10 Things You Might Have Missed This Week in Security

9/11, Apple’s biometrics push, and GCHQ’s latest recruitment push. We round up 10 security and cyber security stories that might have passed you by.

UK reaches high point for terrorism-related arrests and charges

At lunchtime yesterday, the BBC reported on Home Office statistics, which include details of how many people have been arrested in the UK for terrorism (and subsequently charged with a criminal offence) in 2012 through 2013.

During the year, 105 people arrested for terrorism offences were then charged. Only 37 of the charges were to do with terror-related offences.

Across the piece, some 249 arrests were made in the period. This represents an increase of over 20 percent on the previous 12 months and is the highest figure since 2005-2006.

Should we be worried by this increase, or is it merely a positive signal that the authorities are upping their game?

SIA to host Business Licensing Roadshows

How is the proposed business licensing regime going to work? What steps do security businesses have to take and when by?

These questions will be answered by the Security Industry Authority in a series of Business Licensing Roadshows which take place up and down the country during October and November.

These free briefings are an ideal opportunity for security company representatives to find out the facts. Don’t miss your chance to do so!

G4S and Shell team up on global security deal

G4S has signed a strategic global framework agreement with Shell that will see the solutions provider take on the petrochemicals giant’s security remit in over 30 countries.

The five-year deal represents one of the G4S Group’s biggest-ever contracts, with more than 3,000 staff being allocated for duty.

Further good news for G4S comes from Standard and Poors, which has revised the company’s credit rating upwards from negative to stable.

Extra 2,600 officers will help fight crime in London

An additional 2,600 neighbourhood police officers will soon be on the streets to fight crime in the heart of London’s communities.

It’s all part of the changing fabric of what the Met dubs “Safer Neighbourhood Teams”, which will now “take a stronger approach to catching criminals”.

One of the reasons behind the move is that London Mayor Boris Johnson wants to see crime key crimes and policing costs cut by 20% in the capital come 2016.

GCHQ launches competition to join the code-breakers

Ethical hackers are being challenged by GCHQ to crack a series of cryptic codes — the ultimate prize being a job with the Government agency combating threats in cyber space.

The “Can You Find It?” competition features codes devised by top GCHQ mathematicians and builds on last year’s “Can You Crack It?” initiative (which saw over 95 million hits on the website courtesy of 3.2 million unique users).

Go on. Have a go!

Intelligent systems: Can they really do much more?

Brilliant article on IFSECGlobal.com this week from one of our regular bloggers, Abel Alarm’s Joe Harris.

There’s talk around the conservative nature of the UK’s security sector along with a clarion call for everyone involved to take a fresh look at what they do and realise more and more innovation and added value — particularly when it comes to systems design.

How would you use current technologies to deliver more effective results?

Apple places biometrics front and centre of the news

Those people at Apple never rest on their laurels. The latest version of the iPhone — the 5s — features Touch ID, a fingerprint scanner aligned with the handset owner that can unlock the phone for use.

Sounds great. However, there are already questions being asked around usability and how the fingerprint data will be stored. There has even been speculation in the national media that criminals might want to sever peoples’ fingers simply so that they can access stolen handsets.

Don’t you just love the sensationalist angle?

Hackers hit 2 million Vodafone customers in Germany

The names, addresses, bank account details and birth dates of over two million Vodafone Germany customers have been compromised in a “hack attack”.

In a statement published by BBC News Online, Vodafone said: “This attack could only be carried out with high criminal intent and insider knowledge. It was launched deep inside the IT infrastructure of the company”.

How do we render ourselves one step ahead of the hackers? That’s the $64,000 question yet to be answered.

Is Internet surveillance really “Orwellian”?

Jamie Bartlett of Think Tank Demos has scripted a great blog in which he looks at what’s being done — Internet surveillance wise — in the name of security.

Too many commentators, he feels, reference the vision developed by George Orwell in his seminal novel 1984.

Bartlett concludes: “If Governments tend towards exaggerating the threat and need for secrecy, so opponents reach too quickly for the language of totalitarianism”.

9/11: 12 Years and Counting

On each 9/11 Anniversary I’ve felt compelled to air my views on the World Trade Centre terrorist attack. 2013 proves no exception to that rule.

My missives are a bold attempt to make company bosses sit up and listen. Security should NOT be seen as a grudge purchase. Rather, it ought to be the most important item on the budget sheet.

Maybe one day the penny will drop.