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Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT)

The Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT) works in the following areas:

  • specialty field tools
  • consulting & training
  • physical security R&D
  • insider threat mitigation
  • vulnerability assessments
  • access control & biometrics
  • microprocessor application
  • tamper & intrusion detection
  • novel security devices & strategies
  • tags & seals
  • reverse engineering
  • drug testing security
  • security countermeasures
  • security culture & human factors
  • product tampering & counterfeiting
  • tamper & intrusion detection
  • nuclear safeguards/nonproliferation
  • vote tampering

Argonne has expanded its capabilities to protect U.S. interests at home and abroad. The VAT moved to Argonne's Nuclear Engineering Division in October of 2007 from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The VAT conducts multi-disciplinary research and development on physical security devices, systems and programs. "The VAT's expertise and capabilities align extremely well with Argonne's work in national and homeland security," said Alfred Sattelberger, Associate Director of Physical Sciences and Applied Science and Technology at Argonne, who helped to find the group a home at Argonne. "Since the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, this lab has been actively bolstering its research portfolio to support the federal government's national security efforts. We expect that the VAT will be integrated into that work."

The VAT has worked extensively in the areas of product anti-counterfeiting, tamper and intrusion detection, cargo security, nuclear safeguards and the human factors associated with security using the tools of industrial and organizational psychology. The VAT also runs a rapid, one-stop microprocessor shop where Argonne scientists and researchers can have a microprocessor solution – hardware and software – for analog or digital measurements in about a week. Another VAT activity is playing host to the Journal of Physical Security, the first scholarly, peer-review journal devoted to physical security R&D.

The VAT made the move to Argonne because the team wants to make scientific research an integral part of its activities — a strategy not typically considered or employed when it comes to physical security, said Roger Johnston, who heads the team.

For more information:

In the Spotlight

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL SECURITY

Journal of Physical SecurityThe Journal of Physical Security is our modest effort to deal with some of the serious problems with the field of physical security—in particular, the lack of scholarly peer-reviewed journals. There are a number of useful trade journals that cover physical security. There are also numerous peer-review journals that focus on criminology, law enforcement, cryptography, terrorism, national security, computer security, or security management. The field of physical security, however, has long needed a journal that can serve as a central focus, as well as a vehicle for rigorous discussion and advancement of the field, especially in the areas of research, development, modeling, testing, and analysis. We hope to contribute to the advancement and understanding of the field. Physical security is not just of great practical importance, it is also an intellectually challenging, multidisciplinary, fascinating subject worthy of thoughtful study.
Read more at the Journal of Physical Security

Tell me more about…
Contact Roger Johnston   or Jon Warner  

Other Resources / News Items

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For a selection of VAT papers available upon request, see Publications.

For copies of the VAT papers and presentations on a wide variety of physical security issues (tags, seals, product counterfeiting, vulnerability assessments, RFIDs, GPS, nuclear safeguards), contact Roger Johnston at

  • Vulnerability Assessment’s Big Picture”, Sarah D. Scalet, CSO Magazine, June 2007, pp. 32-36
    Roger Johnston talks about how aliens, Elvis impersonators and your worst security users can help you find and fix security problems
  • The (In)Security of Drug Testing, Roger G. Johnston, Eric C. Michaud, and Jon S. Warner, ANL-62762
  • "The 5 Myths of RFID
    Big pharma's RFID trials aim to keep fake drugs out of your medicine cabinet but the technology has significant limitations.
    CSO Online Magazine, May 15, 2007
  • "Why Pharma's Anti-Tampering Strategies Don't Work
    PharmaManufacturing.com Magazine
  • "Do Random Codes Make Sense?
    Medical DeviceLink.com Magazine, May 2005
  • You can read about Roger Johnston and the VAT in the book "Safe: The Race to Protect Ourselves in a Newly Dangerous World," by Martha Baer, Katrina Heron, Oliver Morton, and Evan Ratliff (Harper Collins, 2005), pages 254-257 and 259.
  • More about the work of the VAT can be found in a feature article that appeared in the May 2005 issue of Mechanical Engineering.
  • "Get Creative to Reveal Unseen Vulnerabilities”, IOMA Security Director’s Report, Issue 05-11, November 2005, pp. 1, 12-13. SUBSCRIPTION NEEDED to read full article
  • F. Kahn, "The Eyes Don’t Have It", Business Travel Executive, June 2005. SUBSCRIPTION NEEDED to read full article
  • On Mar. 15, 1997, Roger was interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR) for "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED":
    "Tamper Proofers" the broadcast

Contact:
Roger Johnston, Section Manager
National Security and Non-proliferation Department
Vulnerability Assessments Section
Fax:  +1 630-252-7323

FEATURED PAPER

287 Security Blunders
You Should Avoid

As vulnerability assessors we constantly see the same mistakes crop up in security devices, systems, and programs. In this paper we identify some of the most common errors in physical and cyber-security, the reasons they occur, and why they are so pernicious. Practical ways to recognize and avoid these mistakes are also discussed. Learn how to seriously start thinking about security.

Read the paper now:

287 Security Blunders You Should Avoid, Jon S. Warner and Roger G. Johnston, ASIS International Annual Meeting, Sep. 21-24, 2009, Anaheim

Other VAT Papers recently featured:

The (In)Security of Drug Testing, Roger G. Johnston, Eric C. Michaud, and Jon S. Warner, ANL-62762

VAT Resources

VAT is a section of the National Security & Non-Proliferation Department at NE

OTHER RESOURCES

FEATURED MAXIM...

Physical Security Maxims

Contact Info

Roger Johnston, Manager
National Security and Non-proliferation Dept.
Vulnerability Assessments Section
Fax:  +1 630-252-7323

Jon Warner
National Security and Non-proliferation Dept.
Vulnerability Assessments Section
Fax:  +1 630-252-7323

Argonne Experts

Roger G. Johnston is one of the Experts featured in the Argonne Experts Guide.

YES, we are at the Argonne Open House!


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Last modified on October 23, 2009 15:46 +0200