DHS S&T Expands Pilot Testing of Cyber Security Tech for 911 Infrastructure
SecuLore Solutions has received funding from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to expand pilot testing of the Maryland-based company’s cyber security defense solution to detect and mitigate cyberattacks against legacy emergency communications systems and new next-generation 911 and internet protocol-based technologies. SecuLore has added new capability to its existing cybersecurity solutions to provide near-real-time behavioral threat analysis of the traffic hitting an emergency communications center’s (ECC) network and recommend remediation steps that are based on the behavior and or type of malware. The company is pilot testing the new solution with the Palm Beach County, Fla., Emergency Services Department and will expand the pilot testing to five additional ECCs across the country. The project is in support of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “We are continuing to improve the resilience of the nation’s critical emergency communications infrastructure,” says Billy Bob Brown, CISA’s executive assistant director for Emergency Communications.
CBP Continues to Build Out Simplified Arrival
Customs and Border Protection has added its facial comparison technology program to another airport and two pedestrian ports of entry, enhancing the security and simplicity for processing the arrival of foreign nationals to the U.S. Simplified Arrival is now at Tampa International Airport in Florida and the Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas pedestrian ports of entry. The program uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the U.S. When travelers arrive in the U.S., they pause for a photo at the primary inspection point and the live photo is compared to the traveler’s passport or visa photo. The facial comparison process, using a highly ranked biometric comparison algorithm, takes only a few seconds and is more than 98 percent accurate. Since Sept. 2018, CBP has used facial biometrics to prevent nearly 600 impostors from illegally entering the U.S. by using genuine travel documents issued to other people. Simplified Arrival is voluntary for U.S. citizens and select foreign nationals.