Security Features - Jan Feb 2009

CerticCS - The New Independent Certification Body for Ireland
CerticCS, a new independent certification body, was launched at Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin, on 21 January 2009. is a security-specific body that provides certification schemes for security companies involved in the installation of electronic security systems and providers of guarding, cash-in-transit and alarm monitoring services.
CerticCS provide an alternative route for security companies seeking approval to meet the Private Security Authority's (PSA) Private Security Contractors Licence and An Garda Síochána Intruder Alarm Policy. Companies will be audited to the appropriate Irish Standards by CerticCS inspectors who are experienced industry auditors, giving customers of the security industry confidence in CerticCS approved companies.
CerticCS is a trading division of Insight Certification Ltd1 which has been providing specialist approval and certification to security companies in the UK for over 35 years and is one of the UK Government approved assessing bodies for their Approved Contractors Scheme. CerticCS is also the sole assessing body for the ISIA's Qualsec scheme.
Geraldine Larkin, PSA Chief Executive, commented: "I welcome CerticCS as a new specialist certification body providing additional choice for security companies seeking evidence that they have attained appropriate standards. CerticCS bring experience to the Irish security environment and I believe the improvement of certification body choice can only benefit the development of standards in the security industry."
Andrew White, CerticCS Chief Executive, added: "We have been successfully operating security approval and certification schemes in the UK for many years1. It is the skills and experience we have developed over the years, along with the encouragement of our security industry colleagues, that makes us best positioned for playing an integral role in developing standards in the interest of the Irish security industry and its customers."

Abloy UK supplies access control equipment for London University
Smartair locks, Update On Card (UOC) readers, a portable programmer and ARX access control technology, all supplied by Abloy UK, have been integrated to provide an intelligent and cost-effective access control system at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Specified and installed by Rochester-based NT Security, the seamlessly integrated package controls and monitors staff, student and visitor access through interior and perimeter doors at Royal Holloway’s Huntersdale administration building in Egham, Surrey.
Royal Holloway’s Head of Accommodation Services, Gary Pearson, comments: “After reviewing building usage, security and safety, we brought in electronic security systems company NT Security to enhance access control at the Huntersdale building.”
NT Security specified a cost-effective combination of off-line and higher cost on-line access control equipment, all sourced from access control and high performance locking specialist, Abloy UK, to meet its client’s security, safety and budgetary requirements.
A total of 49 battery-operated Smartair locks were installed on internal doors, which Royal Holloway security personnel control and update using three UOC Smartair readers and a portable programmer.
Access through the perimeter doors is controlled by an ARX system, a sophisticated on-line access control package that NT linked to the University’s main IT system, so that any changes in access rights can be implemented swiftly and easily.
Abloy UK’s Access Control General Manager, Geoff Seddon, explains: “Thanks to NT Security, Royal Holloway now has an excellent access control system which cost-effectively combines on-line and off-line technology at its Huntersdale building.”
Each Smartair-controlled door has its own battery power source and built-in reader, which identifies the user’s card, interrogates their access rights and then either opens the lock or doesn’t, as appropriate.
Unlike conventional battery-operated locks, security staff do not have to visit each lock to update access rights. Smartair employs the latest contactless technology and all cards are automatically updated with the latest access information when the updater is linked to the IT network. The system information is automatically updated in each lock when an updated card is presented to that door’s reader.
Providing a user has suitable access rights, all they need to do to gain passage through a Smartair-controlled door is present their RFID card in the proximity of the reader and lock. This contactless method of access control not only helps maintain the easy flow of traffic, but also is extremely cost-effective as there is no operational wear and tear on the cards.
Door security is managed centrally from a PC, which creates, stores and modifies user access information. Door usage can be monitored using Smartair’s powerful audit trail facility, which can not only report which doors were opened by what cards, but can also detail all the doors opened by each card.

IFSEC 2009 Security Industry Awards – Open for Entries
IFSEC 2009 Security Industry Awards – Monday 11 May 2009, Hilton
UBM Live, organisers of IFSEC 2009, has announced that entries are now open for the prestigious IFSEC Security Industry Awards. In association with the BSIA, the awards acknowledge the people, products and technological advancements that have played a big part in the security industry over the past year.
Constantly evolving to reflect the changing landscape of the security industry, the 2009 Awards contain two new categories – Integrated Security Product of the Year and Best Policing Partnership of the Year. Deadline for entries is Friday 13 February and the awards will be presented at a black-tie gala dinner on 11 May at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.
The categories for the 2009 awards are:
Product categories (open exclusively to exhibitors of IFSEC 2009)
- CCTV Product of the Year
- Intruder Alarm Product of the Year
- Physical Security Product of the Year
- Access Control Product of the Year
- Communication Product of the Year
- Integrated Security Product of the Year
Non-product categories (open to both IFSEC exhibitors and non-exhibitors)
- Security Project or Installation of the Year
- Guarding Service Delivery to Customer
- Best Policing Partnership of the Year
Entries: www.ifsec.co.uk/awards.

BSIA publishes guide to the application of access control in offices
The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has published a new guide to access control in the office environment.
“The average office is not only made up of staff who will be there on a daily basis, but also visitors and other non-permanent staff who will require access to specific areas at specific times,” says BSIA Access Control Section Chairman, Mike Sussman. “Access control systems offer a versatile and cost-effective way to regulate entry to premises. The guide covers the principles and application of access control, as well as providing practical examples of its successful use in offices.”
“There are many benefits that an access control system can bring to an office building. Access control has the added benefit of being expandable from, a single entrance door for employees that uses a keypad/pin facility, to a large integrated network that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) smart cards and/or biometrics that only allow pre-assigned access. Also beneficial in an office is the capability of pre-assigned entry to different areas for employees, visitors or temporary staff. There are also huge potentials in terms of integrating HR and other systems such as time and attendance, ANPR, fire, intruder and CCTV.”
The guide to offices provides tailored information in relation to the installation of systems within a specific environment, ensuring readers obtain accurate information in relation to the particular application they are looking for.
The guide to access control for offices is available as a download by visiting www.bsia.co.uk/accesscontrol.

Don Cameron Appointed President of Niscayah Ltd
Don Cameron has been appointed as President of Niscayah Ltd, the UK business of the international security systems provider Niscayah Group.
A UK businessman, with extensive general management and sales and marketing experience in IT and telecoms, Don has a background of business development, working both within large corporations and in entrepreneurial, start-up companies.
For the past four years he has been Sales & Marketing Director at Mobiqa – a business which has innovated in the provision of barcoded tickets to mobile phones. Previously he has held MD/CEO roles for IT service businesses, such as Intergraph, Plaut Consulting and ICL Fujitsu.
Visit: www.niscayah.co.uk

TeleEye CMS V3 Site Map – Manage Different Sites at a Glance
TeleEye Group has introduced the TeleEye CMS V3 Site Map (CMS3-SM) which is an additional module for the CMS V3 Central Monitoring Station Software. With the CMS-SM site map module, users can upload different site maps, manage cameras and verify alarms of remote sites by just a few clicks on the map.
Graphic User Interface of Site Map Module
TeleEye CMS3-SM Site Map is a useful module to simplify site and event management. This module offers world map and floor plan engines. These engines are adopted with graphic user interface (GUI) of which users’ installed sites will be shown on world map. Users can manage a number of sites much easier.
Site and Event Management can be Simple
With two layers of GUI – World Map and Floor Plan, operators can easily manage the location of sites and position of all video surveillance equipment. Users can simply click the “icons” on the world map and get connection to the site. Floor plan shows the position and information of video recording servers, cameras, cameras’ preset points, sensors in connected site. Users can edit all the site details in both layers directly. This eliminates the complexity of connecting the site through site name or IP address in traditional software.
With CMS3-SM site map module, you can control cameras for video surveillance and visual alarm verification at ease.
Main features of CMS3-SM
Connect to remote sites
Freely allocate cameras on site map
Select cameras and show live video from remote sites
Perform PTZ operations to camera preset locations
Control audio operations (Audio Reception / Public Addressing)
Event alert on map when receiving alarms
View current status of alarm inputs
Clear alarm
Switch to another site map
TeleEye CMS V3 Central Monitoring Station Software with CMS3-SM Site Map module can fully support TeleEye RX, CX Series Video Recording Server and NX Series Network Cameras and Video Server.

12 tips that IT security experts use to shop safely online
By Andy Dalrymple – Managing Consultant - Information Risk Management, Global Secure Systems (GSS)
Despite the carnage that the credit crunch has wreaked on the High Street, online retail demand remains strong and is projected to grow into 2009 as economic conditions remain tight and competition between web retailers for our online spend heats up.
An early indication of this counter-cyclical trend was the significant growth of Christmas Day online trade in response to early January sales and the deep discounts available online from traditional High Street vendors.
The credit crunch, however, has also had the effect of bringing more scammers onto the internet than ever before.
As scammers become more sophisticated and people become more desperate to find ways to make money during the recession, consumers shopping online need to become more vigilant and wary as to pitfalls out there. As an IT security expert who shops frequently online, I have outlined some of the few basic internet security measures and “must do’s” that we in the IT security industry adhere to to make sure that we shop safely online to avoid falling foul to the many scammers, exploiters and opportunists who are all to ready to pounce!
The twelve golden rules to safely shopping online:
Rule One: Most Malware exploits are known problems with software and operating systems. The hacker, or code writer, is relying upon people being lazy and not keeping systems up to date. For this reason it is very important to keep your anti-virus product up to date with the latest signature files (this usually happens automatically in the background with most commercial anti-virus products) and operating system updates from Microsoft. This reduces the likelihood of malicious code or key-logging software running on your PC without your knowledge, transmitting your details to fraudsters across the internet.
Rule Two: Never go online without ensuring you have your personal Firewall enabled. This personal Firewall adds a layer of protection to the PC by stopping unknown connections to the PC. The personal firewall included within Windows XP and Vista is generally considered to be insufficient. They can control data coming in at the PC – an inbound filter – however they can not properly control outbound connections. If your PC is infected by Malware, you could be sending out Spam or other data on to the Internet without your knowledge. By adding a personal firewall you can control and stop unwanted outbound connections. There are a number of personal firewalls on the market – both free and paid for. Some anti-virus vendors include personal firewalling as part of their products.
Rule Three: Don’t ever select the ‘remember my password’ option when registering online as your passwords are then stored on the PC, often in plain text, and are the first thing that a fraudster will target. Some malware is designed and written to go and search your PC for these passwords. In addition to this, if you use a laptop that is lost or stolen, the passwords go with it….
Rule Four: Ensure that your credit cards are registered with your card provider’s online security services such as ‘Verified by Visa’ and ‘MasterCard SecureCode’.
Rule Five: Use only one card for online shopping, maintaining a limit on the card as low as possible or even using a top-up card for your online purchasing.
Rule Six: Be sure to use a Credit Card and not a Debit Card. The bank provides you security guarantees with a credit card that are not given with a debit card. So don’t be tempted to take your shiny new platinum card on an online shopping spree.
Rule Seven: Be sure to check your statements regularly, and if there is any sign of irregular activity, report it straight away.
Rule Eight: Always check for the little padlock at the bottom right hand corner of the browser (when using Internet Explorer) before entering your card details. Recently Verisign have added the green display bar to show a website with an Extended Validation certificate – this means the encryption key has been made strong, and the site has external validation.
Rule Nine: Make a habit of checking the site’s privacy policy for details of how your personal information will be used and only provide the minimum of personal information, especially in on-line forms.
Rule Ten: Never shop from sites that you arrive at from clicking links in unsolicited marketing emails (SPAM).
Rule Eleven: It is important to remember that you could be doing everything right, but that the Vendor may do something wrong. A vendor may well be storing all your credit card data on a single server. This creates a single big target for a hacker to go after. If the Vendor’s web site is breached, your details may well be compromised. The Payment Card Industry has recently introduced their own Data Security Standards to try and protect this data at rest. However the standards are not yet fully enforced and this risk is for all credit card transactions, not just those over the Internet.
Rule Twelve: Finally, don’t rely on previous customer’s testimonials – they are part of the organisation’s marketing and not necessarily factual. The Golden Rule of commerce is still the same as it ever was…. if the offer looks too good to be true, it probably is!
These are the rules I follow as do many of my colleagues. Internet shopping is only going to get more popular, with scams being more sophisticated, so make sure you’re not caught out by being lured into unsafe territory. By following these rules you can log on and access those internet bargains…safely! Good luck and enjoy.
For more information please visit: www.gss.co.uk