Covid-19 Impact on Security
The challenges of Covid have touched nearly every aspect of our global lives – if and how we socialize, finances, schooling, work conditions and travel. New security threats particular related to Covid include cyber schemes to get money for fake charities or phishing for data disguised as government benefits agencies or IRS stimulus package agents. …
Read MoreHacking Identity
False IDs are key to criminal activity that goes well beyond an underage teenager buying a six-pack of beer. Take the case of John Colletti, who racked up over $120,000 at casinos in Michigan and Kansas using false identification. Colletti’s ploy was to withdraw cash from casino ATMs using false IDs. From online sources, he…
Read MoreOne Cop’s View on Policing in the U.S.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking about the state of Policing in the U.S. with Joe Smarro, a San Antonio police officer, former combat Marine, and proponent of policing reform and mental health education. Joe (and his partner) are the subjects of the eponymous HBO documentary Ernie and Joe. He is the CEO of…
Read MoreRamming is on the Rise
Over the course of only a few weeks, there have been at least 50 vehicle ramming attacks in the U.S. This method of using a vehicle be it a car, truck or tractor to inflict death and injury on pedestrians is not new. There have been dozens of vehicle attacks across the globe, from Berlin…
Read MoreMission Improbable
Dealing with the mentally ill, responding to student bullying at a school or looking for terrorists at the airport – are we asking our police to do too much? Is the wide range of tasks making for a mission that is improbable? In Seattle, the six-block CHOP neighborhood (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) was off limits…
Read MoreWhy you should know about Deepfake
Deepfake technology is like Photoshop for video. It allows non-technical folks to alter a video’s look and audio so completely that at first and second glance it appears authentic. Deepfake almost puts the spin doctors out of business because the story you start with has already been spun. An audio voice skin or clone is…
Read MoreLaw Enforcement and Security in Troubling Times
When danger or threat comes, one is always happy to have protection available. But recent events in the world have revealed that many fear the very thing that is meant to provide this protection. Missteps, bad judgement and racism are not unique to members of law enforcement and security but when they appear connected to…
Read MoreKiller Surveillance
Surveillance is a critical tool for any adversary. Yet, so often in security it is discounted. Anyone from a pickpocket trailing their next victim, to a high level assassination team following their target, depends on surveillance as part of their operational planning and attack execution. Let’s look at it from an adversarial angle, from the…
Read MoreNew IDF Red Unit
A new ‘Red Unit’ is being created by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to specifically help in its fight against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Terrorists and insurgents differ in many ways from traditional military. They operate in densely populated areas and engage in asymmetrical warfare. Terrorists target civilians; for them, the regular rules…
Read MoreCOVID-19 and Crime
The COVID-19 crisis offers abundant opportunities for criminals and it provokes individuals who are already on edge – to act out. COVID-19 home quarantines have the effect of making us go ‘stir crazy’. But this crisis also tends to stir up those folks who are already primed to violence. The unknowns, danger, disruption and isolation…
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