Year: 2020

Today’s data-driven society has a tricky balancing act to perform – building innovative products and services that use personal data while still protecting people’s privacy. To help organizations keep this balance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering a new tool for managing privacy risk. The agency has just released Version 1.0 of the NIST Privacy Framework – a tool for improving privacy through enterprise risk management. Developed from a draft version in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, the framework provides a useful set of privacy protection strategies for organizations that wish to improve their approach to using and protecting personal data. The publication also provides clarification about privacy risk management concepts and the relationship between the Privacy Framework and NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework. “Privacy is more important than ever in today’s digital age,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Walter G. Copan, “The strong support the Privacy Framework’s development has already received demonstrates the critical need for tools to help organizations build products and services providing real value, while protecting people’s privacy.” Personal data includes information about specific individuals such as their addresses or social security numbers that a company might gather and use in the normal course of business. Because this data can be used to identify the people who provide it, an organization must frequently take action to ensure it is not misused in a way that could embarrass, endanger or compromise the customers. The NIST Privacy Framework is not a law or regulation, rather a voluntary tool that can help organizations manage privacy risk arising from their products and services, as well as demonstrate compliance with laws that may affect them such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. It helps organizations identify the privacy outcomes they want to achieve and then prioritize the actions needed to do so. “What you’ll find in the framework are building blocks that can help you achieve your privacy goals, which may include laws your organization needs to follow,” said Naomi Lefkovitz, a Senior Privacy Policy Adviser at NIST and Leader of the framework effort, “If you want to consider how to increase customer trust through more privacy-protective products or services, the framework can help you do that. But we designed it to be agnostic to any law, so it can assist you no matter what your goals are.” Privacy as a basic right in the USA has roots in the U.S. Constitution, but its application in the digital age is still evolving, in part because technology itself is changing at a rapidly accelerating pace. New uses for data pop up regularly, especially in the context of the internet of things and artificial intelligence, which together promise to gather and analyze patterns in the real world that previously have gone unrecognized. With these opportunities come new risks. “A class of personal data that we consider to be of low value today may have a whole new use in a couple of years,” Lefkovitz said, “Or you might have two classes of data that are not sensitive on their own, but if you put them together they suddenly may become sensitive as a unit. That’s why you need a framework for privacy risk management, not just a checklist of tasks. You need an approach that allows you to continually re-evaluate and adjust to new risks.” The Privacy Framework 1.0 has an overarching structure modeled on that of the widely used NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and the two frameworks are designed to be complementary and also updated over time. “Privacy and security are related but distinct concepts, and merely adopting a good security posture does not necessarily mean that an organization is addressing all its privacy needs” said Lefkovitz. As with its draft version, the Privacy Framework centers on three sections – the Core, which offers a set of privacy protection activities; the Profiles, which help determine which of the activities in the Core an organization should pursue to reach its goals most effectively, and the Implementation Tiers, which help optimize the resources dedicated to managing privacy risk. The NIST authors plan to continue building on their work to benefit the framework’s users. Digital privacy risk management is a comparatively new concept, and Lefkovitz said they received many requests for clarification about the nature of privacy risk, as well as for additional supporting resources. “People continue to yearn for more guidance on how to do privacy risk management,” she said, “We have released a companion roadmap for the framework to point the way toward more research to address current privacy challenges, and we are building a repository of guidance resources to support implementation of the framework. We hope the community of users will contribute to it to advance privacy for the good of all.”  

Prestigious Innovative Achievement Award at the 2019 Detektor International Awards Hikvision has been awarded the Innovative Achievement Award for its thermal and optical network Turret camera at the 2019 Detektor International Awards in Sweden. The award was given in the category of Alarm and Detection. About the Hikvision camera, the jury said, “Through a combination of smart analytics, and thermal and optical technologies, Hikvision succeeds in offering an impressive solution for early detection and optimum performance.”   Marcel Wiechmann, Thermal Products Manager at Hikvision Europe was present at the ceremony to receive the award. He said, “Hikvision is excited to receive this accolade. Our innovative thermal and optical network Turret camera was launched in July to empower security teams to stop a fire before it’s truly started. It’s also very cost-effective with such advanced fire detection. We’re delighted that this product has been so well recognized by the security industry.” The award winning Hikvision camera DS-2TD1217-2/ V1 enables rapid indoor fire detection through bi-spectrum technology, which captures images using both thermal radiation and visible light. By displaying optical and thermal images together through image fusion or picture-in-picture, the camera helps safety personnel to quickly pinpoint the source of a fire. Importantly, the camera also triggers an alarm once the temperature goes higher than a user-set limit – potentially allowing personnel to prevent ignition or combustion. In addition, the camera contains a built-in GPU for running the Hikvision deep learning algorithm in order to support indoor monitoring and advanced intrusion detection. Equipped for double duty – both fire detection and intrusion detection – this camera is highly recommended for indoor solutions, especially in application scenarios such as warehouses, museums, data centers, and offices. Explosive Performance of Hikvision Smart Thermal Camera at GIT Security Awards 2020 Hikvision also won the GIT Security Award for its thermal explosion proof camera (DS-2TD2466T-25X). In a vote by GIT’s security professional readers, the product was hailed as the winner in the ‘Fire and Explosion Protection’ category of the popular annual awards. One focus of the awards is innovation in products – and the Hikvision camera does not disappoint. It uses a vanadium oxide uncooled focal plane sensor to deliver enhanced thermal image quality. It also uses a smart fire detection algorithm to identify potential fire risks by monitoring irregular temperature rises in a sensitive area. The camera adopts 316L stainless steel material to meet the requirements of environments that have a risk of explosion, like chemical plants, oil depots and gas stations. Allen Xue, Hikvision DACH Area Manager said, “We are honoured to receive this award from GIT Security. The fact that this is the result of voting from GIT readers – representing our customers – makes it even more poignant. It’s also interesting that video surveillance cameras do not usually win in the fire prevention category, and we believe this reflects the innovative nature of our products. We pride ourselves on using our innovation to solve customer problems, and this award is testimony to that goal.”  

New, compact, powerful edge computing platforms for ‘smart’ applications Socionext Inc., a world leading system-on-chip (SoC) solutions provider, has introduced new, intelligent, scalable edge-AI solutions developed in partnership with Foxconn Technology Group and Network Optix Inc. The newly launched solutions are powered by a scalable, 24-core Arm Cortex-A53 SoC offering exceptional CPU performance, which provides excellent processing speed and power-savings. The new system is designed to support the most demanding edge computing, smart energy, Internet of Things (IoT), and real-time data processing applications. Socionext and Foxconn have collaborated on the development of Foxconn’s BOXiedge, a high-density, fan-less, and highly efficient edge server that measures a compact 200mmx200mm (1U) and typically consumes only 30W of power. The BOXiedge is ideal for industrial internet AI applications as it provides over 20 TOPS in total with AI accelerating card that offers excellent performance in object classification. It also supports the mainstream Caffe and TensorFlow AI development frameworks, so no additional learning time is required. In order to support additional computational off-loading of real-time applications, Foxconn will be pre-installing the Network Optix’s Witness VMS to the BOXiedge server for better optimization. Additionally, it provides immediate support for a broad range of IP cameras on the market. “Socionext has been a reliable and trusted technology partner in ASSP for many years and share the same vision with us at Foxconn of innovating the next-generation AI solutions,” said Gene Liu, VP of Foxconn Technology Group, “We are pleased to partner with Socionext again to integrate the ‘Nx Witness VMS’ into Foxconn’s BOXiedge in or der to deliver even greater value to HWSW integrated ARM solutions, bringing a more powerful and cost-effective solution to the retail and manufacturing industry.” BOXiedge Plus Nx Witness VMS The new edge computing system developed with Network Optix combines the ultra-fast processing capabilities of arm-based CPU with Network Optix’s Nx Witness VMS that integrates seamlessly with other products ‘Powered-by-Nx’ built on the Nx Meta video development platform for analyzing and enriching video data. It enables multiple video input processing in real-time and provides a powerful and intuitive user interface to view and manage multiple incoming IP video streams. The lightweight VMS can run on most hardware and leading server platforms. This compact and efficient Edge AI server is ideal for real-time edge inference applications such as being able to recognize and filter video input using metadata to identify objects, people, commodities, human faces and even pathways. Potential applications include smart retail, smart manufacturing, surveillance, medical AI, and more. “Socionext is taking a unique approach to solving the challenges of creating lightweight but powerful AI-enabled hardware with their advanced SoC solutions. The collaboration between Nx, Socionext and Foxconn strengthens the ability of all companies involved to bring to market exceptional intelligent video hardware that can be used for a variety of applications – from cloudbased IoT solutions to on-premise edge processing” said Tony Luce, Director of Marketing & Business Development, Network Optix. “Socionext, as a provider of SoCbased solutions, looks to create a solid synergy by working with leading hightech companies such as Foxconn and Network Optix,” said Kotaro Goto, Vice Head of the Automotive & Industrial Business Group at Socionext, “Moving business processes to the edge with simple and scalable hardware solutions offer service providers the ability to streamline workflow and support a wide range of business needs, resulting in faster response times and data transfer speed.”  

MOBOTIX has been awarded ‘Secure by Default’ certification in the UK. The certification for the new MOBOTIX 7 platform includes the new IP video system M73, launched at the MOBOTIX Global Partner Conference in October 2019, as well as the Mx6 product line. This highlights MOBOTIX’ ongoing focus on cyber security and privacy protection. MOBOTIX has been approved based on the 12 guiding principles of the surveillance camera commissioner. The company is now globally enabled to use the official ‘Secure by Default’ logo. Proactive approach to cyber security Self-certification allows manufacturers of surveillance camera devices and components to clearly demonstrate that their products meet requirements that ensure they are secure by default. The requirements are an important step forward in providing the best possible assurance for stakeholders that products aren’t vulnerable to cyberattacks. “Many congratulations to MOBOTIX AG in self-certifying their products as Secure by Default,” highlighted Tony Porter, Surveillance Camera Commissioner, “The certification mark demonstrates to customers and stakeholders alike that the products listed on my website meet the new minimum requirements I expect in terms of cyber-secure surveillance camera products. It’s great that we have a number of proactive manufacturers like MOBOTIX AG leading the way toward a common goal to develop products which are to mitigate potential cyber-threats.” Secure by Default Several high profile and well publicised compromises of systems were left in an unacceptable security configuration. Some of these compromises also showed the root cause of cyberattacks was down to poor design and manufacturing. Driven by the need to ensure the UK’s resilience against this and other forms of cyber security vulnerability, as well as to provide the best possible assurance to stakeholders, the requirements are an important step forward for manufacturers, installers and users alike. Secure by Default highlights the conformity to the 12 guiding principles as part of the surveillance camera Code of Practice as well as the development and use of surveillance camera systems, of which MOBOTIX applies conform. Phillip Antoniou, Vice President Sales Europe South/ West & MEAPAC of MOBOTIX underlined “We’re very proud to achieve the ‘Secure by Default’ certification, this demonstrates the commitment that we as MOBOTIX have towards cyber security. We recognise the existing and increasing concerns and as such will be further developing our solutions and strategy to address this.” MOBOTIX continues cyber security focus Recently, MOBOTIX has launched a free of charge Cactus Patch with latest firmware updates. With this continuous support, a stable and secure video system is sustained.