Draft27-12

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Reviewing Books for professionals prize books on threats: Background The Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize 2017 with first prize of £5000 is sponsored by Pool Reinsurance Company. Judges include the former senior policeman Sir David Venness; former director-general of GCHQ Sir David Omand; Prof Michael Clarke; and Brigadier Ed Butler, Head of Risk Analysis at Pool Re who was among the speakers at the Association of Security Consultants’ conference in October. Surviving Kidnappers: by Olaf Ofstad, published 2017 by Matador, paperback, 180 pages, ISBN 9781788032797. Visit www.kidnappingsurvival. com. This and other books are also on the magazine website, under ‘reviews’. 60 UNHAPPY ‘The aftermath of a cyber-attack, without the appropriate training in managing the issue, can result in reputational damage, litigation and blunt competitive edge.’ At audit firm KPMG, Paul Taylor, UK head of Cyber Security. Impossible job to rank terror works For a change, a review of a set of books; the four short-listed for the Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize 2017. As in any set of finalists, for books or TV’s The Great British Bake-Off, and in the ranking of anything on the same subject, judges have an impossible job. Leaving them aside - each judge has their own background and idea of what makes one book more deserving of winning than the others - how can you say the story of an MI5 agent risking his life to protect society is ‘better’ than a contemporary historian’s work that can never be as vivid, but may provide perspective that the first-person memoir cannot? The four are, in alphabetical order: Al-Qaeda’s Revenge: The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings by Fernando Reinares with foreword by Bruce Riedel (Columbia University Press). Reinares as the title suggests goes over the 2004 Madrid plot, its history and components. A Spanish academic, he had access to official documents and interviewed officials. He stresses the complexity of Islamic State and AQ in Europe and the long, yearslong, planning for the attack which killed 191 and injured 1800. The al-Qaeda conspiracy in Spain had an international element, drawing on the like-minded in Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan and Italy. As in other such networks, at least some of the members were criminals or ‘delinquents’ that turned to terrorism. As in the United States after 9-11 and in Britain after the July 2005 bombings, Madrid’s had political fall-out. Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State by Ali Soufan (WW Norton &Co). Soufan, a former FBI special agent, DECEMBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL SECURITY is also the author of The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9-11 and the War Against al-Qaeda (2011). Here he takes the story further. The shooting of Osama bin Laden did not deal a blow to his movement; nor did the Arab Spring of uprisings against corrupt Middle Eastern regimes. Instead we have seen the rise of Islamic State, as an off-shoot of AQ. It might sound trite but it’s also of political and indeed military importance that Soufan shows jihadi figures in human terms, including bin Laden’s son Hamza. It’s not enough to identify who the terrorists are, so as to kill them; by describing what sort of people they are, where they come from, and how they work and relate to each other, and what motivates them, the rest of the world can better tackle them. For as the years mount since 9-11 - and as Soufan’s earlier book showed, bin Laden’s work began well before - it becomes ever plainer that bin Laden’s terrorism cannot be snuffed out by force alone, as if it is a body (to return to Soufan’s ‘Anatomy’ of the title) that can be physically throttled. Hacking ISIS: How to Destroy the Cyber Jihad by Malcolm Nance and Christopher Sampson (Skyhorse Publishing). Soufan provides a foreword. To carry on that idea, ISIS having gained territory and proclaimed an ‘Islamic State’ drew ‘foreign fighters’ and gained publicity and prestige; and the fighting to eradicate its physical territory has been arduous. Even when the ‘State’ is no more, it still recruits by spreading its message online, which indeed was one way the jihadists won over fighters and raised the necessary money to seize ground in the first place. Talking of cyber, Nance is also the author of the instant history book The Plot to Hack America : How Putin’s Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election. Soldier Spy by Tom Marcus (Penguin Books). The first-person account of an MI5 operative. Tom (not his real name) became a target for an attempted beheading. He was part of an operation that stopped a planned bombing of a shopping centre in Manchester over an Easter weekend. Besides the vivid insight into what work goes on to keep the UK and indeed other countries safe from terrorism, it’s also striking the effect that such work has on those that do it. Tom Marcus, a former soldier, and son of a soldier, not only had the memories to get over, but the blanks in his CV to explain if he were to take up normal civilian work. As he told the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC TV last year: “It’s been hugely difficult to get a job.” With books like these, we cannot plead ignorance. p KIDNAP SURVIVAL Bankers; aid workers; journalists; oil refinery engineers; politicians; tourists; anyone can be kidnapped, in many countries. Some cities, as Olaf Ofstad writes - he names Mexico City, Johannesburg and Kabul ‘are simply kidnapping hubs’. He has, in his book Surviving Kidnappers, offered a guide to what anyone in a region that is at risk of kidnap can do, to reduce the risk of being kidnapped, and being better equipped to manage physically and mentally if they are, for whatever reason (profit and extortion, politics, revenge). The author goes into some impressive detail about what to do if a kidnapper is psychotic, or violent, and draws heavily on social psychology. For example, if as a kidnap victim you are mistreated, ‘remember that you must not appear to be a victim’; crying or otherwise showing suffering will make the kidnapper dislike you more; so bite your lip and be ‘as tough as you can’. Somehow, when kidnapped you have to be accommodating enough that the kidnapper (whether guard or leader) feels in control, but you have also to show that you are not afraid, and avoid giving reasons for kidnappers to turn angry or violent (although they could at any time), by being ‘calm, confident and non-confrontational’. Little in our daily lives, as Ofstad says, prepares us for the challenges of captivity. But mental preparedness makes a big difference: “If the worst happens and you are assaulted and / or kidnapped, you should be able to steel yourself, use your mind and make intelligent decisions.” p www.professionalsecurity.co.uk p60 Books 27-12.indd 1 17/11/2017 10:52
Networks revenue for installers: Smartphone app Manything, a British video monitoring software company, has developed a smartphone app for Hikvision camera users to view CCTV from the palm of their hand. Users can access video stored in the cloud and remotely control cameras from the iOS or Android app or from the Manything website. The app firm says that its service can work alongside an network recorder for off-site back up or remove the need for a physical NVR; content goes via the cloud. No need for port forwarding or router configuration. Installers and distributors of Hikvision cameras can initiate a recurring monthly revenue stream by reselling Manything subscriptions the company suggests. Through the app firm’s ‘Partner Portal’ you can upload your company logo and contact details to create a co-branded version of the app, then start creating accounts for customers. As for cyber security, all Hikvision cameras running Manything are non-discoverable and have UPnP and NAT disabled. When videos are viewed they are sent over an encrypted TLS or HTTPS channels. Manything also intuitively adjusts frame rate, bit rate and resolution so recorded events are sent to the cloud even in poor network bandwidth, the firm adds. Manything plans to work with other camera manufacturers. p Software integrates: ONStream is body-worn video product company Edesix’s new camera streaming gateway software. It integrates Edesix VideoManager body worn video with video management systems (VMS) for fixed IP camera networks. This new software enables ONVIFcompliant VMS to work with Edesix body cameras. p Browser viewing Dahua Technology has released DSS Pro, its Windows-based VMS product. Using a modular design, DSS Pro is central management software developed by Dahua using Client Server (C/S) architecture. As for the DSS clients, DSS Web Client offers DSS access from any internetenabled PC browser. DSS Mobile lets users view feeds from up to four cameras at once. It also supports remote play-back of recorded footage from selected cameras and control of pan and tilts. Aside from its support for the full range of Dahua products, DSS Pro is designed for third party device integration through the inter-operability standard ONVIF. DSS Pro supports hot standby for system reliability for critical applications. When abnormal behavior is detected, the detection service will automatically restart the server. The LPR module features automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), vehicle image capture; and face recognition has various applications such as monitoring the entrances. p Uni updates: In a contract awarded via the ESPO tender portal OpenView Security Solutions (OSS) has upgraded Loughborough University’s CCTV. A last upgrade was in 2012 when the campus was the preparation camp for Team GB before the London Olympics. OSS installed two Indigo Vision Enterprise NVR-AS network video recorders in a server farm on the university’s IT, with a fail-over unit for resilience. Each NVR has a data throughput of 2 Gbps and up to 112TB usable storage. p www.professionalsecurity.co.uk DECEMBER 2017 FT-45 FEED-THRU MODULAR PLUGS EASIER AND MORE RELIABLE DATA CABLE TERMINATIONS • REDUCES ERRORS – Wires can be easily verified before trimming • EASY TO USE – Conductors do not need to be pre-trimmed to a specific length • IMPROVED WIRE STABILITY – 3 prong contacts into every wire for more conductive contact points • PATENTED CRIMP TOOL – Cutting blade will last for over 2,000 cuts SCAN FOR PRODUCT VIDEO NEW EASILY VERIFIED BEFORE TRIMMING FOR MORE INFORMATION Please call us on 01925 444 446 or email uksales@idealnwd.com p61 Netwks 27-12.indd 1 18/11/2017 12:05
Page 1:
Professional SECURITY SECURITY Maga
Page 5 and 6:
Grenfell: page 27 www.professionals
Page 7 and 8:
Editor’s Comment Lord Imbert, a v
Page 9 and 10: EURO 46 V10 One panel, versatile se
Page 11 and 12: Untitled-1 1 07/11/2017 09:03
Page 13 and 14: EUROPE'S LARGEST HIKVISION DISTRIBU
Page 15 and 16: Automate your home or business Texe
Page 17 and 18: NetVu-ad-Master-PRINT-READY-With-Co
Page 19 and 20: Samsung Security is now WE MOVE We
Page 21 and 22: Guarding commitment to head office
Page 23 and 24: C M Y M Y Y Y K Kocaeli, Turkey Mor
Page 25 and 26: C M Y CM MY CY MY K Spire Mancheste
Page 27 and 28: Fraud Awareness abuse of public’s
Page 29 and 30: ➬ charitable endeavours, members
Page 31 and 32: 170502_AMB_SLL_005.pdf 1 31/10/2017
Page 33 and 34: We are the UK’s Largest Authorise
Page 35 and 36: Vista Qulu 3.0 Advert June 2017.ind
Page 37 and 38: Magicard advert - emargo 27th Nov 2
Page 39 and 40: Multifocal sensor system The ultima
Page 41 and 42: Counter-Terror what scenario to tes
Page 43 and 44: Shopping Centres target-hardened’
Page 45 and 46: MAJOR IFSEC 2018 ANNOUNCEMENT: IFSE
Page 47 and 48: “More than just a Distributor”
Page 49 and 50: Security Alarm Simple & Easy Instal
Page 51 and 52: They see a well secured airport. Yo
Page 53 and 54: Case Studies continued ... from pre
Page 55 and 56: Installers chamber of commerce acco
Page 57 and 58: Installers cameras will be law: DOO
Page 59: SCT SECURITY & COUNTER TERROR EXPO
Page 63 and 64: VALUE - ENGINEERED RELIABLE Scalabl
Page 65 and 66: DEDICATED SECURITY E PERTISE THAT Y
Page 67 and 68: Moving Ahead. By Your Side. The pro
Page 69 and 70: ST17 SIA chief: ACS is changing nex
Page 71 and 72: Editor’s Luncheon continued ... f
Page 73 and 74: AWARD WINNING TECHNICAL SUPPORT HIK
Page 75 and 76: AWARD WINNING TECHNICAL SUPPORT HIK
Page 77 and 78: Directory of Services control room
Page 79 and 80: Directory of Services intruder equi
Page 81 and 82: Directory of Services Conferences &
Page 83 and 84: SSR 2712.indd 1 31/10/2017 11:47
Page 85 and 86: The UK’s fastest growing multi-di
show all

Draft27-12

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?