Kaspersky Lab founder Eugene Kaspersky tells vnunet.com why the software industry could be losing its brightest stars to the world of online crime.

Mobile banking is a common service in countries like Japan, though less than 10% of U.S. consumers use their cell phones to perform banking transactions. The single biggest factor for the low adoption rate is concerns over security, according to a new report by Javelin Strategy & Research.

The FBI has posted a code on its Web site and challenged the general public to try and break it. The code was created by the FBI's "cryptanalysts." This is the second year the FBI had done this. According to an FBI statement, last year's challenge received tens of thousands of responses.

Last week the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was changing Israel's aviation safety standard rating to a Category 2 following an assessment made last July. According to the FAA, the rating change is not related to security issues. Until Israel's civil aviation authority addresses the problems found by the FAA, Israeli air carriers will not be allowed to establish new service to the U.S.

DHS has announced that Malta will be designated as a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country on 30 December 2009. Effective on that date, Maltese nationals will be able to travel visa-free to the United States.

U.S. government agencies stand a good chance of meeting or even exceeding the next round of goals for speedier security clearance processing set in a 2004 intelligence reform law, according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Waterech Books has just brought out the Practical Guide to Water Supply and Terrorism. The book will help water professionals understand and implement ways to safeguard their water supplies from the threat of terrorist attacks. The book is an in-depth reference for developing a system-wide vulnerability study and emergency response plan. It covers a range of subjects, from the organization of the systems that supply water to the psychological concerns regarding a contaminated water supply. The book also includes guidelines, strategies, and resources to help protect water assets and customers. Young’s book is available through WaterTechBooks for $14.95.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced its flight restrictions over the Washington, D.C. area on 20 January 2009 -- Inauguration Day.

Interplanetary security
Scientists say comet killed off mammoths, saber-toothed tigers

There is a consensus in the scientific community that the dinosaurs dies off 65 million years ago as a result of a meteorite hitting Earth, sending heavy clouds of smoke and soot which blocked the sun for months, leading to the death of plants on which dinosaurs relied for food; researchers say that 12,900 years ago, a shower of meteorites hitting North America caused the extinction of mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and other large mammals.

Trend
Russia's hackers a growing global threat

There used to be a time when Russian hackers exposed chinks in American software just for the thrill of it; today they do it for cash -- or for political reasons; cybercrime has outpaced the amount of illicit cash raked in by global drug trafficking.

Not yet ready for prime time: RFID technology

RFID technology is incorporated into more and more documents (e-passports, enhanced driver's licenses); trouble is, the technology still suffers from privacy and security vulnerabilities.

Trend
Asia at risk of era of mega-disasters

Asian countries are heading toward an era of mega-disasters; cities in the Himalayan belt, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines could experience earthquakes where the death toll could top one million.

Editor's Note

The HS Daily Wire is taking a short holiday break. We will not publish tomorrow, Christmas day, and Friday. We will publish an abbreviated version of the newsletter Monday through Wednesday of next week, and resume our regular schedule on Monday, 5 January. Note that HS Daily Wire Web site will continue o be updated daily through the holiday period. We wish our readers and advertisers a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy, and Productive New Year..

Analysis
Uranium is good investment

Many analysts, disoriented by the fall of uranium prices from $130+ to about $45 a pound, fail to notice that the fundamentals of the uranium market have not changed.

Analysis
Follow the money: The value of tracking terrorist financing

Mounting terrorist operations is cheap, but maintaining a terrorist network is expensive; disrupting the money flow to a terrorist organization is thus an important preventive tool; it is also a valuable intelligence-gathering tool.