by: Deborah L. O'Mara - July 2020

Preventing Cyber Compromise (ECMag.com)

Will Coronavirus Lead to  More Cyber Attacks?

Organizations must take the current experience and disruptions as a wake-up call that it is no longer business as usual.

SSN: Do thermal cameras provide the most effective way to detect if someone has the virus in the public domain?

BOURGEIX: As we deal with an unprecedented spread of coronavirus globally, governments as well as health agencies are attempting to define the best path forward to detect the virus in the public domain. The use of thermal cameras/sensors is part of this process. 

Unfortunately, this is a daunting task since there are few technologies that have proven to be 100 percent foolproof. The most well-known is the use of the thermal camera or thermal analytic to define the presence of heat at the surface of an object. The security industry and the military have used thermal cameras as far back as 1929 when a Hungarian physicist first defined the electronic thermal camera for anti-aircraft detection. The path from that early technology to the development of advanced thermal cameras didn’t become commercially popular until FLIR came to the market in 1978. 

With all this in mind, the thermal camera has gone through the most rigorous testing because of the importance of its use. There are many successful implementations of thermal human detection in law enforcement and the military. During SARS, the FLIR solution to detect a heat source based on skin temperature (adjusted to the specific number) was created and used somewhat successfully. However, the history of the thermal camera has never seen what is being unleashed onto the global arena like what his happening today. Within the last three months, a tidal wave of interest and requests are inundating companies that have been involved in the industry for decades such as FLIR, which is why it is critical to define the pros and cons of its use for thermal human temperature detection.
 
SSN: What are some issues or challenges with using thermal technology to detect the virus?

BOURGEIX: The first issue is the fact that the temperature of the individual, as health administrators have stated, is not a completely foolproof way to define if you have COVID-19. According to the CDC, “the virus has an incubation period up to 14 days and during that time the infected person may not carry a temperature.” In addition, “post Covid-19 cases indicate that there is a ...Read More

Private Cell Networks - The Internets New Secure Communications Utility

​In an August 2020 article in CSO magazine, writer Bob Violina wrote: “When asked to identify which business initiatives will be most significant in driving IT investments at their organization in 2019, 40% of the IT executives cited the need to increase cybersecurity protections. That was tied with increased operational efficiency for the most common response, and finished ahead of improving customer experience, growing the business, transforming existing business processes, and improving profitability.” 

​Higher Breach Activity to Follow

While we often see the intent, we often do not see the execution and crucial follow up.  For most organizations, data, segmentation, as well as governance tied to Continuity of Operation Plans are very immature. My belief is that organizations who have not converged domains to be managed in a cooperative manner across IT, OT, PS and IoT are now feeling the effects of not only the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic but will be seeing a dramatic upswing in breeches... Read More

Implementing Converged Security, a Process - Bringing it All Together

Upcoming Webcast:

Are Thermal Cameras Our Best Defense Against COVID-19?

As the world deals with one of the most destructive pandemics in history, we are now at a crossroads in understanding the role of security and risk.  We have always been a reactive society when it comes to dealing with security and many organizations are seemingly more concerned about controlling costs than containing risk.​

Although we definitely saw security’s importance in the organizational hierarchy spike after 9/11, as well as during the cyber breaches of the mid-2000s, the thought of spending more than 10% of any operational budget to secure company assets seemed ludicrous. According to research commissioned by IBM, a company should ideally spend around 13.7% of their IT budget on cybersecurity. However, just 14% of organizations spend more than 10% of their allocated IT budget on security. Although most companies who were surveyed had determined that security was a priority, the business case lacked the support of the executive or board to allocate the appropriate budgets.

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Are you being asked for fever detection cameras? Can they really do what they claim? Are you concerned about the risks that come with this technology? Join us for a panel discussion by PSA members and consultants with experience in this field. We’ll separate fact from fiction and give you important information to help navigate this new business environment.

Latest News

Pierre Bourgeix, Chief Technology Officer for a ESI Convergent, is quoted in this very interesting article by Deborah L. O'Mara.

“Different technologies are being connected, and we have to be sure we can protect the end-user from all this merging of technology. Part of the issue the industry is facing is ensuring systems are being implemented properly—and that comes from securing and segmenting physical security devices from the LAN.”

As the coronavirus spreads and a greater population of employees are staying home it is going to be critical to follow very stringent cyber hygiene. We are approaching a 70% work from home potential and if you never had that in your COOP or continuity of operation plan then you probably will be vulnerable to a cyber attack. The keys to this will revolve around securing communication from home and making sure that any laptops or computers that are being used have up to date patches. Unfortunately, if you didnt know what a COOP plan is then you probably will need some help. Please make sure that your employee population who is not use too working remotely understand the rules. This article is a good start.

Industry consulltant assesses the benefits and shortcomings of using this technology during the current pandemic

by: Pierre Bourgeix - Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Security in the Aftermath of COVID-19 in Our Converged Technological World

Interview:

Industry consulltant assesses the benefits and shortcomings of using this technology during the current pandemic

by: The Risk Advisor - August 2020

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by: Pierre Bourgeix - Monday, March 16, 2020

by: ISC West 2020 Virtual Event - Wednesday, October 6th, 2020

Are Thermal Cameras Our Best Defense Against COVID-19?

by: Pierre Bourgeix - Wednesday, April 1, 2020

YARMOUTH, Maine—Thermal cameras and devices are being used today during the coronavirus outbreak to help detect elevated temperatures in humans, providing a first line of defense in at least identifying those who are exhibiting signs of a fever. But, as we have discovered, the use of this technology is only part of the overall screening process, and there are challenges with using thermal cameras for this purpose, especially if someone is symptomless yet still contagious.

To get a closer look at this topic, Security Systems News spoke with industry consultant Pierre Bourgeix, president of ESICONVERGENT LLC.