Business911 International, Inc.

Texas Grid Security Summit

Texas State Senator Bob Hall cordially invites you to attend a summit on electric grid security. Hear from state and national experts as they address critical security concerns from high-impact threats that could cause a nationwide critical infrastructure collapse for a month or more. This summit will address the Texas electric grid’s vulnerability to electromagnetic pulse (EMP), geomagnetic solar storms, and the interplay of cyber-attacks; discuss emergency preparedness and emerging protective technologies; and highlight state and federal legislative EMP protection and electric grid security efforts.

Conference brochure: http://resiliency.typepad.com/2016_Tx_Summit_Flyer_Final_4_14_16.pdf

Blackout! Are We Prepared to Manage the Aftermath of a Cyber-Attack or Other Failure of the Electrical Grid?

US House Transportation and Infrastructure Hearing 10:00am EST today

The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management will meet on Thursday, April 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building for a hearing titled “Blackout! Are We Prepared to Manage the Aftermath of a Cyber-Attack or Other Failure of the Electrical Grid?” The purpose of the hearing is twofold: 1. To explore the risks, vulnerabilities and consequences of a prolonged, widespread power outage and understand the primary federal roles, authorities and resources available to help communities, particularly at the local level, manage the aftermath of such a disaster; and 2. To assess the efforts and coordination among the participants—public, private and non-profit—in the electrical power sector, including planning, preparedness and mitigation efforts, response and recovery capabilities, information sharing, and standards setting. The Subcommittee will receive testimony from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and a representative from the electrical industry

Full article: http://transportation.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=400038

Hackers hit fire district, force ransom payment

Officials paid a $750 ransom to the hackers who had taken control and encrypted files on a computer at the fire district; employees are now being trained on Internet safety

Today at 7:39 AM

---

By FireRescue1 Staff

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — Officials paid a ransom of $750 to hackers who had taken control and encrypted files on a computer at a fire district Jan. 22.

Valley Record reported that the city of Snoqualmie, which provides information technology services to Duvall (Wash.) King County Fire District 45, paid the ransom that was required to unlock a computer on the district's network. It was encrypted on Jan. 7 when an employee clicked a link in a fake email message.

Full article: http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/technology/articles/79184018-Hackers-hit-fire-district-force-ransom-payment/

Move to OK commercial drone flights over people

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government-sponsored committee is recommending standards that could clear the way for commercial drone flights over populated areas and help speed the introduction of package delivery drones and other uses not yet possible, The Associated Press has learned.

The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits most commercial drone flights over populated areas, especially crowds. That ban frustrates a host of industries that want to take advantage of the technology.

"Every TV station in the country wants one, but they can't be limited to flying in the middle of nowhere because there's no news in the middle of nowhere," said Jim Williams, a former head of FAA's drone office who now advises the industry for Dentons, athn international law firm.

 

Cellular network providers also want to loosen restrictions so drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, can inspect cell towers, which often are in urban areas. Amazon's vision for package deliveries entails drones winging their way over city and suburban neighborhoods.

Full article: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f23e06137ac1406eaa16342ebb772c6f/apnewsbreak-move-ok-commercial-drone-flights-over-people

911 System Done in by a Malfunctioning Air Conditioner

Lawmakers want answers about how this could occur after county spent tens of millions of dollars 911 equipment, maintenance, training and testing.

Sandra Tan, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | March 31, 2016

Erie County’s 911 system shut down for nearly four hours Wednesday morning – done in by a malfunctioning air conditioner.

And the failures didn’t stop there. The back-up system didn’t work either, and more than half an hour passed before anyone realized it. County dispatchers headed to a secondary location in Cheektowaga, only to discover that emergency calls that were supposed to be diverted there weren’t coming in.

Now lawmakers want answers about how this could occur after spending tens of millions of dollars in recent years on 911 equipment, maintenance, training and testing.

Full article: : http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Erie-County-officials-seek-answers-after-911-failure.html

Bob Janusaitis has been accepted in the Executive Master of Public Service Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service

 

March 22, 2016 Edmonton,, Alberta, Canada

Bob Janusaitis has been accepted in the Executive Master of Public Service Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Bob will begin the inaugural program in the summer of 2016.

DOJ expected to charge 5 Iranians in 2013 hacking of New York dam

The Department of Justice is expected to announce charges against up to five Iranians believed to be tied to the 2013 hacking of a New York dam, a law enforcement source told Fox News.

The DOJ is expected to make the announcement sometime in the coming days, according to the source. The individuals are believed to have connections within the Iranian government.

The hackers allegedly infiltrated the control system of the Bowman Ave Dam in Rye Brook, N.Y., which is about 20 miles outside New York City, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. The breach raised fears of the vulnerabilities of the United States' infrastructure to foreign hackers. It also came at a time that the Iranians were on the offensive in attacking U.S. banks.

Full article: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/10/doj-expected-to-charge-5-iranians-in-2013-hacking-new-york-dam.html?intcmp=hpbt2

CYBERCOM says cyberattacks on infrastructure coming

Gen. Joseph L. Votel (left), head of the Special Operations Command, has been nominated to become the commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State group. Lt. Gen. Raymond A. Thomas.

The commander of the U.S. Cyber Command warned last week that he expects a major cyberattack on critical infrastructure in the United States in the future.

“It is only a matter of the ‘when,’ not the ‘if’ we’re going to see a nation-state, group or actor engage in destructive behavior against critical infrastructure in the United States,” Adm. Mike Rogers, Cyber Command chief and director of the National Security Agency, warned in a speech March 2.

Full article: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/9/inside-the-ring-infrastructure-cyberattacks/?page=all#pagebreak

 

Emergency Telehealth

Wed, Feb 10, 2016

By Hutton Marshall, BA

David Persse connects patients to physicians via video-call technology

Technology has created a society that allows for unprecedented connectivity. In a matter of seconds, we can contact a family member miles away, a business partner across the country, or a total stranger across the globe. Now, thanks to an innovative new program in Houston, Texas, technology even allows us to connect instantly with a doctor in times of need.

The program is known as ETHAN (Emergency TeleHealth And Navigation), and its creator, David Persse, MD, FACEP, says it allows first responders not only the ability to connect their non-emergency patients with physicians in a moment’s notice, it allows EMS providers the ability to deliver much more responsive, specialized care to patients requiring something other than an ambulance ride to the ED.

Full article: http://www.jems.com/articles/supplements/special-topics/ems-10-innovators-in-ems-2015/emergency-telehealth.html

Two Houston dams among 'extremely high risk'

Photo: Mayra Beltran - Evelyn Merz, of the Sierra Club, walks the banks of the dam at Addicks Reservoir on the south side of the dam, which releases water into Buffalo Bayou in Houston.

On a typical day near Houston's Barker and Addicks reservoirs, it's quite beautiful in the 26,000-acre recreational green space.

But then it rains.

The two dams are among six in the nation deemed "extremely high risk" by the US Army Corps of Engineers, according to Houston Public Media. They are located on either side of the Katy Freeway at Highway 6.

Full article: http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Two-Houston-dams-among-extremely-high-risk-6875135.php?cmpid=fb-mobile