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Security
Watchdog windows: motion sensitive glass could boost home security
By Darren Quick
22:57 March 18, 2009 PDT
Besides letting in light and providing pleasant views, windows unfortunately also provide a convenient entrance for burglars. Security systems have long employed contacts that, when broken, activate an alarm, but what if the simple act of moving around outside a window were enough to raise the alert. That’s the concept behind a system developed by scientists in Berlin that sensitizes windows and doors to detect suspicious movements. Read More
ADT rolls-out anti-skimming solution for ATMs
By David Greig
01:00 March 12, 2009 PDT
The theft of financial information during ATM transactions is one of the financial industry's fastest growing crimes and in the latest effort to combat this problem, ADT Security Services today introduced a new advanced skimming detection device for financial institutions throughout North America. The ADT Anti-Skim™ ATM Security Solution helps prevent skimming attempts and detects skimming devices on all major ATM makes and models, says ADT. Read More
Black & Decker previews high-tech locking system
By Darren Quick
21:24 March 11, 2009 PDT
Black and Decker is giving homeowners a way to lock up their daughters when they aren’t even home. The company's new motorized locks are designed to complement the emerging electronic ‘smart homes’. They can be activated remotely and can even directly control home security and automation systems, and vice versa. Read More
80% of wars occur in biological hotspots
By Mike Hanlon
11:53 February 22, 2009 PST
Since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, large scale warfare has been a permanent global fixture. History shows that the motivations for war are different for those ordering the conflict than for those undertaking it and now a startling new study has found 80 percent of the world's major armed conflicts occur in biological hotspots. That is, the richest storehouses of life, the areas essential for both biodiversity conservation and human well-being, are also the regions of the most human conflict. Millions of the world's poorest people live in hotspots and depend on healthy ecosystems for their survival. Is it time for civilization to take political and social responsibility and protect these places? It certainly makes more sense than fighting over oil! Read More
iDrive portable HDD provides online backup option
By Darren Quick
21:27 February 5, 2009 PST
In the days of yore people were forced to backup their precious data on floppy disks, CDs or magnetic tape. Nowadays people looking to protect data have a much wider and more convenient range of options. The iDrive gives users that little extra bit of security by combining portable hard drive and online backup in on package. Read More
Victorinox announces Presentation Pro business tool
18:25 January 14, 2009 PST
Victorinox used the 2009 CES as the platform for the launch of their new Presentation Pro, a compact Swiss Army Knife that includes a laser pointer, Bluetooth remote control and USB storage of up to 32GB which, in a first for the company, integrates biometric fingerprint security. Read More
Behavioral screening could boost airport security
By Darren Quick
20:08 December 10, 2008 PST
If terrorists aimed to frustrate millions of air travelers with time consuming pre-flight baggage searches they definitely seem to have made progress, but new technologies used to analyze human behavior could provide an alternative to the time consuming process of analyzing the content of passengers’ carry-on luggage. These systems would detect signs of emotional strain that could indicate that a passenger may intend to commit an act of terror. It might sound like science fiction, but such technology is much further advanced than most might think, and it’s not surprising that Israel, a country that faces constant security threats, has become a leader in developing such technologies. Read More
Sandisk Cruzer Enterprise: the first secure flash drive to support OS X
By Tim Hanlon
15:58 December 4, 2008 PST
When we pointed out that the AES encryption functionality on board Iomega's eGo Encrypt hard drive didn't function under OS X, turns out we might have been unfairly singling it out - as Sandisk's Cruzer Enterprise has just claimed the title of the world's first encryptable flash drive to fully function on Macintosh operating systems. Read More
Lenovo ThinkPad gets anti-theft Remote Disable feature
20:35 November 27, 2008 PST
Lenovo is introducing a new security feature for ThinkPad notebooks which allows users to remotely disable their PC via SMS. Developed in conjunction with Phoenix Technologies, the Constant Secure Remote Disable feature is effectively a kill switch that works by creating a mobile phone text command such as “lockdown now PC” or “PC shut off” and sending it to the computer's onboard broadband service. If the PC is turned off when the command is sent, it's automatically disabled the next time it registers on the network. Read More
Kwikset update touchpad doorlock
By Darren Quick
00:15 November 18, 2008 PST
Keys have served mankind well for thousands of years yet we all know the horrible feeling associated with misplacing those ubiquitous chunks of jangling metal. Now Kwikset, the makers of the SmartScan biometric keyless entry system, are looking to lighten the load on people’s keyrings with their next generation SmartCode Signature Series keyless entry deadbolt. Read More
Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive
18:49 November 16, 2008 PST
Losing your portable drive is a bad scenario, but if it happens to hold sensitive unprotected data, things can quickly get worse. Lenovo's solution is the ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive, a compact unit available in 160 or 320 GB versions that protects unauthorized data access by requiring users to type an access code into an in-built numeric keypad. Read More
Gemalto introduces credit card-sized reader for online banking
By Emily Clark
23:24 November 2, 2008 PST
Digital security provider Gemalto has unveiled the Ezio Thin Reader, a credit card-sized authentication device for online banking, e-commerce, phone banking and other e-banking transactions that prevents the user from having to type their PIN on the vulnerable environment of a workstation keyboard. Read More
Mini sensor to improve detection of greenhouse gases
By Emily Clark
18:27 October 28, 2008 PDT
Governments could be able to more easily and cheaply monitor greenhouse gas emissions thanks to a miniature gas sensor being developed by a new European consortium, led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The sensor would also have applications for consumers by improving air conditioning in buildings. Read More
BMW working on multi-functional Smart Key
By Emily Clark
23:16 October 23, 2008 PDT
BMW Group Research and NXP Semiconductors have developed a prototype multifunctional car key that can incorporate contactless payment, personalized access control and even functions like public transport e-ticketing. Creating new usage scenarios for future consumers, the prototype is powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip and allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments using their car key. Read More
GE develops battery-free RFID tags
23:01 October 14, 2008 PDT
GE Global Research has announced a new type of radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor that by-passes the need for on-board batteries by drawing power wirelessly from a hand-held reading device. The significance of the design is that it facilitates the manufacture of much smaller sensors at low cost, opening up a new range of potential applications from measuring the freshness of packaged food goods to more effective detection of biological threats. Read More
UPEK announces US government-certified fingerprint module
By Emily Clark
23:32 September 29, 2008 PDT
Recently showed at the Biometrics Consortium Technology Expo in Florida, UPEK's its TCEFx1 USB fingerprint module uses the only silicon-based fingerprint sensor certified by the FBI for US government applications. Read More
USB-enabled smart transit card to trial in France
00:17 September 11, 2008 PDT
Smart cards that combine RFID contactless transaction capability with USB connectivity will be trialed by French public transportation company SNCF according to a report from RFID Journal. As well as working with existing RFID transaction infrastructure, Neowave's Weneo smart cards enable users to purchase tickets from a PC at home using the USB connection... and it's also a handy 4GB portable data storage device. Read More
Sharp's solar LED street lights incorporate seismic detection
17:29 September 9, 2008 PDT
The argument for switching to solar-powered street lighting seems very clear cut: they run on sunlight, emit no CO2 emissions, provide an off-the grid source of lighting during in an emergency situation and use efficient LED-based light which tends not to attract insects. Sharp Corporation has announced plans to roll-out two new models of solar-powered LED street lights in the Japanese market and these have the added bonus of in-built Seismic Motion Sensors which detect earthquakes of five or greater on the Japanese seismic scale and respond by switching to full illumination for two nights. Read More
SanDisk WORM secure memory card
By Kyle Sherer
11:51 July 17, 2008 PDT
In order to bring both security and longevity to data storage, SanDisk has announced the SDTM WORM (Write Once Read Many) Card, a digital memory drive that preserves important data for up to 100 years, and prohibits alteration or deletion. 128-megabyte SD WORM cards are currently available, with the capacity expected to increase with time. Read More
Hirsch Electronics' versatile building security solution
By Jude Garvey
17:27 July 14, 2008 PDT
Increasingly, building managers and government organizations are finding they have to adopt more sophisticated security systems to protect their employees, customers and buildings from security threats. Recognizing the need for flexibility on this arena, Hirsch Electronics has manufactured the Verification Station- a high-security, multi-purpose biometric system which allows a building administrator to select and change at will the means of entry to a building if the security situation is heightened. Employees may be required to use smart cards or fingerprints or they may have to use a number of authentication processes, perhaps their finger and smart card or their finger, smart card and identification code. Read More
Novel approach to car stereo theft-prevention
By Emily Clark
23:15 July 10, 2008 PDT
Instructables is a website dedicated to supplying information from members on how to complete a vast array of DIY projects. One of the more unusual, but potentially useful, ideas is to hide your fancy new car stereo with a crappier one in order to ward off would-be thieves. Read More
StealthVue Pennycam aids reliable surveillance
By Kyle Sherer
02:24 June 23, 2008 PDT
It’s frustrating when sophisticated surveillance technology is circumvented by robbers who use a not-so-sophisticated baseball cap to shield their face. Retailers can reclaim the edge with StealthVue’s PennyCam, a hidden camera that provides upwardly-angled pictures of anyone who approaches the counter, delivering a clear, identifiable view of their face. Read More
UPEK's fingerprint sensor to be incorporated on 2009 Notebook PCs
By Kyle Sherer
17:09 June 5, 2008 PDT
June 6, 2008 Consumers are increasingly attracted to the security and convenience offered by fingerprint scanners. Not only does it ensure the confidentiality of computer files, it's a silver bullet for the frustrated segment of the market that is running short on favorite sports teams and childhood pets to use as passwords. The latest example of fingerprint reading being brought to the broader consumer market comes UPEK, which has launched the TCS5 TouchStrip Fingerprint Sensor, a system that uses High Definition 3 Dimensional amplified sensing technology to read past the surface of skin to the “live layer”. The TCS5 is set to be included on 2009 Notebook PC models and is currently being demonstrated to select PC manufacturers at Computex Taipei. Read More
StreetLab Mobile identifies dangerous chemicals on the scene
By Kyle Sherer
17:38 June 2, 2008 PDT
GE Security has introduced a handheld device that can identify the chemical makeup of unknown substances in liquid, powder and solid forms. StreetLab Mobile can presently identify over one thousand potentially dangerous chemicals, including formaldehyde, liquid and solid explosives, and Cresol and Benzene. Read More
Bioscrypt unveils new VisionAccess face reader
By Kyle Sherer
18:08 May 18, 2008 PDT
May 19, 2008 Bioscrypt has launched its next generation VisionAccess 3D face reader. Using the entire facial surface structure of a person’s face, the reader can authenticate users in less than one second, even in complete darkness. Read More
william
- November 26, 2009 @ 19:45 UTC
