OpenStage: GPS Devices capable of tracking people has great potential

The world's first device capable of tracking multiple people without attached sensors is here, and scientists see in the invention opportunities for more efficient military training and warfare readiness.

Orlando-based Organic Motion computer vision company unveiled the tracking platform at the Interservice Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, the world's largest of its kind that opened Monday at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center.

Tracking devices have different uses, none more challenging than in a modern warfare scenario where soldiers can end up in dangerous, unpredictable situations and lose contact with their commanders, often with disastrous results.

The new motion tracking platform, OpenSTAGE, does not require participants to wear any attached devices, tags or sensors. The technology enhances the operations of a wide range of simulated training environments and is apparently effective in tracking multiple people at the same time, without special backgrounds or controlled environments.

Analysts said the OpenSTAGE multi-track platform would improve the way armed forces prepare personnel for military operations. Organic Motion said the device would work for dismounted soldier training programs, military operations on urban terrain, better known in the industry as MOUT, and "Close Combat Tactical Training Dismounted Soldier" simulations.

The tracking platform eliminates the need for any additional attire, enabling multiple fighters to step into a virtual world with no prep time and be instantly tracked.

As a result of the new platform being in place, multiple teams can now participate in simulated maneuvers, including live interaction with friends or foes, continued tracking of soldiers after they dismount in Combat Vehicle Simulators, or tracking of shooters in a shoot house.

Organic Motion CEO Andrew Tschesnok said OpenSTAGE "is a major leap for simulated training and the applications are immense."

He said the company had developed OpenSTAGE to meet the rigorous demands of the defense industry.

"By eliminating sensors, an entire squad can now achieve instant entry into a far more realistic training environment and have their movements tracked and displayed in real-time, all at a lower operating cost and with maximum throughput."

To deliver a training-ready system, Organic Motion has integrated MAK's VR-Link networking toolkit and VR-Vantage 3D visualization solution into the product. VT MAK, a company of VT Systems Inc., develops software to link, simulate and visualize the virtual world.

The integration of MAK's products means trainees can actively participate in the most realistic simulations, with minimal negative training, all in real time. Organic Motion's image-processing software will analyze the video feeds to capture position, orientation, posture and motion of subjects in the scanning space.

OpenSTAGE will then communicate the resulting information in real time to VR-Vantage, where an animated 3-D model mimics the motions of the live person within a simulated scene.

VT MAK CEO Warren Katz said the new technology would "usher in a new era of immersive training" for dismounted infantry and their units. He said it will also greatly reduce the cost of operating such systems.

OpenSTAGE supports integration with existing military equipment and increases the speed and efficiency of training readiness for a wide range of simulations.

Surf the Internet Freely and Safely: Care of Symantec

Everything you wanted to know about safety and security on the Internet but were afraid to ask!

Symantec have created a really friendly easy to use web page that provides basic information and advice on Internet and Credit card security, etc.

Zombies Ahead! Spooks in the machines!

An electronic road sign was hacked and changed, to alert drivers to the potential hazard of 'hoards of the undead' jaywalking. This provides a nice example of why the status of the security on the US Grid and associated infrastructure is such a “big deal”.

The hack itself is trivial: an intrepid individual discovered that electronic road signs shared a common default password. The good news is; that the default password would have been discovered and publicized years ago if the systems were connected to the internet. They were only left alone or overlooked, for years because very few people had the initiative or twisted interest, to walk up to one of the signs and attempt what is essentially a simple dictionary attack against the authentication mechanism.

Without the motivation and justification of protecting installations from sustained and multiple attack, engineers saw no reason to improve the security of their systems. Following the threat response reasoning, that defense is only required where attack is likely or where expenditure restrictions veto and supress security issues. (Discuss!) You could also argue that the lack of protection in certain areas forms part of the overall strategy of the threat and those that threaten.

It seems that everyone laughed off the hack as a simple prank, but failed to consider the serious implications and security problems that exist in systems that are legacy-based, semi-automated and semi-attached to the National grid.

There are a large class of systems that are semi-attached to the grid and they also have similar security problems and vulnerabilities. Known as SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) Systems, these computers are responsible for controlling electro-mechanical devices and physical plant as found in nuclear reactors and oil refineries.

Many of these systems were deployed years ago in simpler times, well before the information security industry fully understood code quality problems and how they can be and would be, exploited by attackers. These systems are only safe from exploitation for as long as you can guarantee a substantial air-gap or secure firewall between the control network and anything a human being can touch.

Serious Vulnerabilities

Spies and government sponsored hackers have already been probing the U.S. electrical grid for months and planting software that is intended to be activated at a future date, according to a Wall Street Journal. The report highlights the latest non-physical, indirect threats and vulnerabilities facing the U.S. power infrastructure.

The Journal notes that the spies are from China, Russia and other countries who are more openly threatening. While the news is very disturbing, it isn’t all that surprising. The vulnerabilities of the U.S. infrastructure are well documented. It is also notable that the electrical grids were initially thought to be somewhat hacker proof, until recently. Why? because the grids run on old legacy software, which is often proprietary. This it turns out is its greatest weakness, along with apathy and complacency.

The barbarians are not at the door but they may have remote access to your infrastructure and life support systems! Prepare to repel boarders!

Project failure starts at the begining

We are all familiar with countries, towns and destinations that are difficult to reach, either by road, rail or public transport and yet people exist there and thrive. It is not in another dimension or another planet, where predictable 'difficulties' are numerous e.g. expensive ad hoc rocket ship service, an atmosphere of sulphuric acid, temperature variations in the region of 'scorchingly off-the-scale', etc. No, our difficulties in reaching our earthly destinations are because we do not start from the correct location.

This is a lesson I learned when lost in Dublin and forced to ask for directions. It was made clear to me that to get to point B I should have started at point A and not the point that I was currently at, which was currently unknown and would henceforth be referred to as X. Thus, making the logic more mathematically predictive.

The start point and the end point, part of the defining structure of a project and thus lifting it away from the realms of a simple action or activity, are critical in the initiation and definition of the project and the associated project plan. You will never reach the end destination if the start is left to serendipitous happenstances.

• Plan the beginning of your project meticulously
• Involve as many of the stakeholders as possible
• Hold a workshop with all the allocated resources
• Seek out Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Do your research, technical, business, historical, etc
  
• Assess the Risks (qualitative and quantitative) and
  
• Look where you are going

The dark matter of Projects failing

IT projects suffer from a similar force to that of the astronomically evasive 'dark matter'. A force that is not so much negative in its manifestation as it is in its effect, especially on other matter. It has an ability to occupy space without contributing anything, interacting with 'light matter' only to drain its energy and restrict its ability to move freely.

'Dark matter', and its ability to absorb and retain energy without contribution, is a universal anomaly for physicists. A puzzle yet to be solved. A question unanswered but not for project managers and team leaders. We know this effect and understand the consequences very well. It is a similar force to the one that will cause your project to fail. It is your greatest adversary. Its invisible. It can be detected but not controlled, without the right tools and level of experience.

Corporate Defense Domain

The Corporate Defense Domain is a convenient way of describing the sum total of numerous secure approaches, tools, processes, etc. that incorporates the entire environment security of an organisation, from end to end or perimeter to perimeter.

The concept of Corporate Defensive Domain is an aid to perception evolving from a vision of Physical Risk through IT Risk, Operational Risk to Governance, Compliance, Legal and Reputation Risks.

Corporate defense
Corporate security is purely defensive. There is no moral imperative that allows positive attacking action against threats and those that attempt to, or unequivocally, inflict damage on your organisation. Some but not all, of these attacks can be very determined and sophisticated because they are goverment funded and are either commercially or politically motivated. Most are just motivated individuals that can be classed as intellectual vandals.

As with all the good guys, you must work within the framework of the law and this only allows vigilance, defensive action, and possibly post-event retribution and compensation. The subsequent capture and imprisonment of a perpetrator may become a public spectacle. An apparent show of the success of your strategy and hopefully it will act as an example to others but in reality it is of limited effect and brings little solace to the organisation.

Showing your hand
There is also a view that public trials act as a learning curve for other attackers. The attacker creates an action on your perimeter and you display a measured reaction. Thus revealing some of your defensive strategy, processes and tools.

Security realms
There are many realms that exist in the land of security e.g. physical, electronic, virtual, etc. and there are many ways to look at and examine security. It can be viewed as a) a physical obstacle b) a process inflicted on reluctant personnel without explanation or c) an acceptable mindset that is instilled in the environment with the full involvement of the personnel. This latter approach should produce the best results, giving staff a sense of involvement, empathy and a real feeling for the potential consequences.

Secure personnel
It is critically important that your staff buy into securing the corporate domain because they are typically, the weakest link in the security of organisations.

Staff issues

• They are not so easily or reliably programmed,
  
• They don't always retain or apply knowledge appropriately,
• They are swayed and diverted by social engineering techniques,
• They have good and bad days,
  
• Their attention is inconsistent, etc.
• Their human!
  

Threats & Vulnerabilities
There are many ways to examine Threats and Vulnerabilities in an organisation e.g. by geographical location, business type, resources used, historical or political instability, etc. Do you know and understand what criteria and imperatives are being used to drive changes in your defenses? Are they appropriate, operationally maintainable or cost effective.

Analyse the Risk
Organisations are are driven to respond to threats and are compelled to adopt more and more complex defense strategies to address and defend their security needs. Security policies and strategies dictate that a full gambit of approaches should be adopted, from standard process implementation to strict and intricate application frameworks but this has an operational and business cost implication.

The questions that are not always being asked are;

• What is the real cost of defending your business?
  
• How much are you likely to lose?
  
• Where will the danger come from and in what form?
  
• How will it impact us?
  
• What is our response capability?
  
• What is the overall Risk profile?

Feal the fear and hold your ground
With the constant threat of intrusion and compromise, regular and detailed testing and re-examination of all your defenses are necessary but before you can realistically and effectively apply what you have learned, you need to conduct a detailed analysis and assessment of the Risks, the potential business impact and your response options .

7 Points to build stronger, more secure Corporate Defenses

• Create executive level authority and responsibility for Corporate Defense, policy and implementation
  
• Assess your strengths and weaknesses using mature Risk management methodology
• Examine the interdependencies between your tools, processes and defensive positions. Strengthen the perimeters and communications
  
• Map and review your Corporate Defense Domain strategy, continuously, in a structured and determined manner.
  
• Determine, test and examine areas of Convergence, for overlap and gaps. Establish strong boundary defenses and stringent hand-over criteria
  
• Develop a single hardened core entity, an authoritative cross functional discipline, incorporating Governance, Compliance and Risk
• Lock the perimeter gatesways, give the spare keys to your organisation to the central hardened core and prepare yourself for the next attack