems fail, military operations can be disrupted, and national defense can become a bit weaker. In recent years, these systems have failed thousands of times, according to a recent study conducted by the Government Accountability Office, which examined a representative sample of 453 DoD-owned utilities. The report, Defense Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Strengthen Utility Resilience Planning, identifies factors that contributed to disruptions, such as equipment that was operating beyond its intended life, in poor condition, and not being properly maintained.
FINANCIAL CYBER RULES
U.S. regulators introduced a notice of proposed rulemaking to address cyber risk management standards in the financial industry. The notice asked for a range of stakeholder feedback to help regulators craft a final rule.
PRIVATE PRISONS
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security advisory committee issued a report finding that federally run facilities used for the civil detention of immigrants during immigration hearings are more beneficial, but less cost effective. And nonprofit Grassroots Leadership reports on the growth of the private prison industry over the past decade.
WHISTLEBLOWERS
Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper released a new training curriculum on whistleblower rights for all federal employees and contractors with access to classified information.
MOBILE WORKFORCE
There will be a projected 105 million mobile workers in United States by 2020, but that mobility poses security concerns, according to a report from Shred-It. Among the findings: of large businesses surveyed, only 47 percent use a professional destruction service to dispose of their obsolete electronic devices.
CORRUPTION
The United Kingdom House of Commons is considering legislation that would allow law enforcement agencies to force suspected criminals to prove the source of their wealth.
FIREARMS
Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill into law that allows licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. The law permits the board of trustees at Ohio's public universities to allow concealed-carry on campus and removes a state ban on carrying concealed weapons in public areas of airports and daycare centers.
