Security Politics and Regional Integration: ASEAN, MERCOSUR and SADC

June 25th, 2009
James R. Ruolngul asked:


Introduction

During the Cold War, Latin America, Southern Africa and even the dynamic Southeast Asia hardly figured in international politics. Studies on the Cold War politics and the scramble for security in other parts of the world, particularly in the industrial West mostly overlooked the Third World countries and their quest for security. Even after the Cold War ended, Third World security predicaments remain because of the existence of a very complex balance of power that is often precariously balanced. The current phase of the globalisation, as Kenichi Ohmae (1990; 1993; 1996) puts it, has become a ‘borderless world’ where economic forces and free trade have become the main theme of international relations. In such a situation, the Third World countries often have to play awkward balancing acts. This article is therefore an attempt to look into this Third World security predicament at three analytical levels – the international system, the regional and state levels. This analysis is done using three important regional organisations in the Third World – ASEAN, MERCOSUR and SADC. This is an attempt to reveal how security politics and regional integration are interrelated and intertwined in the Third World. In the process, it will contribute to our understanding of how these regional organisations cope and deal with security issues with the current phase of globalisation.

What is security?

Security in international politics is a moot point, and it remains so to date. For a very long time, the traditional thinking had been that “the state is and should be about security, with emphasis on military and political security” (Buzan et al 1998:37). This notion of security has been prevalent since the Westphalian peace of 1648 where the concept of the nation state was created. This view became more important during the twentieth Century with the two World Wars and the consequent Cold War that lasted for almost five decades. Following the end of the Cold War, the scope of security in academic studies has been changed with many “wideners” who argued that the subject needed to embrace a more varied range of threats and move beyond the traditional emphasis on the military aspects of security for the state. Such changes in perception have created debates between those still subscribing to the traditional thinking and those who wanted to “widen” the definition of security so as to include other nonmilitary threats too.[1]

Security in the Third World

Since 1945, many of the most significant threats to state security have become internal rather than external, a shift which has profound consequences for international relations. As Holsti (1996: 15) writes, security between states in the Third World “has become increasingly dependent on security within those states.” For the Third World states, security does not simply refer to the external military threat dimension but also to the whole range of the state’s existence which includes internal security and nation building; secure systems of food, health, economy, trade and environment (Thomas 1987). The Third World states, like all states are concerned with their own security, internal and external. But as they are mostly poor, underdeveloped and postcolonial, Third World states inherited their colonial economies, political structures and security perceptions. Some are pre-modern and weak, characterised by low levels of sociopolitical cohesion and poorly developed structures of government. The securities of these states are therefore shaped by these characteristics. To the authoritarian governments of the Third World, security also means countering internal subversion and keeping internal order at any cost.

The next three sections will deal with security politics and regional integration in the Third World mostly through the different dimensions of security at three analytical levels – the international, regional and state levels. Where appropriate, the security dimensions will include the military, political, economic, societal and environmental sectors.[2] Besides these dimensions, security concerns are located in both the external and internal dimensions. As mentioned before, this analysis will be done looking at how the three regional organisations of ASEAN, MERCOSUR and SADC deal with security issues.

The International System



The Cold War Period


The politics of the Cold War had dominated the working of the international system for a major part of the second half of the twentieth century. It is interesting to note that while the Third World states were unimportant in the global balance of power and hardly figured in the security agendas of Western policy-makers, the prevailing bipolar system and the preoccupation of the Western powers with the spread of communism and its containment exacerbated conflicts in the Third World. While conflicts in the core and strategic areas of Europe and North America were avoided, the Cold War turned out to be a hot one in and for the Third World states where the superpowers played the game of international politics. The Vietnam War was the clearest result and example.

The intensity of the Vietnam War and the increasing involvement of the Soviet Union and the growing threat to regional security led ASEAN to adopt a nonaligned policy. The Vietnam War continued to strain members’ relationships and threaten regional security. Communist victories in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam worsened the situation. By 1976, ASEAN was forced to contemplate being an association with security as its predominant concern. Thus at the February 1976 Bali Summit Meeting, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and the Declaration of ASEAN Concord were signed. They agreed to “The right of every state to lead its national existence; free from external interference, subversion or coercion; non interference in the internal affairs of one another; settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means; and the renunciation of the threat or use of force” (ASEAN 1976). The reunification of Vietnam, the worsening internal security problems and the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia led to another security dilemma for ASEAN during the mid-1970s. Negotiations followed during which time ASEAN’s importance as a regional organisation to settle disputes and maintain security was widely recognised. Vietnam withdrew from Cambodia in 1989 and the Vietnam War was concluded by the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement.

Meanwhile, the southern African security problem during the Cold War was exacerbated by the presence of apartheid South Africa, a regime which also adopted a strong anticommunist policy and came out harshly against any socialist orientations. Angola and Mozambique, having chosen this path, were particularly targeted. During the 1950s and more in the 1960s, the South African Defence Force (SADF) developed a national security doctrine (Total Strategy) stressing the psychological, social and economic means to target its enemies, in addition to the military means. The South African government established a framework for implementing policies which completely cut across all sectors of public life, called the National Security Management System. Louis Nel, then South African Deputy Foreign Minister, said in November 1982, “The Kremlin has actively supported the southern African Marxist-Leninist revolutionary movements in their quest for power in Angola, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The Kremlin is currently backing SWAPO, the South African ANC and the South African Communist Party who operate against SWA/Namibia and the Republic of South Africa, respectively” (Quoted in Hanlon 1986: 8). Using such words had two advantages – the policy of apartheid could be seen as communist-inspired and it demanded Western support as it was a bulwark against the communist onslaught (Hanlon 1986: 8).

The United States, being a great power, recognises Latin America as being under its sphere of influence. Beginning mostly with the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 when the US President James Monroe warned the European powers to keep out of the Americas, the US has, in effect, reserved the right to exert influence and interfere in Latin America. This has been a policy factor for the US as well as many Latin American countries for a long time. The Cold War also cut Latin American countries (LAC) from the possibility of relations with other regions. As a result, many of the countries of the region lessened their dependence on the superpowers. It was the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) that shaped much of the South American regionalism. This can be seen as an indirect opposition to the superpower hegemony. Contrary to Europe, this part of the world has been relatively peaceful until the 1960s when the Cold War became a hot one with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. While several interstate wars erupted after the 1960s, the real security problem for Latin America was the Cold War, with the countries of the region progressively becoming an American zone of influence. Since the 1960s, the United States had increasingly intervened militarily in its own backyard and installed puppet governments.

The Cold War also ushered a dangerous arms and nuclear race. In the face of such a threat, in 1971, a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) Declaration was signed by member states of ASEAN. This Declaration can be seen as a reaction to the emerging multipolarity of the region with the USSR, US, China and Japan as the principal powers influencing events in Southeast Asia. Likewise, through the Foz de Iguazu Declaration of November 1985, Brazil and Argentina declared that their nuclear programs were to be for peaceful purposes only. Such action on the part of Third World states can be seen as their desire to keep away from the Cold War politics of interferences and aggressions from the superpowers that destabilise the Third World regions.

Post-Cold War Period

The decline of the Soviet Union and the change in the bipolar world had more immediate effects for the Third World. It witnessed the emergence of the United States as the sole superpower which has become even more powerful with time.

Politically, the end of the Cold War resulted in the removal of support for many Third World states and movements. The collapse of the Soviet Union has discredited the alternative model and ideology represented by the Soviet Union. This in turn affected many movements and supports in many Third World states including members of ASEAN, MERCOSUR and SADC. Economically, it has also resulted in changes in the direction of trade and businesses. The military dimension also produces the same result of redirection of arms trade, transfers and dealings. The post Cold War world, epitomised by the great power influence of the US, its involvement in Third World problems and conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan etc.), besides the complex web of international relations has and will continue to have an impact on Third World security and their regional integration processes. For the Third World countries, security concern has become more multifarious after the Cold War as it has become subject to more complex pulls and pressures.

Post-9/11 Period

The world entered into a new period of insecurity and threats after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the events that followed. Soon after, the United States launched a movement and led a coalition to remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The attacks also led to the introduction of “anti-terrorism” legislation in many countries including the United Kingdom, India, Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, China, Canada, Russia, Pakistan, Jordan, Mauritius, Uganda and Zimbabwe. This has brought to a close the transitional phase that followed the end of the Cold War (Wenger and Zimmerman 2003: 1).

For a long time, states and regional organisations had ignored and did not regard terrorism as a priority. While this is true for most states, it is particularly more so in the Third World countries where poverty, diseases, domestic conflicts and hunger had been seen as the immediate issues to be addressed. But this threat had been becoming more a problem for every state mostly beginning from the bombings in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Casablanca in 1999, Bali bombings, attacks in Britain, Egypt, Yemen, Argentina in 1992 and 1994 and other threats and attacks in all parts of the world. Terrorism can no longer be treated as a Western concern. It has become an international security issue where regional organisation must provide a coherent response so that the integration process and inter and intra regional trade will not be hampered by such threats.

The Regional Level

When ASEAN was formed, despite their policy of nonalignment, some members still had official alignments with the US and Great Britain. The fact was that member countries were solely responsible for their own security. Thus, much of the political and strategic alliances with other countries took place outside ASEAN’s structures. After its establishment, ASEAN was seen by the communist bloc as nothing more than a “western-inspired military alliance directed against China and the Indo-Chinese states” (Dixon 1999: 118). True, during much of the Cold War and after, China has been viewed as a major security threat by ASEAN members, which is why most ASEAN states want to see the US remain as a regional power. Many of them feel that US disengagement will create a power vacuum that would be filled by either China or Japan. But ASEAN members’ relation with China has improved considerably since the end of the Cold War. This new relationship with China was reflected in the ASEAN Meeting of 1997. It was held in Beijing. This new understanding was because the ASEAN leaders began to recognise the political and economic benefits of closer ties with China easily outweigh any military risks.

The end of the apartheid regime in South Africa, the formation of the SADC and its attempt to reconcile differences between erstwhile states of divergent policies and regimes were significant developments for southern African security. At the Gaborone Summit of 1996 of the SADC heads of government and state, the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security (OPDS) was launched. For the first time since the SADC was established, the region now had stable regional security architecture. The Inter-State Defense and Security Committee (ISDSC) which had been established in 1994 was incorporated into the newly found OPDS. In 2003, a Mutual Defence Pact was signed by SADC members. This was an official commitment by SADC to function as a collective defence organisation. While “International terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction… play as good as no role at all in the region” (Steinhilber 2006:11), the problem of HIV/AIDS is a big concern for all African states. This creates instability and as a result affects regional integration. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been a major factor and issue that raises a big concern for southern African states at present. This problem is clearly reflected in the statement of Prega Ramsamy (2001: 35), the former Secretary-General of the SADC when he said that, “the [HIV/AIDS] pandemic continues to escalate in our Community. Available statistics indicate that the rates of infected people in the region could be as high as one in five in some member states. At least four member states have rates higher than 400 per 100,000 population indicating the magnitude of the problem.” The SADC members have committed themselves to collectively fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic in an urgent manner (SADC 2003).

Improved relations, the changed security agendas and the process of democratisation in Latin America since the late 1980s and early 1990s have led to a newly shared perception of a vision for Latin America. The Treaty of Asunción established MERCOSUR in March 1991. With the admission of Bolivia and Chile, MERCOSUR expanded to represent 230 million inhabitants, that is, 45 per cent of the population of Latin America. Though the countries of the southern cone do not face much external threats, closer economic ties and open borders often cause security problems for their neighbours. As the military has taken new tasks, the problem is whether a balance is maintained between member countries in matters of security responsibilities and management. Argentina and Brazil are also opposed to the idea of the institutionalisation of the conference of American defense ministers. This explicitly implies that they are against a continental security system. Though they explain that the countries of the continent are too different, it can also imply that the two most powerful states in the Southern Cone desire to wield their influence on other members of the MERCOSUR and on the functioning of the regional integration arrangement itself. Paraguay and Uruguay favour a joint manoeuvre and want an advisory body for this purpose because they are afraid that Argentina and Brazil could use their nuclear technology for their own ends despite nuclear treaties. Brazil is also said to have its own nuclear project. Chile meanwhile opted to have an autonomous defense policy. On the economic front, the MERCOSUR countries are yet to achieve security – the Brazilian Real devaluation of 1999 and other financial crises in Argentina and Brazil being cases in point. These crises have even led the MERCOSUR members to question its existence.

The State Level

An analysis of Third World security at the state level encounters enormous problems because of the vast dimensions of security and differences in the perceptions and conditions in these states. Security for these states always goes beyond the common issue of the state’s ability to protect its resources and borders and involves the dimensions of food, environment, economy, elites, society, culture and the legitimacy and survival of the states and regimes. In other words, the whole dimensions of military, political, economic, societal and environmental securities are all equally important for the Third World. In recent years, the problem of transnational crime, drug trafficking and terrorism have also added to the security dilemma of these states.

Firstly, the role played by the armed forces is vital for regimes and governments in ensuring and maintaining their sovereignty, ideology and legitimacy. This political role of the military in the Third World coupled with the weakness of government institutions have led armed groups and the paramilitary forces to gain more power and influence. In the case of Thailand, military coups after military coups have happened because of the extremely powerful political position that the military enjoyed. In Indonesia too, the longevity of regimes depended on controlling the military. The military has also been used to gain more power even illegitimately. This in turn leads to the use of more military might against opposition forces leading to the deaths of thousands. This type of military adventurism and use of the military is particularly widespread in Africa. For example, in August 1998, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia decided to take part in an intervention operation in the DRC to fight against rebel forces. This intervention happened based on the request of President Laurent Kabila who came to power through military force. In most parts of the world, the militarisation of these problems and the new role that the military began to play ironically led to more insecurity for the civilian population. Such roles as played by the military could bring them into contact with the civilian population and increase the chances of human rights violations. It could also bring them into direct confrontation with the people (Pion-Berlin 2000). But as a whole, the political role that the military played had immensely reduced since the process of democratisation began.

In addition to the secessionist movements, ethnic violence and internal unrest, the states of ASEAN are susceptible to economic crises and are economically unstable. Monetary security has not been achieved. For example, the Thai economy underwent a severe economic crisis during the 1970s and early 1980s that led the economy to the verge of collapse. Several reforms were initiated under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank through which the Thai economy slowly recovered. The Asian Crisis of the late 1990s also had severe effects on the economies of these states.

Environmentally, over exploitation of resources and the limited concern paid to the environment has now been the subject of international dispute and one in which regional organisations are now more involved. As the ECLA (2001) stated, “The environment has played an important role in the production of resource-based commodities as well as in the provision of food and other amenities for the population. Nevertheless, an integral relationship between economic and social development and the environment did not form the basis for development strategies and policies pursued in the Caribbean. Since the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations, the importance of environment to trade and development has become generally accepted. However, developing countries have been concerned about proposals to bring environment and labour standards within the purview of the WTO. This was part of the reason for the failure to launch a new round of trade negotiations in Seattle in 2000. Environmental issues were again on the agenda at the Doha Ministerial meeting in November 2001.”



Integration and Security

From what has been said above, security and its perception, for many of the Third World states continue to be the main source of strain for any regional integration movements. During the Cold War, the international system had created a condition that led to the emergence of internal strife and, sometimes, wars. Such ill effects destroyed the thin fabric that holds Third World countries in their endeavour to come together.

The very nature of the ASEAN Way of noninterference, multilateral consultations can also be modified to a more useful and practical way. Instead of ignoring the underlying problems and skirting the issues, they must be directly addressed. Of course, sovereignty of a member should be respected, but as a regional organisation, it is also its responsibility to effectively deal with a member’s problems in a constructive way. Linked to all of these is the problem that ASEAN regionalism faced. It lacked in capacity and resources. These limitations are augmented by charter constraints which accord a high priority to principles like sovereignty and noninterference. In such a situation, prospects for cooperation are further reduced. Even as ASEAN had “come to be regarded as one of the most successful experiments in regionalism in the developing world” (Acharya 1993: 3), ASEAN Way or ASEAN’s informal process of noninterference has come under severe criticism. Because of these reasons, some have commented that its “central purpose seemed to consist in concealing fundamental differences of view among its members under the guise of consensus and non-interference” and that “The ASEAN Way” did not deal with underlying tensions; it simply ignored them” (Jones and Smith 2002: 103, 108).

The Southern African scenario was quite different from that of ASEAN. For many years, the SADCC member states had faced the brunt of South Africa’s ‘Total Strategy’ of destabilisation and blackmail. From the 1990s, new hopes emerged within the region. But hope and reality often go their separate ways. Therefore, for the SADC to continue as a strong regional organisation, the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation (OPDSC) should not be allowed to function as its predecessor, the OPDS. Members’ suspicion of each other can be removed through a series of confidence building measures, and the adoption of a system of shared leadership. For the OPDSC to be effective, it needs to adopt a concept of security that takes into account military, political, social, economic and environmental issues. Mutual suspicion still remains in southern Africa that led to diverse perception of security. Southern African states have not yet shared common values and visions too. An optimistic outcome that can be ascertained from the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO) is that the SADC seem to have abandoned the narrow view of security that was prevalent during the Cold War period. Its agenda now includes both the politico-military threats (inter-state war, internal war, large-scale human rights abuses, war crimes against humanity, genocide, coups d’état and other forms of illegal seizure of power, poor governance and abuse of power, dangers of instability accompanying political transition periods and attacks on democratic institutions) and non-military threats (food security, mass movements of refugees, illegal migrants, humanitarian and natural disasters, disease, poverty and underdevelopment and ecological degradation) (Hammerstad 2005: 7). Another major issue for southern Africa in recent times has been the problem of AIDS/HIV. Interaction and cooperation between people, individual, parties, leaders and government will help a great deal. It is now up to the states to gather pace and start the process of confidence building and cooperation in the military, political, social, economic and cultural fields.

By the 1990s, many of the erstwhile interstate conflicts in Latin America (Argentina-Chile, Peru-Ecuador, El Salvador-Honduras, Chile-Peru) had been diplomatically resolved. The policies of rapprochements followed both by Brazil and Argentina had also paid dividends leading to the eventual formation of MERCOSUR, one of the biggest economic groupings in the world, eventually representing 45% of the population of Latin America. Democratic institutions in Latin America being relatively new, they are weak in their structures paving the way for nonstate actors to wreak havoc (Steinhilber 2006: 7). The internal problems therefore include drugs trafficking, arms trafficking, organised crime, environment, natural disasters, social deprivation, transnational crime, guerrilla organisations, state dysfunction and counterrevolutionary violent activities that in many cases lead to militarisation and confrontations between groups. The key risk factors for Latin America after the Cold War are associated with lack of governance, instability, and weak democratic institutionalisation (Aravena 2004: 6). Let not the mere formation of MERCOSUR be the end. Instead of relying on mere rhetoric and ideologies, the member states must work collectively in a cooperative spirit and tackle these enormous problems head on.

As a whole, the regions of Southeast Asia, Southern Africa and South America have peculiar kinds of security concerns different from the Western idea of security. For them, security does not alone imply being safe from external threat and having a huge stockpile or arsenal; it also means being secured from internal subversion. It also means regime maintenance and continuance, secure systems of food, health, trade and development. All these problems are interlinked. These problems challenge the legitimacy of governments which in turn results in ineffective governments incapable of ensuring security for the people. But at the same time, no single organisation or model has managed to establish strong governance for these regions to achieve these goals satisfactorily. To create a new organisation to address these issues is out of the question. The existing ASEAN, SADC and MERCOSUR organisations can lead the way in improving relations while at the same time seeking ways to ensure security for the Third World states, provided that these organisations become more proactive and sincere in their activities.

END NOTES

[1] To read more on this, see Ullman (1983); Hirsch and Doyle (1977); Meadows et al (1972); Ruggie (1982); Walt (1991); Mearcheimer (1990); Ayoob (1997); Peterson and Sebenius (1992); Lynn-Jones and Miller (1995); Buzan (1991a); Buzan (1991b); Buzan et al (1998) and Wirtz (2002).

[2] This is derived from Buzan et al (1998)

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ASEAN (2002), Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, 2002.

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Home Security Monitoring: Your Electronic Watchdog

June 10th, 2009
Elijah James asked:


In times past, people didn’t have electronic home security monitoring systems to watch over the security of their homes and families. They relied on a more primitive means of monitoring their home’s security, the watchdog.

The watchdog was more than just a home security monitoring system, however, it was a trusted member of the family. Homeowners knew that so long as their loyal and faithful watchdog was monitoring their home’s security, they were safe, and so were their families and possessions. When an intruder or suspicious person was about, homeowners were confident that their living home security monitor would raise a quick alarm.

Times have changed, but the fundamental necessity of trust between a homeowner and his or her home security monitoring system has not. Homeowners need to feel the same unshakeable, unquestionable, faith and trust for their home security monitoring company as past homeowners felt for their loyal watchdogs.

Home security monitoring can cost anywhere from $10 to $100 per month. Selecting a company you can trust to provide quality home security monitoring is vital to ensuring the maximum return on this investment.

Modern home security monitoring generally works like this: when a home alarm system is tripped, a central home security monitoring station sends an alert to the central home security monitoring station via phone. Within just a few seconds, the central station will contact the homeowner over the phone or through the security keypad to determine if there is a threat to the safety of the home.

If the home security monitoring provider reaches someone in the home, the provider will ask for a passcode to ensure he or she belongs there. If the contact can’t provide the passcode, or if no one answers, the home security monitoring provider will call law enforcement to the scene and may also call a designated secondary contact.

How quickly your home security monitoring provider responds to an alarm can mean the difference between just a frightening experience and a potential tragedy. After many years of decline burglary rates have stabilized, and with worsening economic conditions, it’s only a matter of time before they begin to rise again. With burglary goes the potential for other, more violent crimes such as **** and murder. To protect your family, you need a reliable home security monitoring provider.

When choosing a home security monitoring provider, don’t be afraid to ask questions. What is the home security monitoring provider’s average response time? What relationship does local law enforcement have with the home security monitoring provider? What is the provider’s reputation among other home security monitoring firms?

When you choose a home security monitoring provider, you’re putting your life, your property and your family in that company’s hands. The relationship between you and your home security monitoring provider is just as important as the one you have with your doctor, accountant or attorney. Choose a good watchdog to monitor the security of your home, and you never need worry about your safety or that of your loved ones.



Information Security Policy

May 27th, 2009
Frederick D. Paoletti, Jr. asked:


Information Security Policy

For



Paoletti and Gusmano



Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

Ethics and Acceptable Use Policies ………………………………………………………………………… ……….1

Disciplinary Action……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

Protect Stored Data……………………………………………………………………………………………………….2

Protect Data in Transit …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

Restrict Access to Data…………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Physical Security……………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

Security Awareness and Procedures…………………………………………………………………………………4

Security Management / Incident Response Plan ……………………………………………………………… 5

Appendix A – Agreement To Comply Form ……………………………………………………………………….6

Security Policy

Introduction

This policy covers the security of company information and must be distributed to all company employees. Management will review and update this information security policy at least once a year to incorporate relevant security needs that may develop. Each employee must read and sign a form verifying they have read and understand this policy.



Ethics and Acceptable Use Policies

The company expects that all employees conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner. An employee should not conduct business that is unethical or illegal in any way, nor should an employee influence other employees to act unethically or illegally. Furthermore, an employee should report any dishonest activities or damaging conduct to an appropriate supervisor.



Security of company information is extremely important to our business.

We are trusted by our customers to protect sensitive information that may be supplied while conducting business. Sensitive Information is defined as any personal information (i.e. - name, address, phone number, e-mail, Social Security number, driver’s license number, bank account, credit card numbers, etc.) or company information not publicly available (i.e. – clients, financial information, employee information, schedules, technology, etc.). It is important the employees do not reveal sensitive information about our company or our customers to outside resources that do not have a need to know such information.

Disciplinary Action

An employees failure to comply to the standards and policies set forth in this document may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.



Protect Stored Data

Protect Sensitive Information stored or handled by the company and its employees. All Sensitive Information must be stored securely and disposed of in a secure manner when no longer needed for business reasons. Any media (i.e – paper, floppy disk, backup tape, computer hard drive, etc.) that contains sensitive information must be protected against unauthorized access. Media no longer needed must be destroyed in such a manner to render sensitive data irrecoverable (i.e. – shredding, degaussing, disassembly, etc.).



Credit Card Information Handling Specifics

• Destroy cardholder information in a secure method when no longer needed. Media containing card information must be destroyed by shredding or other means of physical destruction that would render the data irrecoverable (shred, degauss, etc.).

• It is prohibited to store the contents of the credit card magnetic stripe (track data) on any media whatsoever.

• It is prohibited to store the card-validation code (3 or 4 digit value printed on the signature panel of the card) on any media whatsoever.

• All but the last 4 numbers of the credit card account number must be masked (i.e. – x’s or *’s) when the number is displayed electronically or on paper.











Protect Data in Transit

If Sensitive Information needs to be transported physically or electronically, it must be protected while in transit (i.e. – to a secure storage facility or across the Internet).

Sensitive Information and Credit card account numbers must never be e-mailed without using proper encryption technologies (i.e. – PGP encryption).

• Media containing Sensitive Information and credit card account numbers must only be given to trusted persons for transport to off-site locations. Restrict Access to Data Restrict access to sensitive information (business data and personal information) to those that have a need-to-know. No employees should have access to credit card account numbers unless they have a specific job function that requires such access.

Restrict Access to Data



Restrict access to Sensitive Information (business data and personal information) to those that have a need-to-know. No employees should have access to credit card account numbers unless they have a specific job function that requires such access.

Physical Security

Restrict physical access to Sensitive Information, or systems that house that information (ex. computers or filing cabinets storing cardholder data), to protect it from those who do not have a need to access that information. Media is defined as any printed or handwritten paper, received faxes, floppy disks, back-up tapes, computer hard drive, etc.

• Media containing Sensitive Information must be securely handled and distributed.

• Media containing stored Sensitive Information (especially credit card account numbers and social security numbers) should be properly inventoried and disposed of when no longer needed for business by deleting, shredding, or degaussing before disposal.

• Visitors should always be escorted and easily identifiable when in areas that may contain Sensitive Information.

• Password protected screen savers should always be used on any computers that may contain Sensitive Information. Security Awareness and Procedures Keeping Sensitive Information secure requires periodic training of employees and contractors to keep security awareness levels high. The following company policies and procedures address this issue.



Security Awareness and Procedures

Keeping Sensitive Information secure requires periodic training of employees and contractors to keep security awareness levels high. The following company policies and procedures address this issue.

• Hold periodic security awareness training meetings of employees and contractors to review correct handling procedures for Sensitive Information. Offline Merchant Security Policy

• Employees are required to read this security policy and verify that they understand them by signing an acknowledgement form (see Appendix A).

• Background checks (such as credit and criminal record checks, within the limits of local law) will be conducted for all employees that handle Sensitive Information.

• All third parties with access to credit card account numbers are contractually obligated to comply with card association security standards (PCI/DSS).

• Company security policies must be reviewed annually and updated as needed. Security Management / Incident Response Plan

There will be an employee of the company designated as the security officer. The security officer is responsible for communicating security policies to employees and contractors and tracking the adherence to policies. In the event of a compromise of Sensitive Information, the security officer will oversee the execution of the incident response plan.





















Security Management / Incident Response Plan

1. If a compromise is suspected, alert the information security officer.

2. Security officer will conduct an initial investigation of the suspected compromise.

3. If compromise of information is confirmed, the security officer will alert management and begin informing parties that may be affected by the compromise. If the compromise involves credit card account numbers perform the following:

• Contain and limit the extent of the exposure by shutting down any systems or processes involved in the compromise.

• Alert necessary parties (Merchant Bank, Visa Fraud Control, law enforcement)

• Provide compromised or potentially compromised card numbers to a Fraud Control within 24 hrs.

Appendix A – Agreement To Comply Form

Agreement to Comply With Information Security Policies

Employee Name __________________________________________Department ___________________

I agree to take all reasonable precautions to assure that company internal information, or information that has been entrusted to the company by third parties such as customers, will not be disclosed to unauthorized persons. At the end of my employment or contract with the company, I agree to return all information to which I have had access as a result of my position. I understand that I am not authorized to use sensitive information for my own purposes, nor am I at liberty to provide this information to third parties without the express written consent of the internal manager who is the designated information owner.

I have access to a copy of the Information Security Policies, I have read and understand these policies, and I understand how it impacts my job. As a condition of continued employment, I agree to abide by the policies and other requirements found in the company security policy. I understand that non-compliance will be cause for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, and perhaps criminal and/or civil penalties.

I also agree to promptly report all violations or suspected violations of information security policies to the designated security officer.

Employee Signature ________________________________________Date_______________________

Resource Box

Frederick D. Paoletti, Jr. is the founding principal of Paoletti & Gusmano Attorneys at Law, a criminal defense and personal injury firm located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. For more articles related to protecting yourself during personal injury and criminal situations, please visit http://www.paolettilaw.net.



Network Security Management Services

May 23rd, 2009
Smith Jolene asked:


Network security is to secure both public and private computer networks, used every day to conduct transactions among businesses and individuals. Any business related to IT network system needs to make sure to establish a strong, secure network for their data and systems. There is an increasing need to secure your networks within organizations. To achieve network security, all requirements have to be met to use networks securely.

Organizations spend a large amount of their business on IT network security. It is necessary that networks themselves have the appropriate levels of security. An effective and valuable network security strategy requires identifying the threats and choosing most effective tools to struggle them. Email security management and Antivirus security are effective services in keeping a critical data and communications safe from intruders or attacks and other threats to security.

Email security management

Email viruses through harmful attachments in the emails can reach your system and infect it. Email security management helps to stop unwanted materials and reduce spam in emails. It also provide message tracking capabilities in order to follow e-mails for troubleshooting and auditing purposes. It also helps in examining the security threats facing your corporate email system. Email security management gives you the reliable email security performance and safeguards your important emails against all threats.

Antivirus security

With an increase in attacks and viruses on the internet, antivirus security software programs have become a need of every hour. Antivirus security software makes your online surfing, searching and chatting safe. Antivirus security protects your business networks from web threats such as viruses, spyware and all types of malware that can threaten your valuable personal information.

Benefits of Network Security Management

There are number of important benefits of purchasing network security management services as it better to safe your networks than any damage by deadly viruses and attacks.

·           It improves IT security and effectively manage all network security program.

·           Disclose any weakness in your network, server and desktop infrastructure.

·           Identify the solutions to integrate the networks within existing environments.

·           Network Security provider also supply firewall with reputation-based global intelligence. Firewall blocks traffic coming from and going to the internet.

·           Make safer, easier and more convenient for computer users to access their network from remote locations.

·           Helps in enhancing system security for sensitive data.

·           Regularly audits security efforts with comprehensive system.

·           Without network security, anybody can hack files or data from the organization network.

·           It reduces overall information security risk.

Select best Network Security Management Services

To avoid threats, even small and medium sized business prefers to get managed network security services. Without reliable network management services, company would find it difficult to prevent any attack from happening. With the help of reliable and cost effective network management services, you can safeguard your network against such attacks and malicious intrusions. While choosing network security management services, you need to look for several capability areas. First, should select custom made solutions for your business. Second, network management services should maintain the integrity of your network. Third, should be able to provide 24/7 technical and troubleshooting support. The company or business can surely benefit from expertise and solutions of network management services.

Fiverivers provide cost effective network security management so that you can budget your protection and productivity with no surprises. Our network security management identifies the most critical information assets and network nodes. With our security service you no longer have to worry about any type of threats or attacks. We provide 24/7 network security management services.

Author info:

Smith Jolene is writing articles for fiveriverssupport that provide Network security management to secure your systems network. This includes Email Security Management services and Antivirus security service.



The Low Cost Of Implementing A Secure Usb Drive

May 8th, 2009
Rg Hannah asked:


Implementing a secure USB drive into your company is not only a question of overall cost but security also. The true cost can only be measured by the risks that are negotiated by using a secure drive. Utilizing a secure USB drive offered by SanDisk Enterprise provides upgraded security features that eliminate the potential expense that would be incurred if data were compromise by a breach in security. The long term value of a secure USB drive with data encryption, strong authentication and anti-virus features are invaluable for protecting data and minimizing a security breach.

Meeting Security Challenges with the Secure USB Drive

As information and data breaches continue to increase the secure USB drive plays a critical role in preventing and protecting against the compromise of sensitive data. Credit data, customer information and proprietary records are all vulnerable and concrete steps need to be taken to protect the data. A secure USB drive provides the level of security needed to eliminate the potential threat that thieves pose to information. The cost to recover and restore a system that has been breached is high for any company whose data is compromised. Using a secure USB drive to increase the level of security needed to protect your data reduces the possible cost of damage control and the restoration of the data your company utilizes.

The SanDisk secure USB drive has many features and applications in the business environment. The need for mobile information continues to grow and with it the need for the security necessary to keep confidential data safe. Security must be in place to foster trust and ensure individuals their information is safe and reliable. A secure USB drive is able to store a large amount of data and it becomes critical that unauthorized access is halted. Corrupted information can cost a company large sums of money in order to restore their data to pristine status. The secure USB drive also prevents viruses from being uploaded to host operating systems and corrupting them. Anti-malware is provided the global company McAfee.

Enhanced Security Possible with the Secure USB Drive

A secure USB drive was developed to meet the challenges of various environments and enhance security. If sensitive data were to be compromised from a flash drive that is not secure the expense to the company in lost revenues could be substantial. SanDisk Enterprise has produced a secure USB drive that meets all the necessary security features to reduce the risks to security. Flash drives with updated security features have been developed to thwart data theft. The true value of a secure USB drive is directly proportionate to its ability to provide solid security for high level confidential data used by governments, corporations and companies.

The advent of a secure USB drive was necessitated by the compromise and theft of sensitive data. Thefts have taken place inside corporations, government entities and defense organizations. The need for a safer method of transportation and the transmission of data was needed. A secure USB drive which possessed a strong authentication process to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to data was created. A process that locked down the flash drive after failed password attempts was developed and secured the drive against unauthorized use. It is time to compare the low cost of implementing a secure USB drive against the cost of compromised data and damage



It’s All About People, Process, and Technology. Technology is Dead Last in the Order of Importance When it Comes to Security

May 4th, 2009
Dasha Deckwerth asked:


The recent and explosive growth of the Internet and technology has brought many good things such as e-commerce, collaborative computing, online markets and new avenues of sharing and distributing information. But each side has its counterpart, and with the technological advances came hackers. With this dark side and the many security breaches that are associated with it, companies, governments and individuals are afraid of hackers breaking into their servers or networks, stealing valuable data, collecting passwords and intercepting financial and credit card information.

And many times this can become reality. Recently, there has been a flurry of security breaches among large organizations such as Western Union, that reported a security breach on their Web site that let loose the credit-and debit-card information for 15,700 customers. Another recent hacker case is a 16-year-old youth, who admitted hacking into military and NASA computer networks. His activities caused a three-week shutdown of NASA’s systems and a security breach of a military computer network which protects against conventional, biological, chemical and nuclear-weapon attacks. That’s just a small sampling of actual hacks. Most industry watchers agree that only a handful of security breaches are ever reported.

For a long time, most computer network crackers hacked a system for the same reason: “Because it’s there.” But that’s no longer the only reason or even the dominant one. More hackers now do it because “It’s where the money is.” In the past decade, hackers have changed from script kiddies who hacked websites and spread worms to professionals sponsored by foreign governments and organized crime. Modern hackers want more than infamy. They exploit new technologies to ***** systems or hack into computer systems and hold data for ransom. Hackers today commit real crimes, sometimes for significant financial gain.

To safeguard themselves from the modern hackers, most companies and government agencies that want to uncover network and system security vulnerabilities have two choices: they can hire a team of *********** experts to scan and probe their systems and uncover their vulnerabilities, or they can wait for a malicious hacker to come by and exploit them. Unfortunately, many times it is the latter. A security analysis or *********** test, performed by a security consultant, would produce a report or security posture assessment, detailing all vulnerabilities found and the actions needed to remedy them and minimize the risk of being the victim of a successful hack attack.

The security consultant or *********** expert can be a “white hacker”, someone who uses ethical hacking to discover vulnerabilities within a network or a reformed “black hacker”, who once was an active part of the dark side and used to exploit the identified security holes. The subject of whether it is ethical to use former hackers to evaluate a network’s security is a topic that is often hotly debated - and for many reasons.

Ethical hackers or security consultants typically have very strong programming and computer networking skills and have been in the computer and networking business for several years. Their base knowledge and expertise is augmented with detailed knowledge of the hardware and software, project management skills and methodology which are necessary for the actual vulnerability testing, as well as when reporting after the test was performed. In addition to that, ethical hacking seminars, courses and certifications are being offered to IT professional to broaden their horizon and skills in these fields. But many times these hacking courses and seminars only provide a very limited insight, outdated hacking or only basic hacking techniques. Their main purpose is to educate professionals but not to create a new generation of hackers. The goal is to fill security holes, not exploit them.

A disadvantage that white hackers or security consultants have over hackers is the real world experience and the insight knowledge. There are many things that cannot be taught in a seminar or learned from a book. The most obvious advantage former hackers have, is the real world hacking experience. As each network system differs based on various network defenses and configurations, the hack approach will be unique and only someone with plenty of real world hacking experience can efficiently go from using one technique to another as required by the present situation.

Another positive aspect of hiring reformed hackers as security consultants is that staying up on the latest security exploits, vulnerabilities and countermeasures is part of their job. A good hacker has a level of security knowledge that goes far beyond that of most other IT professionals. Keeping up with the latest exploits and countermeasures is a full time job and although the IT professional has an acceptable level of security knowledge, they must focus most of their attention on the day to day responsibilities of keeping the network up and running. To make up these “deficiencies” many white hackers and security consultants rely on automated and commercial vulnerability and *********** software, that can provide needed security reports, but their functions are limited. The huge differences can be seen when comparing the results from an automated scan and a hacker assessment or professional *********** test.

But before a company makes the decision to hire a reformed hacker, one needs to evaluate the negative sides. Certainly there are several types of hackers that can be found. One kind oft them are the “gray hats” - the unpaid tinkerers who find flaws to improve security for everyone. They are the best hackers, because their passion for tinkering drives their excellence and they do not break the laws. The black hat hackers - the criminals - break the law and feel justified doing it. They are the kind of hackers who seek to increase their fame in the hacker community, while others want to prove at any cost that their targets’ security is vulnerable. Black hats wreak havoc not only by their own actions but also by drawing attention to weaknesses that they and cybercriminals can exploit. The last and worst kinds of hackers are the cybercriminals, who perpetrate the worst crimes. They are paid to use existing tools and techniques to steal confidential personal, government or industry information, and particularly financial data. Cybercriminals usually work for foreign governments, organized crime or independently.

The probably biggest negative in the decision making process is trust. Which hacker will you hire and how much can you trust them? The main premise of security is deciding who you trust and then locking out everyone else. When hiring a hacker as a security consultant, because of network’s security concerns, paradoxically the trust goes to the criminal. Not only is it the trust factor that plays a major role in the decision making process but also the impact the decision might have on customers and shareholder. How will the customers react, if they knew a former criminal was hired to test the security of a system or database that contains all personal and financial information? Someone with a questionable morale and judgment, is not someone who should have control of a corporate network with sensitive data. In most cases hackers, and that is what makes them hackers, do not appreciate or respect standard business processes and structures. A disgruntled hacker with inside knowledge of a company’s networks could create a nightmare scenario.

Hackers are like adventurers, motivated by intellectual curiosity. “The more secure you make your systems, the more you attract them. The hacker mind-set is like exploring space, except they’re exploring the network. If that essential curiosity on finding out how things work, which is what causes people to be hackers, goes away, then you don’t necessarily want that person as a hacker or security consultant. However, just because a hacker has the desire and capabilities to explore a network, does not necessarily make them prepared to build a secure network and fix identified vulnerabilities. Breaking into things, does not always mean knowing how to fix them. These are two different skill sets. Once security threats have been identified, these need to be communicated including the potential business processes affected by the vulnerability, along with a list of impact assessments and countermeasures. Besides technical knowledge, the hacker will need to have experience in business processes and management, to relay his findings to the company.

Another hey factor to consider before making a decision who to hire as a security consultant, is to know that no computer system is ever completely secure, especially when considering the human factor. Spending astronomical amounts of money pursuing total security, by hiring security consultants and eventually becoming dependent on them, is not going to help. Some corporations in some industries must guard against intrusions from tech-hungry foreign governments - in particular China, France, Israel, Japan, Germany and Russia - that converted their cold-war spy machinery into “economic espionage” units, but that does not apply to all businesses. A realistic set of goals of what to expect from a security consultant need to be set first.

But no matter what the decision is and if the company hires a professional security consultant or a reformed hacker, the real threat will be still there. Any hacker, who wants to exploit a system will always try to use the path of least resistance. This path of least resistance is often through the front door. The front to door can be “identified” as the area over which businesses may have the least control: people. People are the weakest but first link when it comes to security. With good social engineering skills and not very well trained employees, disgruntled workers and ex-employees, a hacker can get enough information to access a system, insert malicious codes that contain keystroke and network sniffers and other means to collect information. The hacker just “exchanged” his keyboard with social engineering. And this is a part of security where a highly educated security consultant or a reformed hacker will not be able to help you.