28. August 2008 by Chris.Cox.

According to a recent survey (http://www.secprodonline.com/articles/66545/) by ADT, nearly half of the parents of Kindergarten through 8th Grade parents are concerned about school security. Most said that they were concerned about child abduction on school grounds, and indicated that they would be willing to pay an additional fee to put additional security measures in place.

“Through this survey, parents are making it clear they want local school boards to do more to protect children,” said Patrick Fiel, ADT’s public security advisor and a former head of security for Washington, D.C. Public Schools. “We need cooperation among adults and children, proper planning and more innovation to ensure that young students are as safe as possible.”

What this survey does is to highlight the fact that BOTH parents and schools are concerned about school safety, and both have an important role to play. While it’s the school’s duty to provide a secure environment, parents need to teach their children about safety to and from school, and even on school grounds. It’s a group effort.

That leaves an important question for schools and parents- what are you doing to keep the children safe? Have you taught them what questions they should avoid answering? Have you taught them  how to recognize if they’re being followed, and what to do about it? Do they know how to report anything suspicious, and that it’s safe to do so?

ADT is offering a free child safety kit. Designed for children up to 14-years-old, the free kit includes a variety of safety tips, a way to fingerprint kids and a physical information page. To make a request, visit www.adt.com.

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14. August 2008 by Chris.Cox.

There was a time when Operations Security, or OPSEC, was a military tool used to secure Military functions. This is rapidly no longer becoming the case.

OPSEC is the process used to deny an adversary (an enemy in the Military, a competitor in the corporate world and a “bad guy” in the public eye) access to the information that they would need to accomplish their goals against you or your organization. For example, having a friend collect your mail and newspapers to hide the fact that you’re on vacation or keeping information out of the public press release that would allow a competitor to release a comparable product before your organization does.

In other words, every piece of information is like a “piece of the puzzle”, and should be protected whenever possible to avoid the completion of the puzzle.

More Corporations are realizing the role that OPSEC can play in their operations, and their bottom line. Corporate espionage is a repeated threat, and OPSEC has proven to be a low-cost addition to their existing security programs. All Federal contractors are required to integrate OPSEC into their business proposals, but many organizations are doing so voluntarily in other interactions. Examples include Raytheon, Consolidated Networks Corporation and H&R Block.

In addition to this, Schools,

No matter the organization, secrecy is occasionally required. An additional layer of security should be considered and implemented whenever possible.

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26. July 2008 by Chris.Cox.

Consider the following scenario:

You look out your window and see your neighbor’s house. This house has a dying lawn, newspapers stacked doorknob deep, and mail overflowing the mailbox.

Would you assume that they’re home, or perhaps they’re on vacation or otherwise away? Burglars and other criminals make the same decision on a regular basis. They look for certain indicators that would identify an empty house or a “soft target”.

When you leave for any extended period of time, due to vacation, business trip or mid-life crisis, consider the clues that you’re leaving behind. Look at your home from the perspective of a criminal, and use that mindset to hide your absence.

Conventional wisdom suggests that you call the newspaper and post office to stop deliveries. While it’s a good idea to avoid the buildup of newspapers and mail, why involve the stranger at the newspaper or post office? Should you do so, your name and address will be placed on a “hold” list. Can you guarantee that the list won’t fall into the wrong hands? If possible, as a relative or trusted friend to collect those items for you.

Most hardware or security stores sell lamp timers, which will turn on lights or appliances during the day or night to simulate activity inside. Avoid the timers that work on fixed times in favor of those that support random times. Lights that come on at 9:00 pm every night could be coincidental, but it could also be a vital clue for burglars.

Some things are preferred, but not always possible. For instance, using a timer on a sprinkler system will keep the lawn healthy and avoid a neglected appearance. If you have multiple vehicles, leaving one in the driveway can fool casual observers. And, best of all, is to give a key to a relative or trusted friend who can check on your home, or possibly stay for a period of time.

Nothing ruins a vacation like bad news, but you can do something to help prevent it!

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26. June 2008 by Chris.Cox.

At one time in my life, I lived next to a “safe-house” for women and children effected by domestic violemce.

Immediately, there’s a problem with this. The problem is that I knew it. And if I knew it, so would a “bad guy”.

It would be counter-productive (and pretty stupid) for me to list the specific indicators that would cause a safe-house to stand out, but the pont is that simple precautions would have greatly increased the security for the residents.

For instance, all vehicles, whenever possible, should be unmarked and discreet and avoid government markings. Sometimes, of course, this is unavoidable, but frequent visits will raise the suspicion of neighbors. Also school-aged children, if they’re attending school, should be told (in a non-threatening or frightening manner!) what is okay to talk about, and subjects they should avoid. Addresses, schedules and security information are some examples of the latter!

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10. May 2008 by admin.

At one time, Operations Security (OPSEC) was only a Military concept. Of course, it started as one in Vietnam, thanks to the groundbreaking work of the Purple Dragon team, and saved the lives of many Soldiers and Sailors.

However, in this day and age, more individuals, Government agencies, corporations, etc., are beginning to realize that protecting their procedures, plans and operations can increase individual safety, profitability and productivity.

This blog will help non-military understand the procedures and importance of Operations Security in an understandable and enjoyable format.

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