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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 @ 06:02 PM gHale
Safety and security are major initiatives for energy companies, but refiners will have to step it up a notch as Africa is becoming an oil and gas hotbed of activity.
Making the latest move into Africa, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, will pay $1.6 billion for Mozambique-based focused Cove Energy.
RELATED STORIES Canadian Utility Deals for U.S. Utility Fracking Future: Apache Deals for Driller Fracking: Foreign Firms Fund Pacts ABB Dealing: Buys UPS ProviderCove's main asset is an 8.5 percent stake in the Rovuma Offshore Area 1, in Mozambique, where operator Anadarko said recoverable reserves could top 30 trillion cubic feet...
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 @ 03:02 PM gHale
In an effort to push its security to new levels, Apple will introduce a new Mac security model with OS X Mountain Lion this summer. By default it will let users install only programs downloaded from the Mac App Store or those digitally signed by a registered developer.
Gatekeeper -- Apple's name for the model and technology -- will block the installation of the most common kind of Mac malware. That would be Trojan horses executed by users duped into downloading and installing fake software.
RELATED STORIES Apple Deals with App Privacy Issues Cracking Apple iWork Encyrption Apple Supplier Hit by...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 06:02 PM gHale
Making a move to strengthen its foothold in the U.S., Fortis Inc. will pay just under $1 billion to pick up Hudson Valley, NY, utility CH Energy Group Inc.
CH Energy is the parent company of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., a regulated transmission and distribution utility that serves about 300,000 electric and 75,000 natural gas customers in New York's Hudson Valley.
RELATED STORIES Secure Grid from Turbine to Toaster Utility Cyber Security Trends Study: Integrated Need for Security Grid Ripe for Cyber AttacksThe deal, which is subject to regulatory and CH Energy shareholder approval, should close in the...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 05:02 PM gHale
A flaw in calculating the potential heat from nuclear fuel in the event of an accident has the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeking information from energy companies running 11 reactors.
This was not something that presents an immediate safety concern so there was no reason to shut any of the plants, the NRC said.
RELATED STORIES Security Lapse at Prairie Island Nuke Palisades Nuke Safety Downgrade Errors at Turkey Point Nuke New Nuke Designs Need Security"But we do want them to come back to us to show they are meeting our regulations," said NRC spokesman Scott Burnell. The 11 reactors...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 05:02 PM gHale
There was a security lapse at the Prairie Island nuclear station near Red Wing, MN, and Xcel Energy will feel the wrath of federal regulators.
Xcel received a letter from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) about the violation discovered in an October inspection. Details of the incident ended up redacted from the letter.
RELATED STORIES Palisades Nuke Safety Downgrade Errors at Turkey Point Nuke MN Nuke Leaks Tritium New Nuke Designs Need Security Nuke Alert: Human Error in LeakThe public's safety was not an issue with the security problem, said NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyn. But no details, including its level of...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 01:02 PM gHale
By Nicholas Sheble
The hacking group Anonymous may be capable of causing a limited power outage through cyber attack soon, is the feeling of security officials with the U.S. Government.
The director of the National Security Agency (NSA) warned Anonymous could have the ability within the next year or two to bring about such an act, according to a report in the Tuesday issue of The Wall Street Journal.
RELATED STORIES Schoolboys Behind Greek Hack Tear Gas Maker Hacked Hacking Victims Still Remain Silent Hidden Secret: VeriSign HackedGeneral Keith Alexander, NSA’s director, provided his assessment in meetings at the White House and...
Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 03:02 PM gHale
In a different use of application whitelisting, military computers soon will undergo configuration to execute only administrator-approved software applications in certain areas of a computer, Pentagon officials said.
Whitelisting is a recommended best practice, but DoD and industry have lagged in adoption because of the staffing involved in adding and removing applications from the list, National Security Agency (NSA) officials said.
RELATED STORIES New Software Cuts Costs, Risk Struggle to Secure Mobile Devices All Mobile Devices Victimized Trojan Acts like Carrier IQ ToolThe Defense Department's (DoD) version of "application whitelisting" focuses on where downloads can launch in a system. Officials...
Friday, February 17, 2012 @ 02:02 PM gHale
Palisades nuclear power plant is facing three violations for a “substantial safety significance” issue and two for a “low to moderate safety significance,” said Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officials.
The violations will result in additional NRC inspections and oversight of the Covert, MI-based facility.
RELATED STORIES Errors at Turkey Point Nuke MN Nuke Leaks Tritium New Nuke Designs Need Security NRC Safety Enforcement Questioned Nuke Alert: Human Error in LeakThe violation resulting in a substantial significance to safety relates to a Sept. 25 electrical fault caused by personnel at the site which resulted in a reactor trip, the loss of...
