IFSEC International 2018 will play host to a dedicated learning and demonstration area, where visitors will benefit from a real-time immersive experience of integrated physical and cyber security. Networked systems and applied technologies are presenting security management professionals with rising levels of information outputs and data, which are rapidly becoming core aspects of their business strategies. The business intelligence available from this deepening level of integration is now a core competency, providing commercial, industrial and government users with unparalleled levels of insight. However, these systems also represent major security vulnerabilities; the nature of their networked capabilities means there is a strengthening need for higher levels of understanding and vigilance in combating threats to information security. It’s a simple equation – greater complexity of technologies will lead to greater threats. This is where IFSEC, Vidsys and their partners can provide the solutions. In this new world of converged security networks and information software, IFSEC announces the introduction of the Converged Security Centre at this year’s show, taking place at London’s ExCeL during 19-21 June 2018. IFSEC has worked closely with key thought leaders in this space, including James Willison, Founder, Unified Security Ltd, and SarbSembhi CISO, Virtually Informed Ltd. Together they have long advocated the use of converged technological solutions managed by cross-functional security teams to identify and mitigate security risks to organisations. In the development of the centre, IFSEC and Unified Security recognised the capabilities of Vidsys’ CSIM solution and their partners. The Converged Security Centre will be powered by the experts at Vidsys, the pioneering architects of Converged Security and Information Management (CSIM), to offer visitors a real-time immersive experience of an integrated cyber physical SOC, demonstrating ways to enable multi-disciplinary security teams to respond to the whole range of security risks across an enterprise. The Converged Security Centre will be a combined learning and demonstration area hosted by Vidsys, Unified Security Ltd and their partners’ representatives, delivering a series of panel discussions with leading Information and Physical security professionals on the exceptional capabilities of a fully integrated CSIM platform. Visitors will learn how, with a fully converged security system, users can correlate multiple events into one situation, track major assets, execute efficient building management operations, monitor social networks, and most importantly enable high level information security resilience for true situation management. The presentations will show the simulated outputs of CSIM across a range of applications including transport, utilities and infrastructure and discuss how these benefit all areas of security management. The Converged Security Centre will also display capabilities from a selected range of Vidsys partners. These include IFSEC premier partner Axis Communications, whose expertise in IP networked surveillance is acknowledged worldwide; Unisys, which provides expertise and guidance on cyber and information security; and Micro Focus International, who will be demonstrating how IDOL, an AI powered analytics platform for video, image, text and audio data, can automate real-time 3600 intelligence for security operators. James I. Chong, CEO, Vidsys says, “We’re excited to be part of the Converged Security Centre at IFSEC this year and to be working with our global partners to showcase what a truly converged security solution can provide to organizations worldwide. We believe there is an immediate need for a converged security solution that unifies monitoring of both physical and cyber security under one, unified platform. By leveraging disparate sources of data, organizations can effectively manage a situation in real-time without having to go to multiple subsystems, including analytics and cybersecurity, to get the job done.” Gerry Dunphy, Brand Director, IFSEC says, “IFSEC is delighted to welcome Vidsys to this year’s show as the major driver behind the Converged Security Centre. Our recent research revealed there is an absolute need for our customers to gain greater understanding of the capabilities of CSIM as well as a deeper awareness of the growing threats of cyber penetration into their networks so this project is an ideal solution. We’re thankful also to our good friends James Willison and Sarb Sembhi from Unified Security who have helped us co-ordinate this exciting new project at IFSEC 2018.”

The Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) consists of open standards that are widely used by organizations to measure and continuously monitor the security settings and controls of computer systems and applications in order to find software flaws and security-related configuration issues. Also, SCAP standardizes the nomenclature and formats used to manage and measure the vulnerability of computer systems to threats and their compliance to policies, especially Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). NIST has published NIST Internal Report (NISTIR) 7511 Revision 5, Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) Version 1.3 Validation Program Test Requirements, the latest in a series of documents on SCAP, that describes the test requirements for SCAP version 1.3. SCAP 1.3 consists of a suite of specifications for standardizing the format and nomenclature by which security software communicates information about software flaws and security configurations. The SCAP validation program offers vendors an opportunity to provide independent verification that security software correctly processes SCAP-expressed security information and provides standardized output. Industry and government end users benefit from the SCAP validation program by having assurance that SCAP-validated products have undergone independent testing and have met all necessary requirements defined in NISTIR 7511. Under the SCAP Validation Program, independent laboratories are accredited by the NIST National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP). Independent laboratories conduct the tests defined in this document on products at the request of vendors and deliver the results to NIST. Based on the independent laboratory test report, the SCAP Validation Program then validates the product under test, and the validation certificates awarded to vendor products are publicly posted on the NIST SCAP Validated Products web page. This publication is intended for NVLAP-accredited laboratories conducting SCAP product and module testing for the program, vendors interested in receiving SCAP validation for their products or modules, and organizations deploying SCAP products in their environments.

The crucial role of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in enhancing security by taking INTERPOL into a new era of policing and innovation was high on the agenda of the 14th recently held annual Heads of NCBs Conference. Meeting under the theme of ‘NCBs: the Gateways to Modern Policing – The Future is Now,’ 295 senior police officials from 145 countries focused on the importance of NCBs in turning technological and strategic innovation to the advantage of law enforcement worldwide. Addressing a new era with stronger NCBs Calling for a future-oriented global policing strategy structured around proactive NCBs, the President of INTERPOL, Meng Hongwei, opened the conference describing a future of global law enforcement where officers would work hand-in-hand with governments, international partners and private sectors in all areas of policing. TERPOL, we cannot content ourselves with keeping pace, but must work tirelessly to stay ahead of criminals. In order to do so, our NCBs must be seen as both our sensors, and our first line of impact on the ground,” said the INTERPOL President. Preparing tomorrow’s NCB As part of the INTERPOL 2020 reform agenda, Heads of NCB are being briefed on planned changes in policing capabilities, and best practice on how INTERPOL and its member countries use new technology and capabilities for state-of-the-art police work. Over the period of three days (10 – 12 April), delegates reviewed new INTERPOL projects aimed at preparing the world’s police for the crime challenges of tomorrow, including: The use of artificial intelligence in modern policing tools. Digital witness programmes. Facial recognition and biometric identification capabilities. Collection of biometrics for inmates convicted for terrorism related offences. Online training platforms and translating tools. An evolving police organization “At INTERPOL, there will never be a one-size-fits-all approach to the way we serve our member countries, which is why we tailor our capabilities to meet NCB imperatives,” said Jürgen Stock, Secretary General, INTERPOL In this respect, INTERPOL has redesigned its operational framework to include three global programmes against terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime, with characteristics and solutions tailored to each region. “We are moving into a new era – one in which INTERPOL is the strategic bridge between law enforcement and other domains, where INTERPOL is the hub for regional security actors, and in which access to INTERPOL’s global network is propagated to frontline officers in our member countries.” “In this evolution of how INTERPOL delivers its policing capabilities, our NCBs remain absolutely central in guiding our efforts and deploying our capabilities throughout the membership,” added the Head of INTERPOL. Making police data move faster than criminals Testimony to the importance of innovation and constant modernization in policing are INTERPOL’s network projects currently boosting NCB capability across the globe: I-ONE: Modernizing African NCBs so they can share and receive police information and give frontline police at border crossings the capacity to better detect criminals or criminal activity. Twinning: A resourceful way of capitalizing on existing resources, abilities and skillsets, INTERPOL has launched a programme permitting NCBs to draw on each other’s assets and operate at top capacity regardless of geography, financial capacity or degree of development. With INTERPOL database queried 180 times every second over its secure global police communications system I-24/7, INTERPOL’s global database and network are amongst the most advanced capabilities the organization provides member countries to prevent and investigate crime. Illustrating how fast INTERPOL is growing to face ever-accelerating change, delegates heard that the number of searches from INTERPOL’s wanted persons database has increased from 450 thousand a year in 2005 to 3.9 million a day in 2017. They also heard that INTERPOL’s stolen and lost travel documents database has expanded from 8 million in 2005 to more than 74 million today. INTERPOL memorial During the three days of the meeting, participants had the opportunity to pay tribute to fallen police officers worldwide at a memorial which INTERPOL recently unveiled at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon as well as the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.