US and Mexican officials are discussing what assets can be used to help fight the Mexican drug wars amid concerns over the security threat.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon's Northern Command (NorthCom), the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies are assessing what can be done to combat the drug cartels operating both inside Mexico and along its borders. The newspaper quoted an unnamed US military official as saying Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is "growing increasingly concerned about the security situation" and has asked his staff to work with NorthCom to explore increased co-operation with the Mexican military.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon and DHS are examining placing extra manned and unmanned aircraft and ground-based sensors to help boost border security, and possibly the deployment of sophisticated ground radar that can identify and gtrack movements across a large area.

Mexican Drug War

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton this week sparked controversy by comparing the Mexican drug war had begun to resemble the insurgency in Columbia two decades ago during a foreign policy speech in Washington. Clinton said drug cartels were "in some cases, morphing into or making common cause with what we would consider an insurgency in Mexico and in Central America" where narco-traffickers had great control. President Obama has distanced himself from Clinton's comments, reportedly telling the Los-Angeles newspaper La Opinion: "Mexico is vast and progressive democracy, with a growing economy, and as a result you cannot compare what is happening in Mexico with what happened in Colombia 20 years ago".

Mexican Drug Trafficking

This aside, there is apparently increasing concern among high-ranking officials about the security threat posed by Mexican drug trafficking. Last month President Obama signed a $600 million border security bill and extra unmanned aerial surveillance drones have entered service along the border.

Mexico has so far been reluctant to accept direct American military help, a source of frustration for US officials, but for the Mexican government does appear to want greater cooperation with the US to boost security. Mexico's ambassador to the US Arturo Sarukhan recently said: "Whether it's guns and cash moving south and drugs moving north; breaking the command, control, communications and intelligence capabilities of transnational organized crime operating on both sides of our common border; or providing for human security, these challenges will all require that we move to a new stage of cooperation".

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UAVs Enforce Mexico Border Security

New CCTV technology is being developed that will be able to automatically detect abandoned bags.

The European Union-funded project is aiming to improve image analysis technology in existing CCTV camera systems by installing software that will enable cameras to automatically recognise abandoned luggage and identify and track the person or persons who left it there.

Ten organisations from six European countries including businesses, universities and end users are involved in the SUBITO project (or Surveillance of Unattended Baggage and the Identification and Tracking of the Owner), which will continue through to the end of 2011.

CCTV Facial Recognition

The impetus to the new technology comes from concern over unidentified luggage left in public places like airports, railway and bus stations, events and public spaces, that may contain explosives or other dangerous substances.

The CCTV works by using new facial recognition software and behavioural algorithms. The software enables to camera to identify baggage that's been left unattended. The system will then alert security authorities who can move the luggage should they believe it is a security risk. The cameras will then automatically search back through their records to identify the person who left the bag, then follow them through various cameras to establish their current location.

Project officers say the technology has "significant commercial potential" and is particularly useful because "it can be used to exploit image material before any incident takes place".

Image courtesy SXC.

Further Resources:

Suppliers of CCTV Technology

Research efforts into detecting materials for potential use in weapons of mass destruction have been given a funding boost.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) has awarded up to $12 million to US security electronics firm OSI Systems to advance research and development into ways hidden nuclear materials can be detected.

OSI's subsidiary RapiScan will be the direct recipient of the funding that has been awarded under the DNDO's Multiple Exploratory Research Program.

Nuclear Detection

The announcement of more R&D funding can be seen as part of the recent efforts by the DHS to enhance security and detection of nuclear and radiological material. Last month the DHS appointed former International Atomic Energy Authority head Warren Stern as the new director of the DNDO. According to a statement released by OSI, the funding has been awarded as part of efforts by the DNDO "to enlist thought leaders to advance the country's nuclear materials detection capabilities".

RapiScan Systems President Ajay Mehra said the R&D contract would focus on using a range of advanced technologies including x-ray radiography and tomography imaging and neutron and photon-based systems to improve detection and aid verification.

"These contracts require the unique combination of our team's experience in high-energy X-ray imaging, and nuclear, mechanical and electrical engineering," said Mehra. "When successfully completed, these threat detection and verification technologies will provide additional inspection capabilities in protecting our nation from weapons of mass destruction being smuggled into the country."

The entire US-Mexico border will be covered by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from tomorrow, September 1, as efforts to boost security along the border continue.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the deployment of Predator B UAVs by the department's Customs and Border Protection Agency in Texas from tomorrow means there will be UAVs flying border patrol missions along the entire length of the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border. The flights will be mounted from Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas and from Sierra Vista in Arizona.

Mexico Border Security

"With the deployment of the Predator in Texas, we will now be able to cover the southwest border from the El Centro sector in California all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Predator UAVs help gather intelligence and provide assistance to border and customs agencies stopping illegal immigration and drug trafficking. They offer coverage from the eastern side of California to the Big Bend National Park in West Texas. The DHS says two Predators will be on station simultaneously, with the aircraft being able to loiter on station for 30 hours.

The deployment of the UAVs comes just weeks after President Obama signed a $600 million border security bill that allowed provision for extra customs inspectors, border enforcement officials, new technologies and surveillance aircraft.

Predator UAV

Predator UAVs, manufactured by General Atomics, have been in service with US military since the mid-1990s, with different variants of the aircraft providing ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquistion, Reconnaissance) capabilities, with some variants being armed with air-to-ground weapons.

The DHS Predators are unarmed and are specially configured for border patrol operators. DHS operates six examples, with a seventh being delivered later this year. They are powered by a 950hp turboprop engine and equipped with synthetic aperture radars. As part of the border security bill signed by Obama last month, the DHS expects is to receive two further Predator UAVs costing $20 million each.

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National Guard Mexico Border Patrol

India's threat to ban BlackBerry services has been delayed for sixty days.

Indian authorities have for weeks been threatening to block BlackBerry email and instant messaging on grounds of national security.

A ban was due to come in force today, 31 August, but after talks last week between Indian law enforcement agencies and senior executives from BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM), the Indian government has given RIM more time to work on a solution that will appease both parties.

RIM has set up a forum to address the Indian government's concerns and according to reports is working on a number of proposals which will be presented to the Indian authorities in two months. Last week RIM said it would "lead an industry forum focused on supporting the lawful access needs of law enforcement agencies" involving other telecoms firms and work with the Indian government to create "policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of strong encryption technologies".

BlackBerry Security 'Risk'

The threat to ban BlackBerry services concerns data encryption. BlackBerry smartphone services including email, web browsing and instant messaging being scrambled and sent to servers managed by RIM in the company's home territory of Canada and other countries. India believes this creates a national security risk. Reading encrypted data on mobile devices is a particular concern in India because the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were co-ordinated using mobile phones.

India's home affairs ministry wants real-time access to BlackBerry's encrypted data, allowing them to view it as part of counter-terrorism efforts and monitoring criminal activity. A solution being offered by RIM as part of the forum, according to media reports, is for BlackBerry to continue managing its data in Canada but for the data to be additionally routed via a server in India so authorities there can monitor it.

Earlier in August the United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecoms regulator banned BlackBerry email and instant messaging services on similar grounds of protecting the national security interest, claiming that the way BlackBerry manage and store their data "allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions".

Recent related news: 

UAE Bans BlackBerry Services

Afghan forces will not take over security duties from NATO forces for well over another year, according to a US general.

Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell, who is in charge of training Afghan army and police services, said Afghan forces wouldn't be in a position to take on significant security responsibilities before October 31, 2011 because of the amount of training and infrastructure that still needs to be done.

Lt Gen Caldwell, Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, told reporters via video link: "So if somebody says, ‘when will the security force have the lead in a particular area?' we will not have finished building the entire army until October of next year".

Afghan Security Training

Caldwell said the rate of progress of Afghan security training, and therefore the time a handover can be undertaken, is being slowed because of continuing instability as well as poor literacy among trainee soldiers and police - as many as 80 per cent are unable to read. "If a soldier cannot read, how can he know what equipment he is supposed to have and to maintain? If a policeman does not know his numbers, how can he read and understand the serial number on his own weapon?" Caldwell said.

Caldwell said there could potentially be a handover from NATO to Afghan forces "in small isolated pockets" with logistical support from NATO coalition partners, but added: "To say that they'll be able to do much more before October of next year would be stretching it, only because we haven't finished the development of their force."

Other problems according to Caldwell are desertions, soldiers choosing not to re-enlist and a lack of expertise in supporting logistics, equipment, transportation and intelligence. Another issue is the attrition rate which in the year to March 2010 was 23 per cent for the army and 16 per cent for the police force.

A phishing scam has hit iTunes and PayPal users, with reports that some users have been cleaned out.

Social media has been alive with comments from affected users who posted details of how they lost thousands of dollars and pounds in authorised transactions. The scam has affected iTunes users whose account is linked to PayPal. The scam involves sending fake email messages that trick users into disclosing iTunes user names and passwords which are then used to make authorised purchases.

Both Apple and PayPal have refused to discuss in detail the hack or provide details of the numbers of people affected, but IT security experts believe there is no security hole in Apple or PayPal servers.

iTunes Phishing Scam

One victim of the iTunes phishing scam wrote on the TechCrunch blog: "My account was charged over $4,700. I called security at PayPal and was told a large number of iTunes stores accounts were compromised". Another victim, Layne Harris, wrote on his Facebook that someone made about $700 worth of unauthorised purchases using his account.

Apple said in a statement issued to the BBC: "iTunes is always working to prevent fraud and enhance password security of all of our users...if your credit card of iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about cancelling the card and/or issuing a chargeback for any unauthorised transactions. We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately."

PayPal said that any unauthorised charges will be reimbursed. The Techworld website quoted a PayPal spokeswoman as saying the problem is "is happening on the iTunes side".

iTunes security risk

This is just the latest incident of iTunes users being affected by phishing scams. Social media including Twitter, blogs and forums have been active for weeks with talk about iTunes customers losing thousands for purchases they didn't make. In 2009 ten people were arrested for using details of 1,500 UK and US credit cards to purchase music on iTunes, and only last week twelve people in the UK were convicted of scamming iTunes users.

One analyst said Apple needed to act quickly to prevent any brand damage and alleviate a possible perception among customers that there is a security risk with iTunes. Mike McGuire from Gartner said: "If they don't aggressively sort this out, it can undo a lot of brand building and trust as they become this transaction hub for 150 million people's credit cards at last count."

Dan Kaminsky from IT security provider Recursion added: "We have been hearing about attacks on iTunes for a while and it seems it is possible to game iTunes and make money. I am sure Apple is getting a rapid education in what it means to be a mechanism that fraudsters can use to steal funds. Apple is going to have to adjust and make investments in fraud prevention technologies."

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

The introduction of electronic ID cards in Germany has moved a step closer with the manufacture of the first RFID chips for the cards.

Dutch chipmaker NXP has started production of the RFID chips that will be a vital component in the new ID cards that German citizens will receive from November.

The German government says the new ID card (pictured) will assist police, customs and tax authorities in quickly identifying people. The card is mandatory for all German citizens and will gradually replace the old mandatory paper ID card over the next decade. Some 60 million cards are anticipated to be handed out.

German Identity Cards

The RFID chips in the ID cards contain all the personal data, with wireless networks being able to access the data. The chips will also allow citizens to identify themselves over the internet by using a reading device at home, creating provision for secure online interactions with government agencies (for example dealing with tax matters) and providing an extra layer of security for online shopping.

RFID cards

There have been some concerns that the new RFID identity cards are susceptible to security flaws. Previous generations of biometric ID cards using RFID chips used a protocol called "basic access control" (BAC), which were hacked into by security experts. The German cards are using BAC protocol, but the manufacturer and the German government has moved to alleviate security concerns by saying that BAC is only being used for basic data printed on the card itself. The actual chip uses a stronger, new generation protocol.

The German government also says there are other advantages to using RFID in ID cards including the option to connect them to other future devices like RFID-reading mobile phones, and saving cost by being compatible with the existing infrastructure for the RFID passports.

The United States is planning to more than double the number of private security contractors in Iraq because of the draw down of troops from the country.

State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley said the plan is to raise the number of private security contractors to over 7,000. The gradual withdrawal of US Army soldiers from Iraq - this week saw the final combat brigades leave, and just 50,000 will be left by the end of this month - leaves a security gap which Crowley said contractors would have to fill.

The contactors will take over protection duties for diplomats, convoys and businessmen (using vehicles like the one pictured) that military personnel have previously fulfilled. "We will still have our own security needs to make sure that our diplomats and development experts are well protected," Crowley said.

Private Security Contractors in Iraq

The employment of private security contractors in Iraq has caused anger, particularly following the case where guards from Blackwater Worldwide were accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad - a case dismissed by a US court and which threatened to break bilateral ties between the US and Iraqi authorities. Until last year when Iraq regained its sovereignty, contractors were immune to prosecution.

News agency Reuters reported a US official as admitting that contractors had caused problems. "We've had tragic issues involving contractors in the past. We have worked this issue very closely with the Iraqi government. There have been changes over the past couple of years to improve oversight and accountability for contractors in Iraq," he said. The official said the increased use of private security firms in Iraq would be a "short duration security requirement" that could not be avoided.

Crowley said the use of the contractors was a necessary step to ensure the continuing security of development work being undertaken by the State Department in constructing Iraq's physical infrastructure and assisting with training police forces. He said that given an improvement in Iraq's security over time, the number of contractors would reduce.

US National Guard troops have been deployed to the Mexican border to assist with border enforcement.

California has 224 troops which will assist border patrol agencies with the fight against illegal immigration and drugs, arms and people trafficking from Mexico. They will be part of a force of 1,200 troops that will support border agents along the entire Mexican border in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Announcing the move, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "Securing the border has to be our number one priority". Although acknowledging the efforts of the Bush and Obama administrations in providing more resources to secure the border, Schwarzenegger said it was "absolutely imperative" that "more manpower and more funding" was provided by federal government.

Border Security Bill

The deployment is part of the US government's efforts to beef up border security that last week saw Obama sign a new Border Security Bill. The Bill provides an additional $600 million in the fight against border problems, including employing an extra 1,500 border agents, 250 more customs and immigration inspectors, 250 new border protection officers and the deployment of new technology including surveillance drones.

"This new law will also strengthen our partnership with Mexico in targeting the gangs and criminal organizations that operate on both sides of our shared border," Mr Obama said.

About 17,000 border patrol agents are already deployed along the Mexican border.