InfraGard Members Alliance Houston

Man Admits Attempting to Use a Weapon of Mass Destruction to Bomb a Skyscraper in Downtown Dallas

DALLAS—Hosam Maher Husein Smadi pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to a felony offense related to his attempted bombing of a downtown Dallas skyscraper in September 2009, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

“Today’s guilty plea underscores the continuing threat we face from lone actors who, although not members of any international terrorist organization, are willing to carry out acts of violence in this country to further the terrorist cause. I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors responsible for this successful investigation and prosecution,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

“The facts disclosed today and Smadi’s plea make it clear his intention was to kill American citizens.

Smadi knowingly took possession of a truck that contained a weapon of mass destruction, specifically a destructive device or bomb. The truck with the bomb inside was a vehicle borne improvised explosive device. Smadi believed that this was an active weapon of mass destruction, and while it was inert when Smadi took possession of it, it was a readily-convertible weapon of mass destruction.

http://dallas.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/dl052610.htm

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Growing calls for rethinking Miranda rights for terrorism suspects

Attorney General Eric Holder: "I think we have to give serious consideration to at least modifying that public-safety exception [to the Miranda protections]; [the administration and congress need] to come up with a proposal that is both constitutional, but that is also relevant to our times and the threats that we now face"

Since the arrest of Faisal Shazad, a naturalized American citizen, more and more legislators and officials have raised the question of whether or not Miranda rights should be suspended for terrorism suspects.

McCain and Lieberman introduced a bill two months ago called the Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention and Prosecution Act of 2010 that permits the president to detain, without trial, citizens suspected of terrorism.

http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/growing-calls-rethinking-miranda-rights-terrorism-suspects

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Hurricane Preparedness Week during 2010 will be held May 23rd through May 29th

FEMA is urging residents to be prepared for their personal safety and survival in case a hurricane threatens their community. To assist in these efforts, FEMA, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is helping to raise awareness of steps that can be taken to help protect citizens, their communities and property

Each day during Hurricane Preparedness Week a special topic will be highlighted.  Topics include:

23
History
Hurricane History

24
Storm Surge
FEMA Surges Up for This Hurricane Season

25
High Winds 
FEMA Operations Keeps Track of High Winds Impact in the NRCC

26
Inland Flooding 
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program

27
Forecast
FEMA Urges the Use of Weather Radios

28
Prepare
FEMA Wants You to Prepare This Hurricane Season

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Take Action
Get A Kit

Link to FEMA National Hurricane Preparedness Week site 

Contributed by: Bob Janusaitis

Policy Official Notes Cybersecurity Challenges

Putting cybersecurity in place poses significant challenges for the Defense Department, the government as a whole and for critical infrastructure, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for policy said today.

James N. Miller, said cybersecurity “is not a glass half full/glass half empty story.”    “There is a glass,” he said. “It has some water in it. The water is dirty, and we have an insatiable thirst in this area.”

The challenges are immense, Miller said. “We don’t really understand the nature of the threat that we face,” he noted. But one thing that is clear, he said, is that the Defense Department relies heavily on information technology, and enemies, criminal gangs and hackers are stealing terabytes of information from The Defense Department and the rest of the government.

The Defense Department alone has about 15,000 networks, with millions of users in 88 countries.

“Over the past decade, we have seen the frequency and sophistication of intrusions into our networks increased,” he said. “Our networks are scanned thousands of times an hour.”

http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=59143

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Emergency Responder ID Trust Network (ER-ITN)

The Emergency Responder ID Trust Network® (ER-ITN) enables critical infrastructure and support organizations to establish a network of trust with checkpoint operators (e.g. local law enforcement) before or during a crisis based on validated identity information.

Instead of managing cumbersome essential personnel lists (such as spreadsheets), organizations use the ERITN to:

• Find and satisfy the access requirements of a particular jurisdiction
• Manage the minimum identity information required to fulfill the particular tier or role for each individual
• Notify checkpoints who is to be allowed to pass based on need, or the current authorized tier or role(s)

The ER-ITN is a web-based solution that operates securely over the Internet. Unlike competing solutions, the ER-ITN does not require users to install any new or special hardware or software.

ER-ITN Info sheet

ER-ITN Brochure

U.S. allocates $790 million for infrastructure and preparedness

DHS secretary Janet Napolitano last Thursday announced the fiscal year 2010 Preparedness Grants for nine federal programs. The programs include critical infrastructure-related grants — totaling nearly $790 million to assist state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector in strengthening preparedness for acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies.

• Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) — $253.4 million to protect critical transit infrastructure from terrorism — in addition to $150 million in transit security grants provided by the Recovery Act (1, 2), totaling $403.4 million — including:
  Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP) — $14.5 million
  Intercity Passenger Rail (Amtrak) — $20 million
  Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) — $11.5 million
  Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) — $288 million
  Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP) — $48 million
  Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) Grant Program — $57.6 million
  Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP) — $48 million
  Driver’s License Security Grant Program (DLSGP) —$48 million

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

National Preparedness Month (NPM) Webinar May 18th

The 2010 National Preparedness Month (NPM) Webinar introducing the 2010 Toolkit and featuring information on how to participate in NPM 2010.

September 2010 is the seventh annual NPM. This year will focus on encouraging Americans to work together to take concrete actions toward emergency preparedness. We are encouraging all Americans to join the readiness team and truly help themselves, their neighbors, and their communities be Ready.

When: Tuesday, May 18^th, 2010

Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT

Webinar Computer Log-in: https://connect.hsin.gov/npm2010/

(NOTE: please log in 10 to 15 minutes before the call to ensure the program and PowerPoint work properly on your computer.  Once you enter the system, log in as a guest simply by using your first and last name. )

Telephone Dial-in: 1-888-437-2685 (domestic) & 1-412-317-2500 (international)

Pin: 45612

**YOU DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER FOR THIS CALL**

Boeing, DHS defend work on SBInet

Senior Homeland Security Department and Boeing Co. officials today defended the Secure Border Initiative Network as a program that is providing urgently needed capabilities despite delays, technical glitches and growing costs.

“The feedback we are getting is very positive,” Borkowski said. “It is very encouraging.”

Michael Fisher, acting chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, agreed with that assessment. “With respect to SBInet in Tucson-1, what we are seeing is that we are doing it right,” Fisher said at the hearing.

Full article

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Is CD Piracy a Matter for Homeland Security?

Several influential entertainment industry trade groups, including the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and the Screen Actors Guild, seem to think that the nation's security is at risk because of DVD and CD piracy.

Not so, says Pat Reilly, spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a department within the Department of Homeland Security.

Still, there's a question of whether the MPAA and RIAA are hogging up government resources for their own interests. The RIAA, has filed thousands of lawsuits against John Does, which often amount to woefully tiny settlements, if the lawsuits aren't ignored altogether. Further, some question the legality of the RIAA's legal tactics. In one complaint filed against music labels Sony, Electra, BMG and Motown, Shahanda Noelle Moursy argued that the record companies are "abusing the federal court judicial system for the purpose of waging a public relations and public threat campaign targeting digital file sharing activities."

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/9g7lxb

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

FBI Cyber survey (Anonymous)

If you haven't already responded we would appreciate you completing this survey by May 31, 2010.

In conjunction with the Houston Division of the FBI we are conducting a survey of Cyber Activity.  The survey is intended to gather general information about what is being observed in cyberspace.  The survey is specifically designed to provide the highest level of anonymity.  It should be printed, and completed with no company or personal identifiers.  You may mail it in an envelope (without a return address) to the InfraGard Coordinator: FBI, Attn: SA Noel Due, 1 Justice Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77092; or place it in the drop box at a future meeting.

The results of the survey will be posted publicly sometime in the second quarter.

Cyber survey