Democrat Doubts Claims of Qaeda Intentions; GAO Finds Homeland Security Warnings Vague; Accidental Explosion Darkens O’Hare; NetForensics Wins Deal for DOE Security

Democrat Doubts Claims of Qaeda Intentions

The Washington Post reports that a Democratic congressman who receives classified briefings on the threat of terrorist attacks said yesterday that top U.S. government officials’ repeated statements that international terrorists want to disrupt the American electoral process this year “appear to have no basis.” According to the report, Rep. Jim Turner (Tex.), ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, said that after several recent briefings by U.S. intelligence officials about perceived terrorist threats this summer and fall, “I don’t have any information that al Qaeda” plans to attack the election process.

Read the full story in the Washington Post

GAO Finds Homeland Security Warnings VagueThe New York Times reports that Congressional investigators said Monday that the federal government’s color-coded threat system is too vague and confusing to help many local and state law enforcement officials prepare for possible terrorist attacks. According to the repor, a GAO study cited widespread concern among federal, state and local officials about the quality and timing of threat information they received from the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full story in the New York Times

Accidental Explosion Darkens O’HareThe Chicago Sun-Times reports that an afternoon explosion in an underground tunnel at O’Hare Airport knocked out power to two terminals, causing long lines and sweltering heat and sending two workers to the hospital with burns to their arms, face and hands. According to the report, the explosion happened around noon when a subcontractor performing maintenance on part of the airport’s electrical system inadvertently separated some wires.

Read the full report in the Chicago Sun-Times

NetForensics Wins Deal for DOE Security Computerworld reports that Security information management company NetForensics Inc. announced that the U.S. Department of Energy will use its nFX security information management software to monitor about 400 network security products in its National Nuclear Security Administration. According to the report, the NNSA will use nFX at 10 sites across the U.S. to collect security data from firewalls, intrusion-detection systems, routers, servers and other mission-critical systems.

Read the full report in Computerworld