28 September 2021 - Security Buyer Magazine

Hochiki life safety devices play vital role in keeping hospital safe

Industry Sectors, Product News, Technology, UK News Desk / Rebecca Morpeth-Spayne

Based in High Wycombe in the heart of Buckinghamshire, Wycombe Hospital provides urgent treatment and planned (elective) surgery, specialist treatment for patients with heart conditions and strokes, cancer, and urological conditions along with a midwifery led unit. The project, commissioned by Buckinghamshire Health NHS Foundation Trust, was to replace an existing network of obsolete control panels and devices. Pyrotec, with over 40 years’ experience in the industry, looked to Hochiki fire detection devices to help support the project. The hospital was fitted with a network of 26 control panels, pre-programmed off site. Loop by loop, each fire zone had old devices switched out and replaced with Hochiki’s ESP Intelligent range of addressable fire detection and alarm equipment. The range has been designed and manufactured to the highest international standards, offering a sensor solution which can be adjusted for sensitivity reducing false alarms – vital for a hospital environment. What made Hochiki products the standout choice for this project, however, is the ease of compatibility with other brand control panels. It is for this reason that so many life safety engineers and contractors choose to fit Hochiki, including Pyrotec Fire and Security. Justyn Soames, lead Project Manager for this job explained, “when you are working in a hospital it is vital that the job is carefully managed to ensure there is no loss of old or new fire alarm system coverage. Therefore, it is imperative that you work with systems and devices that are simple to fit and test. Hochiki life safety devices were chosen because, despite the innovative technology at play, the devices are incredibly simple to fit and most importantly for this project at Wycombe Hospital, Hochiki technology is highly flexible and compatible with other systems.” He continued, “The NHS trust we work with use Hochiki across several of their sites, so it was important for them to have consistency and familiarity, it makes the training of the system and evacuation procedures much easier for example. The client’s management teams trust the reliability of Hochiki technology – for us, that is the best form of testimony.” The main challenge of this job was undertaking the changeover during the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pyrotec engineers worked closely with the client managers and hospital departments to manage the working areas in respect to staffing and patient levels, with each fire zone given its own timescale as part of the project “It was important to manage the needs of the client to continue the operational requirements of the hospital against the requirement to change over the system. This needed to be done in a timely manner as we were changing over large fire detection loops to ensure round the clock detection. “It was an exceptionally smooth transition from the old set up to the new with minimal disruption to the site and project programme. All project targets were met at each stage, the use of Hochiki devices definitely played a key part in this.” To stay up to date on the latest, trends, innovations, people news and company updates within the global security market please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitynewsdesk.com

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Ask the expert: Francois Zayek

Exclusives / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Francois Zayek, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Astrophysics, talks exclusively to Security Buyer to demonstrate the efficiency and necessity of x-ray technology Astrophysics designs, builds and delivers x-ray scanners for customers’ security mission around the world. Their technology detects and identifies hidden threats with engineering that helps protect critical infrastructure, transportation and trade. Astrophysics’ commitment to their mission is why millions around the world trust them to keep them safe today, tomorrow and always. For nearly 20 years, Astrophysics has been a leader in x-ray research and development, turning imaging theories into robust and reliable security systems. With over 30,000 scanners deployed in more than 150 countries, Astrophysics demonstrates how and why they are market leaders. The company partners with customers to build integrated solutions tailored to their security needs, designing powerful networks that allow coordinated inspections, the exchange of key decision data and rapid throughput. Guided by core values of integrity, loyalty, respect and teamwork, Astrophysics deliver solutions for today’s threats with advanced technology that anticipates tomorrow’s needs. Security Buyer Editor, Rebecca Spayne catches up with Francois Zayek, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Astrophysics to discuss in more detail how the company ensures innovation in the market and maintains the flow of goods in an uninterrupted, safe and efficient way. Astrophysics is a market-leading company, how do you ensure innovation in a continuously evolving market?  I founded Astrophysics nearly 20 years ago after recognising a technology gap in the industry – x-ray security imaging was not advancing at the same rate as medical imaging. I focused our company culture on developing innovative technology that set us apart and helped drive the industry forward. We listen to our customers when they tell us what they need, we work closely with regulators to understand the latest threats, and our engineers push the boundaries of what is possible in x-ray imaging. This passion for progress allows us to deliver solutions for today’s threats using advanced technology that anticipates and stays ahead of tomorrow’s needs. The pandemic has brought even more border security challenges, how is Astrophysics combatting this?  At Astrophysics we always approached ports and borders as countries’ first line of defense against terrorists, threats and dangerous goods. There has never been a greater need for effective screening tools that can quickly inspect cars, trucks and cargo shipments entering a nation’s borders. Our HXP scanners, including the HXP-FreightScan, are designed for that specific mission – efficiently scanning trucks and containers and providing high-resolution images that give operators detailed views of the contents. The pandemic has further demonstrated how border control is a critical part of countries’ national security strategies and how they protect their citizens. As the virus spread, nations needed to not only prevent infected travelers from entering their borders but also screen and deliver critical medical supplies to people most impacted by COVID. The most efficient way to accomplish this is by using the latest tools designed specifically to tackle those security missions. Being in the ports and borders sector, have you felt the impact of the vaccine rollout and the pressures of a smooth supply chain?  While we did not feel direct pressure related to the vaccine rollout, we did witness the pressure COVID put on supply chains. The pandemic reinforced how critical it is for nations to get their citizens PPE and medical supplies quickly in order to prevent the spread of the virus. This meant medical equipment needed to be transported, screened and verified as fast as possible to get to the people that needed it most. Our HXP line of scanners are tailor-made for these missions since they’re designed to provide security operators with detailed views of vehicle and container contents within moments. These scans allow for fast but thorough inspections that reduce unnecessary physical inspections, speeding up the time it takes to get medical supplies to people most in need. Could you expand on your x-ray technology and how it aids the industry?  Put simply, our technology helps border patrol agencies and port operators identify hidden threats. Whether those threats are weapons, explosives or illegal drugs, our scanners can quickly identify and isolate these dangers and allow personnel to safely remove or destroy them. We know agencies across the globe have different needs and priorities when it comes to border security – what works in The Philippines isn’t necessarily what is needed in Portugal. Through extensive customer conversations and a deep understanding of the industry, we have developed technology that not only meets any security screening mission but has been deployed to locations around the globe. Operating in every kind of climate and geographic location, our scanners are designed to tackle any security mission and are adept at keeping borders and ports of entry safe. How are you able to process cargo and vehicles without interrupting the flow of goods?  Our screening secret is our powerful imaging technology. The HXP-FreightScan, which was designed to screen cargo trucks and containers, utilises a powerful x-ray generator that can penetrate steel walls and is paired with our industry-leading imaging technology. These combined features, along with our extensive safety features, allow trucks to drive right through the scanner without risking any harm to the driver. Inspections that do not require the driver to disembark significantly reduce inspection time. The power generator penetrates through the thickest steel walls and provides detailed scans of the cargo within, which allows for quick confirmation that each manifest matches what the operators see on screen. The scanner then moves on to the next truck, allowing the HXP-FrieghtScan to screen up to 100 trucks in certain configurations. As the world begins to open up again and the threat of a terror attack is increasing, how can your solutions protect national security?  As global travel and trade reopen so do opportunities for dangerous terrorist attacks. More people and goods crossing borders mean there are more opportunities for dangerous threats to slip through the cracks. The sheer volume of movement across borders means the margin for error is small – it only takes one threat to make it past security screeners to result in a potentially catastrophic attack. Agencies need solutions and

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The future of border security

Exclusives / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Security Buyer takes a look at how the advancement in Artificial Intelligence has resulted in it becoming a viable technology to aid border security officers From autonomous vehicles to facial recognition, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognised as a crucial tool for improvement and innovation in public policy and services. A recent RAND Europe report took a look at these issues in relation to the European Border and Coast Guard—the collective of border and coast guard agencies ensuring the integrated management of Europe’s borders. The report identified a wide range of current and potential uses of AI by border security agencies, including automated border control gates, AI-enabled border surveillance and machine-learning optimisation. As AI technologies continue to rapidly evolve, the EU has been faced with myriad questions as to how AI development and uptake by EU organisations can be fostered and aligned with relevant ethics and human rights safeguards. In this context, the EU has recently introduced plans to ‘turn Europe into the global hub for trustworthy AI’, making the EU ‘the first influential regulator to craft a big law on AI’. Through this series of legal rules and regulations, the EU hopes to encourage innovation and use of AI with a strong emphasis on guaranteeing its safe and ethical use. This recognises that using AI effectively requires an understanding not only of the opportunities associated with it in key sectors and public policy areas, but also the challenges and constraints that EU organisations face when considering how to use the technology. The breadth of existing and potential future applications shows that border security agencies can draw on AI to support a wide range of activities, from operations carried out by border security agents in the field to supporting the analysis of maritime and geospatial data. While the opportunities to harness AI as a tool for improving the effectiveness of border security functions are many, so are the barriers to its adoption. First, issues such as a lack of transparency in AI algorithms and potential biases have constrained AI use. This is not only because it limits how effectively an AI system performs, but also because of increasing uncertainties among potential end users and the wider public as to how reliable AI technologies are. The EU’s new AI regulation acknowledges these challenges by emphasising the importance of developing trust in AI, and outlines the necessary policy changes and investment needed to strengthen the development of human-centric, sustainable, secure, inclusive and trustworthy AI accordingly. The emphasis on trustworthy and inclusive AI could play a particularly important role in the border security context. This is because the use of AI-enabled technologies in border security has been criticised for potentially undermining human rights and privacy-related safeguards. Comprehensive risk assessments are needed and could be incentivised under the new guidelines from the EU. These would ensure technology developments comply with robust ethical and human rights safeguards. Second, further to the technological barriers, the uptake of AI in European border security may also be constrained by how well-equipped individual organisations are to harness emerging technologies such as AI. A lack of technical expertise and gaps in skills relevant to innovation are common challenges for organisations in the public sector, limiting their ability to recognise and fully exploit the opportunities of AI technologies. In this regard as well, the new EU AI framework promises to foster change through nurturing talent and skills for AI development, while a number of actions are also available to individual organisations such as border security agencies to improve their expertise and skills base. These options range from basic awareness training to create a robust baseline of understanding about AI technologies to targeted recruitment campaigns to attract new talent. Third, while there has been significant interest in AI applications in border security and related contexts such as law enforcement and national security, evidence-base gaps are still prevalent. Notably, evaluations of AI technologies are often carried out in controlled environments, which does not allow an organisation to assess how technologies could perform in the field. While these gaps currently limit understanding of what impact AI technologies can actually have, knowledge of them can also provide EU agencies and organisations such as Frontex, the central European border and coast guard agency, with an opportunity to provide thought leadership and direct research efforts into areas of key interest, for example trustworthy and human rights–centered AI development. Addressing these three barriers could require not only actions from individual border security agencies, but engagement in the wider AI innovation ecosystem that includes technology developers, other EU agencies, policymakers and universities. The EU’s new regulatory framework for AI could provide a unique opportunity to foster this ecosystem, but individual organisations can also make contributions to the effectiveness this ecosystem demonstrates in enabling effective uses of AI across all sectors of the European economy. This could include encouraging the exchange of information and knowledge between different end-user communities, directly facilitating coordination between these communities, or incentivising innovation, such as through technology demonstrations. These contributions and a collective ambition to foster AI across the European innovation ecosystem could be key to helping the EU achieve its newly defined ambition to emerge as ‘the global hub for trustworthy AI’. Tightening security We live in a world guarded by walls. And these walls are then guarded by men with arms. The fact that these men with arms fight tirelessly for our safety, is praiseworthy. This work tires both the body and the mind. Thereby, AI technology is helping to take some burden off their shoulders. Artificial Intelligence doesn’t need an explanation. This technology has made a replica of human beings. When machines are infused with AI they can think, learn and act like human beings. Thereby, they are becoming helping hands in many industries. Retail, manufacturing, healthcare, education and other industries are implementing AI. Furthermore, we all know that AI provides amazing security facilities. When combined with video analytics software it can do wonders. This system, when united with AI, provides

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ImmuniWeb launches a free cloud security test

News Desk / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Provided as a part of the ImmuniWeb Community Edition, the online test rapidly detects unprotected cloud storage in AWS, Azure, GCP and 16 other public cloud service providers. The ImmuniWeb Community Edition is a set of free online tools to verify application security, privacy and compliance, detect phishing, domain squatting and Dark Web exposure. The new free cloud security test enables cybersecurity and IT professionals to identify their organizations unprotected cloud storage in a simple and swift manner to prevent data leaks and security incidents. Unprotected cloud storage disaster Under a narrow set of circumstances, cloud storage, for example, AWS S3 buckets, may require public access to provide external users with public data such as images or videos. In reality, misconfigured and unprotected cloud storage is one of the most widespread causes of disastrous data leaks and breaches in a cloud environment. The situation is exacerbated by the swift proliferation of small cloud providers that offer their own cloud storage services that have insecure settings by default. Given that countless organizations are migrating into a cloud without investing inadequate security training of their technical teams, they are sitting on a powder keg ready to explode. Modern cloud storage services share similar weaknesses stemming from incorrect usage of access policies, excessive IAM permissions or even completely missing authorization mechanisms. Shadow cloud accounts or unknown cloud assets make the situation even more complex in a multi-cloud environment. Eventually, petabytes of confidential data are regularly found by security researchers and Black Hats in the wild, keeping CISOs and DPOs awake at night. Unsurprisingly, the IDC cloud security survey of 2021 reveals that 98% of companies experienced a cloud data breach within the past 18 months. The new online test by ImmuniWeb aims to solve these challenges by providing cybersecurity and DevOps teams with a simple way to detect unprotected cloud storage, detect IAM misconfigurations, discover shadow cloud accounts and prevent cloud-related data leaks and breaches. To launch a test, just enter a URL of the main website of your company. The free test shows you cloud storage that belongs or is attributable to your company. It also sheds light on other misconfigurations, such as missing SSL/TLS encryption. The free test detects cloud storage from 19 cloud service providers, including AWS, Azure and GCP. You can see in the results the region or country where cloud data is stored for the purpose of compliance with GDPR or other national privacy laws and regulations. The technology behind the test leverages OSINT, big data and smart prediction technology based on Machine Learning to discover unprotected cloud buckets belonging to your company. To prevent using its new tool for potentially malicious purposes, free registration and account validation are required to gather the URLs of your exposed cloud buckets. The tool is also equipped with a free API available after registration for DevOps and cybersecurity teams. With ImmuniWeb’s cloud security test you don’t need to enter your cloud credentials, contrasted to most open-sourced or commercial cloud monitoring tools that require IAM credentials to enumerate your cloud assets and instances. Another feature is coverage of medium-sized cloud service providers, such as Oracle Cloud or IBM Cloud. Moreover, many regional players like SberCloud from Russia or Chinese Alibaba Cloud are also on the radar, helping organizations to detect regional cloud presence or shadow cloud accounts. Ilia Kolochenko, Chief Architect & CEO at ImmuniWeb said: “Cloud providers, such as AWS, have a full spectrum of powerful tools and services that can instantly detect and automatically remediate misconfigurations in their cloud environments. Unfortunately, many organizations of all sizes struggle to properly implement Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) due to complexity or lack of technical skills. Most of the existing commercial solutions and open-source tools also require a cloud IAM account to enumerate and then assess security of your cloud assets. Our flagship ImmuniWeb Discovery does not require your cloud credentials and leverages our proprietary discovery techniques to enumerate your cloud attack surface. Today, to provide small businesses, universities and colleges, and municipal governments with a possibility to quickly detect their unprotected cloud storage, we are excited to enhance our free Community Edition with the new cloud security test. We will soon implement such features as free continuous monitoring and API to further simplify its usage and integration into existing CSPM and incident response processes. More exciting announcements are coming soon, please stay tuned.” In order to get a comprehensive snapshot of your multi-cloud attack surface enhanced with a history of previous security incidents discoverable on the Dark Web, you may try ImmuniWeb Discovery that detects the full spectrum of publicly accessible cloud instances, APIs and services in over 50 public cloud environments. Cloud security challenges surge in 2021 The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) 2021 says that the number of cloud security breaches has surpassed the number of data breaches involving on-premise assets for the first time in Internet history. In the meanwhile, organizations of all sizes rapidly migrate to a cloud environment. Gartner’s most recent cloud forecast says that public cloud services will grow 26.2% in 2021. Gartner also predicts that in 2025, over 99% of cloud breaches will be attributable to preventable misconfigurations or other mistakes made by cloud users, such as excessive permissions, weak API authentication, or publicly exposed cloud instances, storage or other resources with sensitive data. Forrester likewise predicts growing challenges for compliance in a cloud environment, citing a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Azure’s Cosmos DB disclosed in August 2021 that is, however, not attributable to users’ negligence or misconfiguration. To stay up to date on the latest, trends, innovations, people news and company updates within the global security market please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

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Dahua Technology unveils DeepHub Smart Interactive Whiteboard

News Desk / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Dahua Technology, a video-centric smart IoT solution and service provider, is introducing its Dahua DeepHub Smart Interactive Whiteboard – an IFPD (Interactive Flat Panel Display) device designed for modern meeting rooms and remote communication demands. Based on customer needs of digital transformation today, Dahua Technology has been exploring the video conferencing market for years and has utilized its technological innovation capability to equip Dahua DeepHub with user-friendly interface, wireless 4K display, simplified installation, touchscreen writing capability and other intelligent features. It delivers a smart, efficient and collaborative video conferencing experience in the AIoT era. The Dahua DeepHub supports wireless projection from laptop, tablet, mobile phone, etc. regardless of the OS. It allows wireless projection from up to 9 terminals simultaneously, which helps ease the setup process and eliminates messy cables in the meeting room. It also adopts a 4K UHD Direct View LED (DLED) display with anti-glare technology, making projection as clear as watching an HD TV, and remarkably improving meeting experience and efficiency. This device is equipped with Zero Air Gap technology which removes the air between the touch panel and the LCD module to reduce reflections and improve readability. It supports tilt sensitivity writing with time delay of only <35ms, providing a fluid writing experience similar to writing on a paper. It offers multiple intelligent writing modes and allows simultaneous writing of up to 20 points on the screen. These features are perfect for brainstorming where several members of the team can share and write ideas on the whiteboard at the same time. Moreover, this intelligent whiteboard also offers writing tools including pen, eraser, and shapes. The size of a figure can be adjusted via two-finger pinch gesture, and the output can also be dragged and moved around the screen. In case you need extra space or pages, the Dahua DeepHub supports page size expansion and inserting additional pages. After the meeting, all the files can be shared by simply scanning a QR code or via email. Notably, the Dahua DeepHub offers life-like face-to-face communication experience, allowing meeting participants to remotely interact and share content with each other. This interactive whiteboard has an optional detachable PC module with Windows OS that supports mainstream third-party video conferencing software. Its LPH-C models are equipped with built-in 4K camera with up to 104° FOV (H) and lens distortion of <5%, capturing vivid details and delivering high quality videos even in a relatively large meeting room. It also has built-in loudspeaker and mic array that can cover an omnidirectional radius of up to 8 meters. In case of power interruption, its power protection module guarantees continuous power supply to prevent data loss. It also supports fingerprint lock – a security feature that some IFPDs in the market don’t have. It ensures that only authorized users can log in to the device, which helps secure internal information and conferencing content. Its file sharing also has encryption function to secure information exchange. Packed with more functionalities that meet the various needs of users, the Dahua DeepHub Smart Interactive Whiteboard transforms video conferencing to the next level. It solves the common issues of traditional conferencing method by utilizing Dahua’s strength in innovation and technology, making it a significantly better alternative to the outdated and inconvenient whiteboard-projector setup. With its mission of “Enabling a safer society and smarter living”, Dahua Technology will continue to focus on “Innovation, Quality and Service” to serve its partners and customers around the world. To stay up to date on the latest, trends, innovations, people news and company updates within the global security market please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

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