Athena Security, Inc.- Experts & Thought Leaders

Athena Security Weapons Detection System, a global provider of advanced, AI-enabled security solutions, has launched its newly created 'Workforce Multiplier' weapons detection system with integrated AI X-ray scanning technology (patent pending). Together, Athena’s AI-powered weapons detection and AI X-ray provide unparalleled accuracy and efficiency in identifying potential threats. The new AI X-ray scanning technology fully integrates into Athena’s WDS system and requires only one operator to manage both platforms.  Workforce Multiplier AI software "Our new integrated Workforce Multiplier AI software marks a significant step forward in our mission to help save lives," states Lisa Falzone, Co-Founder and President of Athena Security. Lisa Falzone adds, "By combining our proven  weapons detection system software with advanced AI X-ray technology, we are empowering organisations to proactively identify and mitigate potential threats to help ensure the safety of their employees, customers, and visitors." AI X-ray scanner The AI X-ray scanner automatically and precisely identifies guns and knives within bags Only one operator is needed to operate the integrated system in a low-volume environment, significantly streamlining security procedures and maximising staff resources for organisations of all sizes. Alerts from both the Athena weapons detection system and the AI X-ray scanner are displayed on the operator's tablet, providing a comprehensive view of potential threats. The AI X-ray scanner automatically and precisely identify guns and knives within bags–significantly reducing false alarms and minimising the risk of human error. AI X-ray/WDS integration Chris Ciabarra, the Co-Founder and CTO of Athena Security, says the team has been diligently working on developing the AI X-ray/WDS integration because they knew it would help solve a big pain point for clients as AI ray can differentiate between laptop and weapons faster and with fewer mistakes.  "Many organisations need both a weapons detection system and an X-ray machine," says Chris Ciabarra, adding "The problem is the systems are separate and it takes at least one dedicated personnel to remain stationary with their eyes fixed on the X-Ray screen." Real-time alert notifications Alerts from both systems are delivered to one console, and organisations need only one operator Chris Ciabarra continues, "We call our system the 'Workforce Multiplier' because it’s the extra pair of eyes that frees up security personnel so they can focus on other critical security measures." With the integration of AI-X-ray, threats are identified and instantly labeled. Inorganic materials are colourised, and security officers are notified of threats in real time. Alerts from both systems are delivered to one console, and organisations need only one operator to run the integrated platform.  Key benefits of the integrated system Enhanced Accuracy and Labeling: AI X-ray scanning ensures AI identification and labeling of weapons, minimising false positives and negatives. The system also grows smarter over time. Increased Efficiency: One combined console for both systems enables single-operator capabilities, which optimises staffing resources. Space-Saving: The AI X-ray is almost half the size of a traditional X-ray machine machine, thereby requiring less physical space at entrances. Improved Situational Awareness: Consolidated alerts on the operator's tablet provide a comprehensive overview of potential threats. Workforce Multiplier: Organisations essentially recoup the time of one security officer. With weapons detection and identification fully automated, security personnel are freed up to focus on other critical security measures. Visitor management platform Athena Security's new Workforce Multiplier integrated AI X-ray and concealed weapons detection system is available for deployment in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, businesses, data centers, government buildings, and public spaces. The new system is also fully integrated with Athena’s advanced visitor management platform–enabling organisations to know who and what is entering. 

Located in downtown Houston, Texas, USA, at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB), the Houston Living Lab (HLL) serves as a testing ground for city departments and partners to test and validate new technology. In 2017, the Houston First Corporation (HFC) established the lab following a successful collaboration with Milestone Systems and several other security manufacturers to rapidly deploy video technologies for nearly one million attendees at the Super Bowl Live festival. Now HLL develops smart city solutions for deployment across Houston. Security technology solutions With the help of the Houston First Corporation — a local government corporation created to operate the city's convention and performing arts facilities — the City of Houston hosts many high-profile events annually. One of HFC's long-term goals is establishing Houston as a pioneer in smart city initiatives to further promote the region as a tourism and convention business destination. City of Houston and HFC needed to bring together technology partners and build on living infrastructure To accomplish this goal, the City of Houston and HFC needed to bring together technology partners and build on existing infrastructure to further enhance public safety and security during events. In 2017, the city hosted Super Bowl LI, an event that became a literal game changer in how the city rapidly deploys integrated security technology solutions. Legacy security systems The 10-day Super Bowl Live festival at the 12-acre Discovery Green featured free well-known music artist concerts and other attractions. The neighbouring GRB hosted the NFL Experience event with interactive activities and player appearances. When hosting large events spread out over several venues, the city found that the added congestion from portable event stages, booths, and attendees changed the environment. This rendered the standalone legacy security systems inadequate when hosting the events. “In these situations, the green space is no longer open; it’s cluttered with event structures, banners, and everything that comes with a festival. We found that our existing camera system was getting either visually or audibly interfered with,” said Jack C. Hanagriff, former Program Manager for the City of Houston’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Access to the camera system In the six-month planning period before the festival, Verizon installed fibre-optic cable for the event Determining a temporary system was needed to provide security at Super Bowl Live, Hanagriff and his team brought in Milestone Systems on the recommendation of HFC's long-time integrator Teksys and manufacturer Axis Communications. Milestone helped design and test a rapidly deployable, fully integrated supplemental camera and video management software (VMS) system at Discovery Green. In the six-month planning period before the festival, Verizon installed fibre-optic cable for the event. This allowed access to the camera system with Axis F Series modular cameras, Q Series PTZ dome cameras, and thermal imaging systems. Milestone open platform  Using a Milestone open platform system design, the temporary festival infrastructure easily integrated with the non-Milestone VMS already used at GRB. The system was built on the Milestone design. “We were able to tie both VMS networks into our existing homeland security network. We converged the two systems to give law enforcement, the fire department, and other agencies access to all systems seamlessly,” said Jack C. Hanagriff, adding “Again, this system did not exist just four days prior.” Houston Living Lab inspires Smart City R&D HLL allows city departments and partners to test and validate technology in an active environment After successfully collaborating with Milestone Systems and other security manufacturers for the Super Bowl Live events, HFC established the Houston Living Lab. The HLL allows city departments and partners to test and validate technology in an active environment. Technology partners include Milestone Systems, Axis Communications, Cradlepoint, Dell Technologies, Haystax, Acre Comnet (formerly Razberi), Siklu, and Verizon. Video analytics are provided by Athena Security, Citilog, EAGL Technology, Evolon Technology, Irisity (formerly Agent Vi), Sound Intelligence, and AirSight (formerly 911 Security). Technology Partnerships Enhance Public Safety The 1.9 million-square-foot GRB Convention Center has diverse security needs. Beyond public safety and monitoring aggressive behaviour in and around the centre, the security team proactively improves traffic at intersections and manages four large parking garage operations. In 2021, HFC worked with Houston Public Works (HPW) on designing and installing an on-premises software solution to easily bring together the latest technologies at GRB. The 1.9 million-square-foot GRB convention centre has diverse security needs Milestone video management technologies provide seamless integrations with cutting-edge security applications. Nearly 600 legacy Axis Communications cameras are integrated with Milestone Smart Walls in multiple security and parking command centres spread across facilities in the theatre and convention districts, providing complete situational awareness at any given moment. Relationships built at the HLL HFC wanted to be able to identify dangerous situations and be proactive rather than reactive to help mitigate risks. They now have visibility into different situations, such as vehicles driving the wrong way, large crowds gathering in an area or even listening for glass breaking, car alarms, gunshots, or aggressive behaviours.  “The relationships built at the HLL were instrumental in helping us support the needs at other high-profile sites throughout the city that were identified with concerns regarding general public safety and quality of life,” added Jack C. Hanagriff.

Athena Security’s Concealed Weapons Detection System was selected by Champions Club Texas to protect patrons, members and staff at a first-of-its-kind hospitality destination in Houston that features a full-service hotel, lounge and bar with Southern-inspired cuisine and private-membership poker. Located in Houston’s expanding Westchase community, Champions Club Texas is celebrating its grand opening as a destination offering something for everyone, from business travellers seeking comfortable accommodations with well-appointed amenities to locals looking for a unique night out. Weapons detection system Athena's Concealed Weapons Detection System (WDS)/Walk Through Metal Detector is engineered to detect a wide range of mass casualty threats like handguns, shotguns, and rifles without requiring individuals to stop as they pass through the detector. There is no need to have individuals remove phones, wallets, or other extraneous items from their pockets due to the proprietary multiple-sensor detection method. The system adheres to Federal Standards while allowing both auditory and visual alert options, as seen in the best practices of Homeland Security for WDS. The concealed weapons detection system is designed to scan walking at an average speed of one person per second. Unintimidating approach Athena Security is a solution that detects weapons upon entry and is one of the many layers of security “At Champions we are raising the bar in hospitality and gaming, and that includes ensuring the most comfortable and safe atmosphere for our valued customers,” said Trent Touchstone, Director of Security, Champions Club Texas. “Athena Security is a solution that detects weapons upon entry and is one of the many layers of security protocols in place at Champions that improves operational efficiency of our security team as a workforce multiplier.” Athena Security’s low profile, unintimidating approach is a welcome differentiator from historic metal detector tech by eliminating the need to check cell phones and keys, allowing for a better flow into the venue. Modest-full time security team Advanced analytics and management protocols allow for deep visibility and flexibility to maintain staffing levels providing the highest level of safety. Touchstone, a 28-year veteran of the United States Marshals Service Chief with a long history of threat analysis, notes that given the hotel and membership club will require 24/7 attention with a modest-full time security team, he appreciates Athena Security’s ability to provide a feature-rich entryway security experience with the ability to automate and accomplish so much remotely.

Six months can go by in the blink of an eye. In 2022, it almost seems as if it has. Here we are already at mid-year after what has been an eventful six months for the security marketplace. There is still a lot ahead in 2022 for the industry, and our Expert Panel Roundtable has been considering what the coming months might hold in terms of technology change. We asked this week’s panelists: What will likely be the most important technology development in the security marketplace in the second half of 2022?

IP cameras for video surveillance has been a trending topic amongst enterprises across the world due to rising concerns for security and safety. IP CCTV cameras are revolutionising security measures, and technology has evolved to allow for a more diverse security monitoring system through high resolution, larger digital storage options and compatibility for integrated analytical software. According to Global CCTV Market Forecast 2022, analysts expect the market for global CCTV to grow at a CAGR of around 11% during 2018-2022.  Clearly, a successful hack of an enterprise security camera system could lead to a range of implications. Amongst the main ones is unauthorised access to video and audio streams of data, as well as to the archive, violation of confidentiality, HIPPA, PII and potential leaks of personal and corporate information, possible copying, unauthorised distribution and duplication of such data. “Most Enterprise video surveillance systems are vulnerable to hackers. According to our studies, more than half of companies and organisations, both large and small, do not take sufficient precautions when it comes to preventing their security cameras from being hacked. Be it ignorance or just careless approach to security of their network in general, the results of hacking can be disastrous,” says Chris Ciabarra, the CTO and co-founder of Athena Security. With the increasing number of surveillance cameras installed in homes, offices and public places, hacking incidents related to these devices happen more and more often.  The ease of hacking surveillance cameras It’s not a secret that surveillance cameras, like many other Internet of things (IoT) devices, are full of vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers.  A hacker can find hundreds of potentially vulnerable IoT devices to hack into Cameras, just like all other devices connected to the Internet, have IP addresses that are easy to find using Shodan, a search engine for Internet-connected devices. With this simple tool, a hacker can find hundreds of potentially vulnerable IoT devices to hack into, including cameras, especially when most companies use default passwords.  The solution Below are basic recommendations on how to protect your camera network, and what actions you should take to minimise the chance of hacking. Change the default username and password  You should start by changing the default password and username of your camera network. Even though this may seem obvious, not everyone does it, practically leaving the door for hackers wide open.  Use a strong password that is hard to guess. When setting up the password use numbers, symbols, both uppercase and lowercase letters. Do not use simple and commonly used passwords, such as the ones in SplashData's list of 100 worst passwords of the year. Do not use the same password you are already using for other online accounts. According to a recent survey on data privacy conducted in May 2019, 13% of respondents with at least one online account say they use the same password for all their accounts. Using a password manager to generate a strong random password may be a good idea.  Update your camera firmware regularly Keeping cameras firmware up-to-date is very important as it allows you to prevent hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities and bugs that are already patched by manufacturers in a new firmware update.  Despite the fact that most modern cameras will automatically download and install firmware updates, some require the user to check for updates and install them.  Set up two-factor authentication  Set up the two-factor authentication if your cameras support it. With two-factor authentication on, the camera manufacturer will send you a randomly generated passcode via text message or phone call, as an addition to username and password, during each log in to the account. Two-factor authentication prevents hackers from accessing the camera system even if they were able to crack username and password.  Not all surveillance camera systems support two-factor authentication, though.  Technical recommendations Prevent cameras from sending information to third parties Companies that use surveillance cameras very often do not put enough effort into protecting their cameras and the data they transmit, despite the fact that this footage is of great importance to many people. The firmware of most cameras from different manufacturers is programmed in a way to keep a connection with the manufacturer’s server without knowledge of the end-user. Most users, both private and corporate, are not aware of this and therefore do not take any steps to protect themselves from this potential vulnerability, which could result in footage leak to a third party or a successful hacker attack. To prevent your camera network from transmitting, the following steps should be taken. Step 1: Statically assign an IP address Statically assign IP address for each camera, subnet mask and leave gateway blank or 127.0.0.1, if this is allowed in gateway fields to be entered. If the firmware does not allow blank or 127 subnets, just point gateway to an unused dedicated IP address.   This way, cameras will not be able to send the information off the local company network. Step 2: Assign DNS servers Assign DNS servers that are local to cameras and force only your domain to be present with zero forwarding DNS servers.  This way, if a camera tries to do name resolution, it will come up blank. Not being able to find the IP address of the main server (mother ship), cameras won’t be able to connect to it.    To stay safe you can order your own DNS servers, locked down to your addresses only. Block your camera network’s access to the Internet  Blocking your camera network’s access to the Internet is a good way to make sure hackers won’t be able to get access to the footage and other confidential data. Any dual-homed system touching your camera network should be blocked from Internet access. This way all systems in the same subnet won’t have access to the Internet from that box. Always use DNS because firewall rules tend to be easy to hack, while DNS that is internal is not expected and stops systems from resolving names you do not wish to be translated, like talking back to the mothership of a bad program.  Monitor your system for traffic spikes  One of the tricky things about hacker attacks is that there are no warnings. In most cases hackers would penetrate your system without any signs or symptoms of an attack, and it isn’t until you face consequences (like leaked footage or hackers manipulating cameras) when you realise something is wrong. It may be days or even months between the hacker attack and the time you realise the system has been compromised.  Monitoring dual-homed systems for bandwidth spikes could be a good way to spot a hack resulting in the leakage of confidential data like images or video. There are a number of traffic monitoring tools available to private and corporate users that can manage and sniff the network or just monitor them. Facial blur in archived footage  Blurring people’s faces when archiving in surveillance camera video streams is a great tool, allowing you to comply with privacy laws and make the footage useless to hackers even if they manage to successfully hack your system. These recommendations will allow you to lower the risk of hackers breaking into your security camera network, detect the hack if it has occurred already, and to protect yourself from possible consequences if camera footage was stolen.

There are many companies jumping into selling temperature detection systems to the state, local governments, hospitals, airports and local businesses, but do they know how to drive one? Anyone can get behind a car and drive it into a wall by accident. The same can happen with a temperature detection system.  The first thing you should ask is “does my firm have a certified thermographer?”. If not, the firm are at risk of getting a low quality system that is being resold to make quick cash. Businesses that are doing this do not know how to operate it properly. Asking the right questions Secondly, you should ask whether the system is NDAA compliant. NDAA compliance means that your temperature detection equipment is protected by U.S. law. Does your system have a HSRP device (blackbody)? HSRP (Heat Source Reference Point) is a device that will allow the camera to detect the correct temperature a distance. Even if the room temperature does change throughout the day, treat it as a reference point for the camera to know the temperature at that distance. Can your system scan mutliple people at once? Can your system scan mutliple people at once? This is a bad question but often asked since most systems will say yes. For ease, everyone wants to scan many people at once, but the best practice according to FDA and CDC guidelines is to run one person at a time for best accuracy. Why? The HSRP (blackbody) device tells the camera what the correct temperature is at a given distance away from the camera. Every foot you are away from the HSRP device will be off by 0.1 degrees roughly. If you are in a room full of people, let's say 6, in view of the camera, every person that is not next to the HSRP device (5) will be given an inaccurate reading. Hence why it is so important to run the system correctly with just one person at a time. You will also need to follow the 6 feet rule. If you take that into consideration, one at a time at 6 feet apart, the device should tell you how you need to run the system. Sensitivity of thermal imaging Is your system’s sensor accurate enough? The FDA recommends an error of ±0.5°C or better. When looking for a system, make sure it is better than what they recommend. I would recommend ±0.3°C or better. Do not purchase a system over ±-.5°C degrees as you are doing yourself and your customers or employees an injustice.  Another thing to look at is how many pixels it can determine the temperature from. Some cameras can only tell the temperature of 6 points on the screen, whilst others can take a temperature reading from each pixel. Take a 384x288 camera, for example, which would be over 110,000 points of temperature taking on a single image.      Thermal cameras are very sensitive, so there are a lot of do’s and don’ts. For example, the system cannot see through glasses or hats. On the below image you can see a person with the visual camera on the right, whilst on the left side is through a thermal camera.  Both are pointing at the same area. It is clear the person on the left side is “invisible” to the thermal imaging camera. Demonstrating the sensitivity of thermal imaging If you are a company who wants to detect the temperature of customers or employees though the front door, window or a car window, the answer would be no. You need a clear line of sight without any interference to scan for temperatures. Other things you need to look out for is wind and distance away from the HSRP (blackbody) device. Air and distance away from the HSRP device will make the system less and less accurate the more space between the device. Air and distance away from the HSRP device will make the system less and less accurate Thermal imaging and COVID-19 If you have a clear line of sight, is there anything I need to know? The answer is yes. Reflective materials such as metal can interfere with your temperature readings. Reflective materials are easily picked up from the thermal side so pointing at a medal, glass or anything reflective can cause inaccuracies within the system. In the age of COVID-19, temperature detection systems are more important than ever. Organisations must get a system in place to help scan for high temperatures in order to reduce the spread of the virus.