Homeland Security lowers threat level in financial sectors
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Terrorist threat levels were lowered in the financial sectors of Washington, New York City and Northern New Jersey Nov. 10. Threat levels were raised from elevated to high in these areas in August because
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The director of cyber security for the Homeland Security Department, Amit Yoran, has resigned his post. The issue of whether cybersecurity was receiving sufficient attention at DHS created
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Investors sought safety in government debt and gold as the latest job report raised fears that corporate profits will weaken.
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Federal homeland security funding for Connecticut, which lost scores of residents in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was slashed nearly in half for 2005, prompting Gov.
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WASHINGTON, Sept 23: Homeland Security official Asa Hutchinson on Thursday said the United States was on heightened alert for terrorist threats, particularly involving aircraft, ahead of the Nov 2 presidential elections.
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The government lowered Wednesday its threat level from &quot;critical&quot; to &quot;severe&quot;, where it had been before the weekend&#39;s failed car bombings in London and Glasgow.
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With Amit Yoran&#39;s sudden departure from the nation&#39;s top cybersecurity job, industry officials said they fear another setback in efforts to make government and corporate networks secure from attacks that hurt business and national security.
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Britain downgraded its security threat level as it appeared that police had apprehended all of the main figures in an alleged terror plot, a decision that was likely to ease traveller frustrations at the country's airports.
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The federal government today lowered the terror alert level from orange to yellow for five financial institutions in Washington, New York and Newark, Homeland Security Deputy Secretary James M. Loy announced.
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Security concerns after 9/11 mean the days of high jinks-first, question-later are gone
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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday lowered the heightened terror threat level for financial institutions in New York City, northern New Jersey and
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Homeland Security Secretary Michael  Chertoff said on Wednesday that one of the biggest threats to  U.S. security may now come from within Europe.
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The terrorism alert level for financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington was lowered Wednesday from high or Code Orange, to elevated or Code Yellow.
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On Government Technology Magazine: Homeland Security
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British and US authorities have eased curbs for airline passengers as Britain lowered its terror alert, deeming the threat of attack to be no longer imminent though still &quot;highly likely.&quot;
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(InfoWorld) - The Department of Homeland Securityâs Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) raised a few eyebrows in late November when it sent a warning out to U.S. banks and financial institutions about a possible cyber attack by Islamic militants. The alert, dated Nov. 30, was triggered by a posting on what the DHS considered an Islamic jihadi Web site calling for hackers to attack U.S. financial and banking Web sites, apparently to protest the detention of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the warning was heavily qualified, with DHS calling the threat âmore aspirational than operational.â Financial firms downplayed the danger, too. One security executive at a major brokerage told InfoWorld that the warning was a ânon-event.â But could repeated warnings about such non-events eventually make critical infrastructure owners deaf to DHSâs warnings? InfoWorld Senior Editor Paul F. Roberts recently chatted with John Carlson, senior director of security and risk Assessment at BITS, a financial-services industry consortium focused on security, fraud, and risk management, about the DHS warning and state of the public-private partnership on cybersecurity. InfoWorld: Iâm guessing that your members received the US-CERT warning about the cyber terrorist attack? John Carlson: There were two messages sent: the first was [Nov. 30]; then a second revision came out [Dec. 1]. The gist of it was that these reports were not corroborated. IW: What was the reaction of BITS members to the warning? JC: Our members have an âall hazardsâ approach to business-continuity planning. Theyâve got well-developed approaches that have been bolstered since 9/11. In response to new regulatory requirements, firms have done a lot to improve backup, theyâve done tests with the various exchanges. Theyâre also working in closer harmony with the federal government to share information on threats and vulnerabilities. I think thereâs a spirit of appreciation that the government is willing to share information with the financial services industry. The firms take that information into account in responding and activating their business continuity plans. IW: How do your members apply information like this that comes from DHS? JC: Iâm not sure I can give a blanket answer. Each firm has its own mechanisms for gathering information. Risk-management professionals at these firms read the paper and understand the military conflicts and theyâre mindful of that. They take it into account when they have employees traveling. Theyâll monitor where they are. With the [bird flu] pandemic issue, firms were monitoring that closely and trying to figure out what impact it would have on their organizations. IW: Is there a danger from these warnings of creating a âBoy Who Cried Wolfâ situation, where firms begin to disregard the warnings? JC: Thereâs always a concern about the crying-wolf syndrome. But our firms appreciate getting the information even if itâs not corroborated. A continuous flow of information helps build trust between the private and public sectors. IW: Was this warning about the jihadist threat something that your members see all the time, or was this an unusual kind of warning from DHS? JC: I think the warning came across the transom at a high level [saying] âpay attention to this.â So it was different from what we normally get. Weâre getting a steady stream of information on threats and vulnerabilities and a range of things. For example, if thereâs a known virus thatâs being perpetrated in [the United States] or against a financial institution. Weâre also getting information on political changes around the world. IW: Do you think DHS has its arms around the cybersecurity problem? JC: My personal opinion is that the government has some capabilities, but not all capabilities. In general, our firms would like more information, but there are many reasons why if (the government) has the information they donât provide it. But itâs a touchy question. People have lots of different views. Â  IW: Do you feel like your members are getting all the information they need? JC: Thereâs some filtering, but I donât have information to compare or validate what the filter is. We talk about issues through coordinating councils that meet quarterly. Itâs a two way conversation.Â
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The United States faces a heightened threat of terrorist attack "for the foreseeable future" but any attack will likely be homegrown, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Wednesday.