Is America’s security in jeopardy?

With the holiday weekend approaching, terror threats are on the rise. Could another attack happen on America’s soil? Bradley Schreiber, Former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security & President, Homeland Security Solutions joined the panel to discuss.

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Web warfare ‘No. 1 threat’
Experts say U.S. must act decisively

By: Antonio Planas

Cyber warfare is the United States’ “No. 1 threat,” according to leading national security experts who are blasting the government for failing to protect the records of millions of federal employees at the hands of suspected Chinese hackers — and charging that the U.S. needs to respond more vigorously. [see full story]

ISIS unleashes 'Siren Song' on social media

By: Bob McGovern, Owen Boss

Military installations from Cape Cod to El Segundo, Calif., have stepped up security amid FBI warnings that the Islamic State is trying to incite its followers in the U.S. to launch domestic terrorist attacks. [see full story]

The Cycle: What will happen to gyrocopter pilot?

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Americans urged to heed mall warning

By: Jack Encarnacao

The nation’s top Homeland Security official is urging vigilance after the al-Qaeda-linked terror group that carried out a deadly attack on a Kenyan mall two years ago issued a video urging attacks on American malls, a threat a former Homeland Security senior adviser said Americans should take seriously. [see full story]

Boston Jews express ‘sense of anguish’
Updated emergency plans encouraged

By: Jack Encarnacao

Boston-area Jews are feeling a “sense of anguish” over the latest attack on European Jews in Copenhagen, while terrorism experts are advocating heightened security and a former U.S. defense secretary called for violence by radical Islamic groups like the Islamic State “to be met tooth and nail.

Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel of Boston, said the targeted violence in Copenhagen and the murders last month of four Jewish men in a kosher deli in Paris is “a real problem for Europeans and for the Jews of Europe.” He cited a “sense of anguish” in Boston’s Jewish community. [see full story]

Paris attack clearly well financed: Expert reports

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Gaps between the public and private sectors make us vulnerable during a disaster

By: Bradley C. Schreiber

The weather-related and other natural disasters we have seen in recent years and continuing threats of terrorism and other acts of violence should be a wake-up call for improving our emergency management capabilities. Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters is a community-wide effort, but the private sector is missing from most government planning and response efforts. Mechanisms to integrate the business community into the emergency management regime, which would dramatically improve the way our nation handles catastrophic events, are available, and they should be fully utilized before the next disaster strikes. [see full story]

Sources: ISIS poster boy Boston-trained techie

By: Chris Cassidy, Erin Smith, Joe Dwinell and Laurel J. Sweet

A 32-year-old computer whiz who was raised in Stoughton is suspected of using the high-tech skills he honed at Hub colleges to spread the bloodthirsty message of ISIS terrorists on social media, according to a Herald source and news reports. [see full story]

Homeland Security Solutions Now Offering CIP-014-1 Physical Security Program

Homeland Security Solutions announced the rollout of its new CIP-014-1 Physical Security Program (PSP).

Responding to the pending approval of CIP-014-1, the PSP is designed to ensure that publicly and privately-owned electric transmission companies have the best physical security policies, plans, training and assets to address their expectations while meeting or exceeding the requirements proposed by the new standard. [see full story]

New Strategic Partnership Strengthens Maryland’s Homeland Security Enterprise

By: Amanda Vicinanzo, Editorial Assistant

Homeland Security Solutions, a global consulting firm committed to improving the homeland security enterprise, recently announced its strategic partnership with Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC) in an effort to bridge the gap between public, private and non-profit sectors in the homeland security marketplace. [see full story]

Homeland Defense Advisory Firm Taps into Demand for Market Intelligence

By: Sandra I. Erwin

The homeland security business is mind-boggling, for both buyers and sellers. Agencies need products but may not know where to find them. And sellers have trouble locating customers in the maze of federal, state and local agencies that are responsible for homeland defense. [see full story]

A Unique Approach to Strengthening Our Nation's Security and Resiliency

By: Maureen Thomas, GovConnects Editorial Board

There are many challenges facing the homeland security enterprise, from enhancing coordination among government agencies and facilitating more effective public-private partnerships, to businesses struggling to succeed in the homeland security marketplace and the challenge with the public and private sectors developing better, cost-effective solutions for our federal, state and local first responders and critical infrastructure communities. One new company is stepping up to help meet these challenges. [see full story]

Security Protocols Since 9/11 Must be Re-Examined

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D.C. Police Still Looking for Possible Suspect in Shooting

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Terror Expert: Closing Shows Serious Threat

By: Jack Encarnacao

A former homeland security adviser said the U.S. State Department’s decision to extend the closure of embassies in the Muslim world through the end of the week speaks to the seriousness of terror threats made against American interests. [see full story]

In Oklahoma, a Long Response and Recovery Process Begins

By: Rob Margetta, CQ Staff

With at least 51 dead and more injured in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, the state has mobilized the National Guard and federal agencies are preparing to support rescue efforts as authorities on the scene search for victims of the tornado that ravaged the area Monday. [see full story]

The Boston Bombings: A Wake-Up Call from our Complacency

By: Bradley C. Schreiber

The pendulum has swung back. After 12 years of success by our federal, state and local law enforcement and intelligence communities to thwart large scale attacks on the United States, our nation has, once again, been reminded that we continue to be terror target. With the horrific attacks in Boston, the public has been awakened from a disturbing trend toward complacency that had begun to threaten our national security efforts. [see full story]

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva’s Texts Raised Red Flags

By: Erin Smith

Russian agents intercepted text messages showing Tamerlan Tsarnaev wanted to join up with militant jihadists, according to a new report — a revelation that could have put the Boston bomber under closer federal watch, experts say, if it was shared with U.S. officials. [see full story]

Homeland Security After Boston

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Feds Tackle 'Major Data Crunch' in Boston Investigation

By: Frank Konkel, Adam Mazmanian

One of the most challenging aspects of the large-scale investigation into the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings is crunching all the incoming data from digital cameras, video, phone calls, text messages, social media and other disparate sources. [see full story]

Top US Intelligence Chief Launches Review of
Information Sharing Ahead of Boston Bombings

By: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Tuesday his counterterrorism bureaucracy “did what it was supposed to be doing” before the Boston Marathon bombing as his top intelligence official began a review into whether sensitive information was adequately shared and whether the U.S. government could have disrupted the attack. [see full story]

Boston Probe’s Big Data Use Hints at the Future

By: Frank Konkel

Less than 24 hours after two explosions killed three people and injured dozens more at the April 15 Boston Marathon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had compiled 10 terabytes of data in hopes of finding needles in haystacks of information that might lead to the suspects. [see full story]

What We Did Right and Wrong

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Federal Response to Boston Bombings “Swift and Substantial,” Expert Says

By: Michael O'Connell

In the wake of Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon, the federal government has launched a forceful and coordinated response, drawing on the expertise of scores of law-enforcement agencies. [see full story]