Expert Details
Physical Security, Vulnerability Assessment, Cargo Seals, Tampering/Counterfeiting, Election Security, Insider Threat, Security Consulting, Litigation Support
ID: 726078
Illinois, USA
He has demonstrated many vulnerabilities and design flaws in a wide range of biometric access control devices and systems as a vulnerability assessor at Argonne National Laboratory and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has devised a number of practical countermeasures. He has hands-on expertise in cargo security, GPS cargo tracking, RFIDs, and tamper-indicating seals as a result of his work as a vulnerability assessor at Argonne National Laboratory and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has served as an expert witness on litigation involving cargo theft. He is a noted expert, frequent invited speaker (including at cyber security conferences), and vulnerability assessor for physical security devices, systems, programs, and strategies. Expert has conducted a variety of different research on product anti-counterfeiting tags and strategies, and is a published author in this area. He is frequently an invited speaker at pharmaceutical companies, associations, and brand integrity conferences.
He understands freight security issues as a result of his research and published papers on tamper-indicating seals, cargo security, the insider threat, and vulnerabilities associated with physical security devices, systems, and programs. He has also considerable experience in the field observing and evaluating cargo security procedures, and has often served as an invited speaker at cargo security conferences. As head of the Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory (and formerly at Los Alamos), he has studied and demonstrated vulnerabilities in a wide variety of different electronic security devices and systems, and recommended effective use protocols, training, and countermeasures. He and his colleague were the first to demonstrate (2002) the ease with which GPS can be spoofed (not just jammed or blocked), and the first to recommend countermeasures.
Expert has considerable expertise in cargo security issues, including tamper-indicating seals, GPS tracking, RFIDs, and other physical security devices as a result of his vulnerability assessments at Argonne National Laboratory and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has served as an expert witness for cargo theft litigate and for warehouse theft litigation. He has conducted research and vulnerability assessments on a wide variety of physical intrusion detection devices and systems, and understands the physics behind them.
Expert understands marine cargo security issues as a result of his research and published papers on tamper-indicating seals, cargo security, the insider threat, and vulnerabilities associated with physical security devices, systems, and programs. He also has considerable experience observing port and cargo security operations. He has been a long-time critic (in published papers and invited talks at security conferences) of traditional approaches to security auditing, and has proposed improvements and alternatives. Expert has been a long-time critic (in published papers and invited talks at security conferences) of traditional approaches to physical security risk characterization, and has proposed improvements and alternatives.
He has been a long-time critic (in published papers and invited talks at security conferences) of traditional approaches to physical security and risk management, and has proposed improvements and alternatives. Expert is a noted expert on tamper-indicating seals, devices, and enclosures, having conducted vulnerability assessments on a factor of 10 more tampering-indicating devices and enclosures than anybody else in the world. He also has numerous patents and published papers in this area. He is a noted expert on tamper-indicating seals and tamper-evident packaging, having conducted vulnerability assessments on a factor of 10 more tamper-indicating devices and containers than anybody else in the world. He also has numerous patents and published papers in this area.
Expert is an internationally recognized expert on tamper-indicating seals, having conducted vulnerability assessments on a factor of 10 more seals and tamper-evident enclosures than anybody else in the world. He also has numerous patents and published papers in this area. He understands trucking freight security as a result of his research, vulnerability assessments, and published papers on tamper-indicating seals, cargo security, the insider threat, GPS tracking, RFIDs, and other physical security devices, systems, and programs. He has observed and critiqued cargo security operations. He has conducted or directed over 1000 vulnerability assessments on a wide variety of physical security and nuclear safeguards devices, systems, and programs. He has also served as on expert witness on vulnerability assessment issues, and has published extensively (including in peer-reviewed journals) on vulnerability assessment techniques.
Expert has considerable experience in comparing security and technical products, conducting market analyses, and suggesting design and use protocol improvements.
Was an expert witness for litigation involving cargo theft. His testimony helped to settle the case when he was able to argue that high-tech security devices would probably not have prevented the theft.Helped a U.S. government agency improve its critical cargo security program by demonstrating vulnerabilities, and recommended improved security procedures and training.Helped a private company by analyzing its new security product to determine the level of security it provides. He also offered suggestions for improving the design and use protocols.Helped a company trying to enter the security market for the first time to better understand the security industry, security end-users, and how the company's potential product would fit in the market.Helped a private company understand its product counterfeiting vulnerabilities, candidate anti-counterfeiting technologies, and optimum approach to dealing with counterfeiting.Assisted university researchers in understanding potential applications, users, funding sources, and marketing potential of their new technology. He also assisted in identifying new R&D work that was needed, and helped to write technical papers.
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1983 | Degree: M.S., Ph.D. | Subject: Physics | Institution: University of Colorado |
Year: 1983 | Degree: M.S. | Subject: Physics | Institution: University of Colorado |
Year: 1977 | Degree: B.A. | Subject: Physics | Institution: Carleton College |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 2015 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: CEO | Department: R&D, Vulnerability Assessment, Consulting on Security, Biometrics, Image Processing, Marketing, and New Security Devices |
Responsibilities:Is the Founder and CEO of a small company devoted to security consulting, vulnerability assessments, litigation support, and Research/ Development. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2007 to 2015 | Employer: Argonne National Laboratory | Title: Section Manager & Senior Systems Engineer | Department: Nuclear Engineering |
Responsibilities:Was Founder and Head of the Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT). Conducts vulnerability assessments, physical security research and development, training, and consulting in the areas of nuclear safeguards, physical security, cargo security, seals & tamper detection, biometrics and other access control devices, RFIDs, GPS, and security management. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1983 to 2007 | Employer: Los Alamos National Laboratory | Title: Technical Staff Member | Department: Chemistry Division |
Responsibilities:Was Founder and Head of the Vulnerability Assessment Team, and Project Leader on over $22 million of research projects involving nuclear safeguards, physical security, cargo security, seals & tamper detection, biometrics and other access control devices, RFIDs, GPS, and security management. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2017 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Adjunct Instructor | Department: Various |
Responsibilities:Teach a variety of technical courses: physics, math, earth & space science, criminal justice. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2022 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Adjunct Instructor | Department: Chemistry & Physics |
Responsibilities:Teach physics. |
Government Experience
Years | Agency | Role | Description |
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Years: 1983 to 2009 | Agency: U.S. Department of Energy | Role: Scientist at National Labs | Description: Head of the Vulnerability Assessment Team, doing vulnerability assessments, consulting, and security R&D for over 50 different government agencies, the IAEA, NGOs, and private companies. He held Q (Top Secret) and SCI Security Clearances during his time at the national laboratories (1985-2015). |
International Experience
Years | Country / Region | Summary |
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Years: 2013 to 2013 | Country / Region: Morocco | Summary: Invited Lecturer on Integrated Safety and Security Management for a week-long course sponsored by IAEA and NNSA. |
Years: 2006 to 2006 | Country / Region: Russia | Summary: Invited Talk: “Vulnerability Assessments on Tamper-Indicating Seals”, Joint US-Russia TID Working Group, Moscow, Russia, September 13-14, 2006. |
Years: 2005 to 2010 | Country / Region: Vienna, Austria | Summary: Assist the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in improving nuclear safeguards through vulnerability assessments. |
Years: 2012 to 2012 | Country / Region: Beijing, China | Summary: Course instructor for the IAEA Regional Training Course on Physical Protection Against Sabotage, Beijing, China |
Years: 2011 to 2011 | Country / Region: Canberra, Australia | Summary: (Keynote Address) “A Cynical View of Security: The Importance of Not Being Earnest”, Security in Government Conference (SIG 2011), Canberra, Australia |
Career Accomplishments
Associations / Societies |
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ASIS International. Lifetime Member, American Physical Society. |
Licenses / Certifications |
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CPP (Certified Protection Professional) from ASIS International since 1997. Top Secret government security clearances (1983-2015). |
Professional Appointments |
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Founder and Editor of the Journal of Physical Security. Member TSA Seals Experts Review Panel. Member, DOE/DoD Joint Committee on Storage, Tags, and Seals. Consultant & Project Reviewer for DOE, DoD, NRC, NIH, & private industry. •Board of the National Center of Security and Protection (NATSP), (2015-present). •Vice Chair, IEEE Privacy and Security Architecture for Consumer Wireless Devices Working Group (2015-present). • Board of Advisors for Verified Voting (2012-present). |
Awards / Recognition |
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Expert is frequently interviewed by the news media for his views on security. His work has been discussed in various security blogs, podcasts, and national and international media including the Wall Street Journal (3 times), Public Television, NPR, CSO Magazine, Security Magazine, RFID Journal, Homeland Security Newswire, IOMA Security Director's Report, Supply Chain Management Review, Business Travel Executive, Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News, R&D Magazine (4 times), national wire services, Newsweek, various U.S. and international newspapers, radio/television stations and networks (BBC, CBC, VOA), and over 90 trade journals. •CSO40 Award (CSO Magazine) for outstanding business value and security thought leadership •Honorary Certified Confidentiality Officer (CCO) Award from BECCA •LANL Fellows Prize ($3000) for Outstanding Research •Two LANL Distinguished Performance Awards •Three LANL Achievement Awards •National ASIS “Excellence in Performance Measure” $1000 Award •Distinguished Performance Award from the CIA •Two National R&D 100 Awards •“Best of What’s New” Award from Popular Science magazine •LANL Award for Student Mentoring •Two LANL Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer •Featured scientist, American Institute of Physics home page •Tozer Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship •Carver Physics Scholarship •Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Pi Mu Epsilon •NCAA All-American in Track & Field |
Publications and Patents Summary |
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10 U.S. patents; 100+ technical papers (many peer-reviewed); 90+ invited talks (including 6 Keynote Addresses) and ~100 contributed talks at national and international conferences. |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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• Litigation Support for a warehouse theft lawsuit. • Expert Witness for litigation involving warehouse theft (litigation support, reports, deposition; trial testimony). • Expert Witness (pro bono) for public interest election security litigation (report, deposition, trial testimony, demonstration in court). • Expert Witness for litigation involving cargo theft (report, deposition; case settled pre-trial). • Expert Report for Biometrics litigation. |
Training / Seminars |
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U.S. Department of Defense, "Seal User's Guide." Many training materials and videos demonstrating security vulnerabilities or use of novel field tools developed by his team. |
Vendor Selection |
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Expert routinely identifies vendors for security devices and systems as part of his vulnerability assessment work, and when providing security consulting. He has done this for over one dozen companies or security practitioners. |
Marketing Experience |
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Expert has been hired several times in the past 3 years to do a marketing analysis on security products. Expert has given over 90 invited talks at national and international conferences, including 6 Keynote Addresses. He gave the invited Keynote Address at the USENIX Electronic Security Conference in Washington, D.C., and the Plenary Talk (with another colleague) at the ShmooCon Hackers Conference. Expert has also given a number of invited talks to the pharmaceutical industry on drug tampering and counterfeiting, and published noted papers in this area. He has also analyzed the security of medical products. He is the foremost expert on tamper-indicating seals in the world, and very well published in this area. He and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate the vulnerability to spoofing of the Global Position System (GPS) and GPS cargo tracking, and the first to suggest countermeasures. They were also one of the first to demonstrate RFID vulnerabilities. |
Other Relevant Experience |
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As a physicist and vulnerability assessor, Expert understands the technical details behind security devices, systems, and programs. As a Certified Protection Professional and a vulnerability assessor, he understands a great deal about physical security management and the human factors associated with security. He has demonstrated physical and electronic attacks on electronic voting machines, biometrics and other access control devices, GPS, RFIDs, contact memory buttons, locks, tags, and seals. |
Fields of Expertise
access control system, air freight, biometric identification, biometrics, casualty insurance, computer room security, counterfeit-proofing, freight, electronic security, Global Positioning System, insurance claim, intrusion detection, marine insurance, property protection auditing, risk characterization, risk management, tamper-evident closure, tamper-evident package, tamperproof cap, trucking, vulnerability assessment, threat assessment, security standard, transit security, security management, security, security electronics, security negligence, security training, security risk assessment, device design, security lighting, counterfeiting, facial recognition system, iris recognition, property insurance, counterespionage, internal security (military), command, control, communication and intelligence, over-the-counter drug packaging, drug container, closed-circuit security system, laser light scattering, marine shipping, electronic article surveillance, safety packaging, consumer product packaging, optical scatter, freight car, smart card, pharmaceutical packaging process, burglar alarm, gloss measurement, packaging development, medical product packaging process, automated prison security system, covert identification process, radio frequency identification, hologram, drum (container), tagging system, packaging engineering, over-the-counter drug, optical tagging system, glass defect identification, containerized shipping, closed-circuit television