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National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium

Five universities have partnered and collaborated to establish the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium. The consortium is organized around the Community Cyber Security Maturity Model (CCSMM) that emphasizes cyber-security as being the responsibility of the "whole community". The whole community includes the public and private sectors as well as any individual within the community who accesses the internet or a computer network. The consortium members include The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), The Texas Engineering Extension Service in the Texas A & M University system, U of Memphis, The Criminal Justice Institute (CJI), University of Arkansas System, and Norwich University.

 

Website: http://www.cyberpreparednessconsortium.org/

2016 Texas Grid Security Summit Conference Video

2016 Texas Grid Security Summit Conference Video

Texas State Senator Bob Hall hosted a summit on electric grid security. State and national experts addressed critical security concerns from high-impact threats that could cause a nationwide critical infrastructure collapse for a month or more. The summit addressed 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 highlighted state and federal legislative EMP protection and electric grid security efforts.

Link to conference video archives: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist2/dist2.htm

Day 1 http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=11049

Day 2 http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=11051

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

FBI Warns of Cyber Threat to Electric Grid

BY: Bill Gertz Follow @BillGertz April 8, 2016 6:10 pm

Three months after a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report downplayed the threat of a cyber attack against the U.S. electrical grid, DHS and the FBI began a nationwide program warning of the dangers faced by U.S. utilities from damaging cyber attacks like the recent hacking against Ukraine’s power grid.

The nationwide campaign by DHS and the FBI began March 31 and includes 12 briefings and online webinars for electrical power infrastructure companies and others involved in security, with sessions in eight U.S. cities, including a session next week in Washington.

The unclassified briefings are titled “Ukraine Cyber Attack: Implications for U.S. Stakeholders,” and are based on work with the Ukrainian government in the aftermath of the Dec. 23 cyber attack against the Ukrainian power infrastructure.

Full article: http://freebeacon.com/issues/fbi-warns-cyber-threat-electric-grid/

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

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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/

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

MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE TO REMOTE EXPLOITS

As previously reported by the media in and after July 2015, security researchers evaluating automotive cybersecurity were able to demonstrate remote exploits of motor vehicles. The analysis demonstrated the researchers could gain significant control over vehicle functions remotely by exploiting wireless communications vulnerabilities. While the identified vulnerabilities have been addressed, it is important that consumers and manufacturers are aware of the possible threats and how an attacker may seek to remotely exploit vulnerabilities in the future. Third party aftermarket devices with Internet or cellular access plugged into diagnostics ports could also introduce wireless vulnerabilities.

Modern motor vehicles often include new connected vehicle technologies that aim to provide benefits such as added safety features, improved fuel economy, and greater overall convenience. Aftermarket devices are also providing consumers with new features to monitor the status of their vehicles. However, with this increased connectivity, it is important that consumers and manufacturers maintain awareness of potential cyber security threats.

Full article: http://www.ic3.gov/media/2016/160317.aspx

China, Russia Planning Space Attacks on U.S. Satellites

Critical space infrastructure faces crippling missile strikes, small satellites, lasers.

 

China and Russia are preparing to attack and disrupt critical U.S. military and intelligence satellites in a future conflict with crippling space missile, maneuvering satellite, and laser attacks, senior Pentagon and intelligence officials told Congress on Tuesday.

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of the Air Force Space Command, said the threat to U.S. space systems has reached a new tipping point, and after years of post-Cold War stagnation foreign states are focused on curbing U.S. space systems.

 

Full article: http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-russia-planning-space-attacks-on-u-s-satellites/

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