InfraGard Members Alliance Houston

U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) will be holding a hearing entitled “Securing America’s Future: The Cybersecurity Act of 2012.”

On Thursday, February 16, 2012, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) will be holding a hearing entitled “Securing America’s Future:  The Cybersecurity Act of 2012.”  Over the past year, several other committees proposed related legislation which caused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to direct all committees of jurisdiction to come together and produce a single bill.  That bill will be introduced this week.  The HSGAC hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, February 16, 2012.  An audio/video of the hearing can be accessed on the HSGAC’s Web site at:  http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/securing-americas-future-the-cybersecurity-act-of-2012 

The upcoming HSGAC hearing comes on the heels of recent testimony concerning the world-wide threats, including cyber-related threats, facing the United States.  On January 31, 2012, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held an open hearing concerning “Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States.”  The Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, testified at the hearing and provided an unclassified statement on the Intelligence Community’s assessment of threats to U.S. national security, which can be accessed on the Committee’s Web site at:

http://intelligence.senate.gov/hearings.cfm?hearingid=f14e6e2889a80b6b53be6d4e412f6eac&witnessId=f14e6e2889a80b6b53be6d4e412f6eac-0-1  

Director Clapper’s testimony is worth the read.  He focuses on, among many other topics, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (focusing on Iran and North Korea), cyber threats (focusing on increasing computer network operations), and threats to the energy and water sectors.  An archived video/audio of the hearing can be accessed on the U.S. Senate’s Web site at the following address:  http://www.senate.gov/fplayers/jw57/commMP4Player.cfm?fn=intel013112&st=xxx   

Source: Connecticut InfraGard Chapter

Quarterly meeting Nov 17th at the Texas Medical Center

The next quarterly meeting will be held at the Texas Medical Center and focus on the Health Care sector.  It will be held from noon until 3:00pm.

Agenda and addtional details will be posted by Nov 4th.

Please refer to the following link for additonal detials: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2441219754

 

Swedish police arrest man for building nuclear reactor in his kitchen

A 31-year old Swede was arrested after ahothorities discovered he was preparing to build a nuclear reactor in his apartment's kitchen; he already had some radioactive material -- ordered from overseas -- and material acquired by taking apart a domestic fire alarm; he was discovered when he called the Swedish Radiation Authority to inquire whether it was legal to construct a nuclear reactor at home.

Full article: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/swedish-police-arrest-man-building-nuclear-reactor-his-kitchen

EMCAPS: Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment and Planning Scenarios

James Scheulen (Johns Hopkins Medicine), Christian Latimer and Jeffery Brown (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)

This standalone software program is intended to allow users to model disaster scenarios for drill planning and to use as an education resource. The EMCAPS Model allows you to estimate casualties arising from biological (Anthrax, Plague, Food Contamination), chemical (blister, nerve and toxic agents) radiological (dirty bomb) or explosive (IED) attacks. These scenarios are based on the Department of Homeland Security Planning Scenarios (April 2005).

When you run the EMCAPS Model, you are able to select one of the scenarios we have listed above and adjust the various inputs (e.g., bomb size, population density, quantity of release, wind speed, etc) to most closely simulate your own environment.

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Synthetic DNA makers alerted to bioterrorism threats

Published 22 October 2010

Scientists have been engineering genetic sequences for decades and commercial gene sequencing has been around for years -- but this year, researchers for the first time were able to design and produce cells that do not exist in nature without using pre-existing biological matter -- marking the latest evolution in the rapidly advancing field of synthetic biology; the developments could pave the way for advancements in medicine, energy, and agriculture, but also could put sensitive materials in the wrong hands; it will soon be possible to recreate bacterial pathogens like smallpox -- and even enhance these pathogens, making them more potent

Full article: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/synthetic-dna-makers-alerted-bioterrorism-threats

Mexican cartels' assassins operate in Arizona

Drug smuggling gangs in Mexico have sent well-armed assassins, or sicarios, into Arizona to locate and kill bandits who are ambushing and stealing loads of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin headed to buyers in the United States; the drug cartels have posted scouts on the high points in the mountains and in the hills surrounding the Vekol Valley smuggling corridor; says the country sheriff:
"They have radios, they have optics, they have night-vision goggles as good as anything law enforcement has---

This is going on here in Arizona. This is 70 to 80 miles from the border -- 30 miles from the fifth-largest city in the United States"

The sheriff said he had asked the Obama administration for 3,000 National Guard soldiers to patrol the border, but instead got fifteen signs. He also has confirmed that he got the DHS memo warning of the assassins.

http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/mexican-cartels-assassins-operate-arizona

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Regulators: N.J. nuclear plant employee was an Islamic jihadist

A 26-year old American, Sharif Mobley, now under arrest in Yemen for terrorist activities, became an Islamic militant while working for six years at several nuclear plants in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland; the man -- who told fellow workers "We are brothers in the union, but if a holy war comes, look out" -- had unescorted access to the interior of the plants; to have unescorted access to secure areas of a nuclear power plant, a person must undergo a background investigation, including a criminal record check and a psychological assessment -- but the rules did not account for temporary workers who migrate from plant to plant, as Mobley did...

Much of the report was withheld from the public release because it “revealed security vulnerabilities” at nuclear facilities, said Stephen D. Dingbaum, the commission’s assistant inspector general for audits.

Shane writes that the inspector general found that Mobley did have unescorted access to the interior of the plants but did not have access to computers or high-security information.

http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/regulators-nj-nuclear-plant-employee-was-islamic-jihadist

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Iran's Nuclear Chiefs Battle Cyber Attack

"This computer worm (STUXNET) is designed to transfer data about production lines from our industrial plants to (locations) outside of the country."

The Stuxnet worm is described by experts as the most complex piece of malware ever designed.

Technology security provider Symantec told the Financial Times it would have taken a team of 10 specialised programmers about six months of full-time work to design Stuxnet.

"Government organisations across the world need to think carefully about how they are protecting their power stations, water plants and industrial units, from malicious attack," Mr Bentley added.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Technology/Irans-Atomic-Energy-Organisation-Meets-To-Discuss-Response-To-Stuxnet-Worm-Over-Nuclear-Plant-Fears/Article/201009415743426?lpos=Technology_Second_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15743426_Irans_Atom

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Surveillance Detection Awareness on the Job - Virtual Roundtable event on HSIN

The Office of Infrastructure Protection’s (IP) Sector-Specific Agency Executive Management Office (SSA EMO) and Partnership and Outreach Division (POD), with assistance from the Surveillance Detection workgroup, developed a 90-minute, highly interactive and visual, virtual roundtable, designed to raise the awareness of suspicious activities and behaviors that might indicate potential surveillance activities. An invitation to the roundtable is attached. 

The target audience for this roundtable will be a full-range of employees working at critical infrastructure facilities, government agencies, governmental organizations, and private-sector owners and operators, including front-line supervisors such as security managers, facilities managers, human resource managers, compliance managers, and IT managers.

More information: http://www.infragardhouston.org/pdfs/SDA%20Virtual%20Roundtable%209-9-10%20Invite.pdf

Border spending bill cuts $100 million from SBInet

Tactical communications along the southwest border gained a funding boost with President Obama's August 13 signing of a $600 million supplemental spending border security bill--a boost paid for in part with a decrease in SBInet funding.

In a statement accompanying his Friday signing of the bill, Obama said the extra spending will be offset by canceling $100 million from the SBInet program, with the remainder coming from an increase in application fees paid by companies seeking U.S. work visas for foreign citizens.

Subscribe: http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/signup?sourceform=Viral-Tynt-FierceGovernmentIT-FierceGovernmentIT

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling