NGO Security

How to Survive a Disaster

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:53:00 +0000

Nice article from Time by Amanda Ripley, author for the forthcoming book "The Unthinkable." Ripley has interviewed a number of survivors of various types of disasters and her book looks like a winner in terms of case studies and lessons learned.

Manuals (CIA and NGO)

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:57:00 +0000

Today is midweek manual day, and here's a quick selection of interesting manuals to read.

At the top of the list is the CIA's Psychology of Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer. This is a must read if you're into critical thinking and the inner game of security. It covers information gathering, analysis and the various biases that can creep in and influence decisions. The content presented in this manual should be taught in every introductory humanitarian security course.

Next up, Charlie writes in with some links to a few humanitarian security manuals and resources:

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manuals/protection

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/manuals

http://www.aidworkers.net/?q=advice/security

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/evaluation/security_review_en.htm

(A few of these may seem familiar, but it's good to mention again for new blog readers.)

Cyber attacks on NGOs

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:42:00 +0000

Maarten Van Horenbeek is a computer security researcher who is studying cyber attacks launched against humanitarian organizations (he wrote the article recently mentioned in this blog on electronic attacks against pro-Tibetan groups).

If you suspect your organization has been targeted, or you know of an organization that has, Maarten would like to hear from you. He's interested in attack methodologies and can help with analysis. (It's important to note that at times these attacks may not appear to be direct, and can easily be mistaken for a random virus or generic hacker activity).

Contact Maarten at: maarten @ daemon.be

Five security tools for Windows, Linux and Mac

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Ars Technica has a good and easy-to-understand article on essential security programs for Windows, Linux and Mac computers. Great, free tools for locking down your own or others' computers.

Saving NGO Security Scenario Videos

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Over the past six months I’ve posted a weekly scenario with a YouTube video clip to get you thinking about various safety and security situations.

Time commitments are going to decrease the frequency of future scenario posts, but in the meantime I want to show you how you can save scenario videos to your PC. These videos are great for classroom training or presentations. Just load them onto a laptop connected to a PowerPoint projector and you're ready to go. (Feel free to use any of the scenario text to go with the videos.)

First, click on this link to go to an index of the scenarios. On the index page, click a link to bring up the scenario. Once a scenario is displayed, follow these instructions:

In the bottom right hand corner of the video window is a Menu button. Click it.
The video temporarily shrinks and the URL of the video displayed. Click the Copy to Clipboard button (this copies the YouTube video URL to your clipboard).
Go to the keepvid.com site. (There are a number of Web sites and programs that can save YouTube videos to your PC. Google save youtube for more options.)
Paste the YouTube video URL saved in your clipboard to the text box at the top of the KeepVid Web page.
Click the Download button.
Two options are displayed - .flv Low Quality and .mp4 High Quality. Click the link of your choice to start downloading. (A file named get_video is saved. Rename it to something a little more meaningful.)

The .flv format saves the video to your hard drive in Flash format. You’ll need a video player to play the video. I recommend VLC, which is free, at: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

The.mp4 option saves the video to your hard drive in MPEG format, which is playable by QuickTime, Windows Media Player, and other common players.

That’s it. You can apply the same steps to save any other YouTube video you want to keep. Happy downloading... JM

NGO Security Training Directory

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:04:00 +0000

Based on several requests, I'm compiling a humanitarian security training directory. If you, your business, or your organization provides security-related training to the humanitarian community, send me contact information and a brief description of the type the training you offer (or simply a link to your Web site). I'll be posting the directory in the coming weeks.

NGO Security Scenario #25: One Day in April

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:10:00 +0000

You are relaxing after work in a karaoke bar in the capital city of a country that's been plagued by unrest. There have been several attacks on foreigners and last week an American-owned hotel was bombed. The crowd around you seems anxious for some reason. As you sip a beer, the bar suddenly plunges into darkness. As you reach into your pocket for a small flashlight you hear a strange but familiar sound. Click the play button below to see what happens next.

What do you do? Share your thoughts by clicking on COMMENTS below (and Happy April Fools Day).

NGO Security Scenario #24 - Media Fallout

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Following the abduction of a group of South Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, you are quickly brought in as a consultant to advise the organization they were volunteering for. The Taliban kidnappers have threatened to kill one of the aid workers unless their demands are met. The incident is dynamic and the South Korean and Afghan governments have yet to become largely involved. You believe the situation can be resolved and that negotiations as proceeding in good faith. As you sip your morning tea, a news report with the following video appears on the hotel room television (click the play button).

An official is quoted that the military has just recovered the body of one of the Korean aid workers. This is the first you've heard of this report. Your mobile and satellite phones both start ringing at the same time. There's loud knocking at your door. What do you do? What are your priorities? What actions will you advise the organization to take next? Share your thoughts in the COMMENTS below.

Cyber Attacks against Tibetan NGOs

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:10:00 +0000

So let's say you work for an NGO that's managed to irritate a government. And I don't mean cause minor irritation, as most organizations do or have done, but serious irritation, where a government (or proxy) decides to use its resources to mess you up. Not the typical expulsions, detainments or arrests, but really sneaky stuff.

Read this article about what's happening with Tibetan NGOs. It's been my experience that most NGOs are woefully unprepared to deal with such a threat. While I've encountered a few IT staff members who are security savvy (and a smaller number of security practitioners who are IT proficient), this tends to be the exception within the humanitarian community.

IT and security folks rarely talk. As you both have the interests of your organization in common, jointly discussing this article might be a good way to begin a dialog.

Inside the Twisted Mind of a Security Professional

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:29:00 +0000

Read the article and what do you think? Are we hardwired differently than most of the people we work with and for? Can you teach security mindset? And just how twisted is your mind? (I certainly seem to fit the profile.)