Tag Archive for: event

A sneak preview of the first ever international Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC) and the training activities planned to start in October 2023 was given today during a side event held at the margins of the 67th IAEA General Conference

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A sneak preview of the first ever international Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC) and the training activities planned to start in October 2023 was given today during a side event held at the margins of the 67th IAEA General Conference.  

Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, highlighted the unique nature of the new IAEA facility, noting that “the NSTDC is built to respond to growing requests by countries for capacity building in the field of nuclear security that could not be met elsewhere.”  

“The IAEA has developed a training programme that will complement the existing national and international mechanisms of nuclear security capacity building,” said in her remarks.  

The NSTDC is housed in a new multipurpose building (MPB) located at the IAEA’s laboratories in Seibersdorf, 30 km south of Vienna, Austria. The MPB construction work started in July 2021, after the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, broke ground for the new facility. 

Under the NSTDC training programme, there are currently 23 training courses and workshops. All of them address training needs in the area of physical protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities; and in the area of detection and response to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving or directed at nuclear or other radioactive material, associated facilities or associated activities.  

Considering the IAEA work for cancer care, the NSTDC training programme includes a course for countries anticipating in or planning to join the Rays of Hope titled “Introduction to life cycle security of radioactive material and associated facilities in cancer care”. The course aims to familiarize participants with key considerations towards ensuring life cycle security and sustainability of radioactive material and associated facilities used for cancer care, including information and computer security aspects of nuclear security. 

“The NSTDC is a modern, specialized training facility, supported by state-of-the-art technical infrastructure,” said Marina Labyntseva, Head of the Education and…

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Extinction Event: The Disappearing Nuclear Expert

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Many training grounds for civilian arms control experts and nuclear strategists to fill government posts are also scrambling to recruit.

“People took it off their radar screen,” said former Massachusetts Democratic Rep. John Tierney, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Arms Control & Nonproliferation, which saw more than half a dozen of its staff members join the Biden administration. “There is plenty of expertise, but they are gray-haired now. There is a pipeline but not as many and not yet as deeply experienced.”

“And nobody has experience with the tri-party situation,” Tierney told me, referring to the steady expansion of China’s arsenal to potentially match the United States and Russia.

“A lot of the people I have to deal with, even in the military, aren’t that well informed,” added Adam Lowther, director of strategic deterrence programs at the National Strategic Research Institute, an arm the U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the nuclear arsenal. “They don’t have experience or the background.”

Stephen Schwartz, a senior fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which has been advocating for reductions in nuclear arsenals since the arrival of the nuclear age in 1945, believes the lack of experience and expertise is particularly acute in Congress, where few lawmakers or staff are steeped in arms control, nuclear strategy or deterrence theory.

The debates, in his view, “are almost solely on the cost of nuclear weapons and not their utility.”

Congress is about to get another wake-up call, however, in the form of the bipartisan commission’s upcoming report. The body represents some of the most divergent views on how the United States can reduce the chances of a nuclear clash. But there is widespread agreement in at least one regard.

“The underlying theme is that while it didn’t seem like we needed to pay attention to those issues after the Cold War ended, the fact is we should have because Russia continued to,” said Kyl. “And China began to develop its nuclear weapons in a new way. We are playing catch up.”

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Ransomware event affects US Marshalls Service

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US federal agencies warned hackers were targeting the business sector using malware that can lead to ransomware attacks – © AFP

A ransomware attack has taken place on the U.S. Marshals Service. The cybersecurity incident has exposed some of its most private data, including materials used in law enforcement and the personal information of staff members who could become the subject of federal investigations.

Looking into this serious data breach for Digital Journal is Nick Tausek, Lead Security Automation Architect at Swimlane.

Tausek begins his analysis by explaining the incident and what the consequences are, noting: “The U.S. Marshals Service is looking into a significant ransomware attack that exposed some of its most private data, including materials used in law enforcement and the personal information of staff members who could become the subject of federal investigations.”

And with the significance, Tausek says: “Deemed a “major incident” by officials, the attack allowed hackers to access employee information, information on wanted fugitives and information regarding unidentified third parties.”

Tausek adds: “According to U.S. policy, “major incidents” are regarded as “significant cyber incidents” that have the potential to do tangible harm to the economy, national security, or civil liberties of the United States, as well as to public trust and safety. These incidents are required to be reported to Congress within seven days.”

In terms of how the incident is looking, Tausek explains: “Although the U.S. Marshals Service has created a quick fix to continue investigations into fugitives in the midst of the attack, routine operations are sure to be hindered.”

In the wider context, Tausek says: “Government agencies and the federal justice system continue to be hot targets for cybercriminals due to the classification of sensitive information stored by their systems and the negative repercussions coming out of such an attack that could more easily sway officials to pay high ransom.”

The incident also needs to be placed into the national context, explains Tausek: “This attack comes as the Biden administration attempts to shore up the nation’s…

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Cybersecurity Tips from the People Protecting the Most Critical Sites on Earth | Schneider Electric

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