NIST Tech Beat for February 18, 2015

A biweekly digest of science and technology research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Issue for February 18, 2015

New NIST Tools to Help Boost Wireless Channel Frequencies and Capacity Smartphones and tablets are everywhere, which is great for communications but a growing burden on wireless channels. Forecasted huge increases in mobile data traffic call for exponentially more channel capacity. Boosting bandwidth and capacity could speed downloads, improve service quality, and enable new applications like the Internet of Things connecting a multitude of devices. To help solve the wireless crowding conundrum and support the next generation of mobile technology NIST researchers are developing measurement tools for channels that are new for mobile communications and that could offer more than 1,000 times the bandwidth of today's cell phone systems.

NIST Shows Crystal Pattern Mapping Can Recover Obliterated Serial Numbers in Metals NIST researchers NIST have demonstrated a technique for mapping patterns in crystals that can recover destroyed serial numbers on metal objects such as firearms, a common challenge in forensics. The technique might also meet other forensic needs such as reconstructing vehicle identification numbers or imprints on ammunition casings, the researchers suggest.

Vendors Sought to Develop Model System to Monitor Security of Energy Industry Networked Control Systems The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) is seeking collaborators on an effort to help energy companies improve the security of the networked technologies they rely upon to control the generation, transmission and distribution of power. Participants would provide products and technical expertise to create a model, standards-based system that could capture, transmit and analyze data from industrial control systems and related networking equipment in real- or near-real-time.

NIST Releases Update of Industrial Control Systems Security Guide for Final Public Review NIST has issued proposed updates to its Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security for final public review and comment. The final draft includes revisions and additions responding to comments that NIST received from about 30 organizations during the initial comment review period. Comments on the latest -- and final -- review draft are due before March 10, 2015. Downloaded more than 3 million times since its initial release in 2006, the ICS security guide advises on how to reduce the vulnerability of computer-controlled industrial systems to malicious attacks, equipment failures, errors, inadequate malware protection and other threats.

Seeking Excellence? All Roads Lead to 2015 Quest Conference in April "Quest" comes from a Latin verb meaning to "seek or ask." For organizations seeking insight toward improved performance and results, there's no better place than the Quest for Excellence® conference. Registration is now open for the 27th annual conference, April 12-15, 2015, in Baltimore, Md., that will feature insight from current and past winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest honor for performance excellence and innovation.

NIST Announces Pilot Grants Competition to Improve Security and Privacy of Online Identity Verification Systems NIST is launching a competition for a fourth round of grants to pilot online identity verification systems that help improve the privacy, security and convenience of online transactions. The pilot grants support the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), a White House initiative launched in 2011 to improve trust online through the creation of an "Identity Ecosystem," with standards and processes for secure, interoperable inline identity verification.

NIST Advisory Committee Welcomes New Member Michael Garvey, president and C.E.O. of M-7 Technologies, an engineering, manufacturing and research organization, has joined NIST's primary advisory committee. Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director Willie May appointed Garvey to the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) for a three-year term.

Other News from NIST —

A Measurement Job That's Truly Out of this World The scientists and engineers at NIST are recognized experts at the critical task of calibrating precision instruments to ensure the data they return are trustworthy. Usually, if something goes wrong, you can just recalibrate. But if the instrument in question is tracking the Earth from space, the stakes get higher. Scheduled to launch on Sunday, the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observer) satellite carries two NIST-calibrated instruments. Including one -- NISTAR -- conceived by NIST sensor researchers. In support of NASA and NOAA, two agencies more readily associated with space, NIST has been an integral part of readying missions for blast-off for decades. Many missions over the past 24 years have involved observing phenomena on our own planet. A crucial step in launch preparation is instrument calibration, and this is where NIST, the nation's measurement authority, comes in. Read more ...

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