June 4 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Here is an interesting article from The Boston Globe by Charlie Savage. Worst case scenario plans are particularly interesting when considering what constitutes a worst case scenario and who has the power to decide this.

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is writing a new plan to maintain governmental control in the wake of an apocalyptic terrorist attack or overwhelming natural disaster, moving such doomsday planning for the first time from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to officials inside the White House.

The policy requires all government agencies to have clear lines of succession if top officials are killed and be prepared to operate from a new headquarters within 12 hours of a catastrophe. They must be prepared “to lead and sustain the nation during a crisis” — a charge ranging from “providing leadership visible to the nation and the world” to “bringing to justice perpetrators of crimes or attacks.”

The policy replaces a Clinton-era “continuity in government” post-disaster plan. The old plan is classified, but security specialists and administration officials said the new policy centralizes control of such planning in the White House and puts a greater emphasis on terrorism spurring the catastrophe. Click here for more.

Posted in Disasters | No Comments »

June 4 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

More than half of London pupils surveyed have posted information that puts them at risk.

A survey covered in The London Free Press suggests that many young people are sharing personal information online - although less at risk, many adults are doing the same. At some point the individual will have to become more responsible for his or her own security. The state safety nets just are not capable of protecting all of us all the time. Issues in cyber crime seem only to highlight this fact.

A shocking number of London kids are making themselves easy targets for sexual predators who cruise the Internet, an informal survey has found

The alarming figures suggest one in four children 11 to 14 have met face-to-face with strangers introduced only online.

Despite years of warnings about stranger-danger, more than half of them have put identifying information such as phone numbers and addresses on public-access websites, youth workers say.

“We were shocked,” said Shannon Liddington, outreach worker with RISE for Youth, a project that aims to reduce sexual exploitation.Click here for more.

Posted in Identity, Cyber Crime | No Comments »

June 4 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Here is an interesting article on cyber crime growth as a result of increased online banking published in The Brisbane Times: 

The rapidly expanding ranks of people banking online has raised questions over whether consumers are armed to deal with the growing threat from cyber pirates.

In the past year alone, the number of online bankers in Australia has swelled by 1.3 million, to 8.2 million, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Bank, accounting for 52 per cent of the population.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia acting head of retail banking Ross McEwan said ease of access to personal computers at work and at home meant more people were now doing more things online, including their banking. Click here for more.

Posted in Economic Issues, Cyber Crime | No Comments »