Hounds may have a keen sense of smell, but sometimes technology is a more discrete solution. London's Heathrow Airport is testing a new device that may eventually replace dogs in sniffing out contraband like drugs and explosives. Hounds may have a keen sense of smell, but sometimes technology is a more discrete solution. London’s Heathrow Airport is testing a new device that may eventually replace dogs in sniffing out contraband like drugs and explosives. Passengers walk through an arch that sprays them (gently) with plumes of air to free trapped particles and vapors from the body and clothing. The air is drawn back into the machine and analyzed for traces of explosives. The fully-automated technology was devised by Smiths Detection. The device, called the Ionscan Sentinel II, allows security staff to focus on searches of carry-ons while the portal scans the passengers. The technology can recognize traces of more than 40 drugs and explosives, and can scan seven passengers per minute. (For more about detectors, see “Sensitive Sorts,” Page 59.) Related content news analysis Companies are already feeling the pressure from upcoming US SEC cyber rules New Securities and Exchange Commission cyber incident reporting rules don't kick in until December, but experts say they highlight the need for greater collaboration between CISOs and the C-suite By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 28, 2023 6 mins Regulation Regulation Regulation news UK data regulator warns that data breaches put abuse victims’ lives at risk The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has reprimanded seven organizations in the past 14 months for data breaches affecting victims of domestic abuse. By Michael Hill Sep 28, 2023 3 mins Electronic Health Records Data Breach Government news EchoMark releases watermarking solution to secure private communications, detect insider threats Enterprise-grade software embeds AI-driven, forensic watermarking in emails and documents to pinpoint potential insider risks By Michael Hill Sep 28, 2023 4 mins Communications Security Threat and Vulnerability Management Security Software news SpecterOps to use in-house approximation to test for global attack variations The new offering uses atomic tests and in-house approximation in purple team assessment to test all known techniques of an attack. By Shweta Sharma Sep 28, 2023 3 mins Penetration Testing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe