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Volume 22 — Issue 12 | March 24, 2022

First intranasal treatment for cyanide poisoning begins Phase 1 clinical study

Cyanide has always been a chemical of concern for first responders. It is a highly poisonous compound that can enter the body by inhalation, ingestion, or contact with skin or eyes. Exposure to cyanide can quickly become fatal. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN), the deadliest form of cyanide, is designated as a chemical warfare agent by the military.

First responders may encounter cyanide in several ways, including as a response to a chemical suicide incident or when cyanide is used as a chemical weapon. A much more common source of cyanide exposure for firefighters is smoke inhalation due to a fire or exposure to the byproducts of combustion after a fire. This is due to the increased use of synthetic polymers in common building materials and furnishings, which release cyanide when they burn.

When someone is exposed to a toxic amount of cyanide, a rapid medical intervention is required. However, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), all current FDA-approved treatments for cyanide poisoning require IV infusion for delivery. Because time is critical to a successful medical intervention for acute cyanide poisoning, a first-line treatment that can be administered more quickly and easily is needed.

To address this need, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) funded a multi-year contract to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. in 2017 to research and develop the first intranasal spray intended for administration by first responders and medical personnel following a cyanide incident.

After several years of research, Emergent BioSolutions, in collaboration with Southwest Research Institute, has developed a potential intranasal treatment using stabilized isoamyl nitrite (SIAN). This month, Emergent BioSolutions initiated a Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this treatment on humans.

Development of this new intranasally administered cyanide treatment aligns with BARDA’s mission to support development of the necessary drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) accidents, incidents and attacks, and emerging infectious diseases.

To find out more about this project, read more on ClinicalTrials.gov.

(Sources: Various)

Highlights

First intranasal treatment for cyanide poisoning begins Phase 1 clinical study

America’s evolving homeland security threats: ODNI’s Annual Threat Assessment and CHDS webinar series

COPS Office releases guidance on community engagement strategies for law enforcement drone programs

Webinar: How to implement effective employee vigilance strategies and de-escalation techniques

Cyber Threats

The U.S. Fire Administration operates the Emergency Management and Response – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC).

For information regarding the EMR-ISAC visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/emr-isac or contact the EMR-ISAC office at: (301) 447-1325 and/or fema-emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

America’s evolving homeland security threats: ODNI’s Annual Threat Assessment and CHDS webinar series

Each year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) publishes an Annual Threat Assessment focused on the worldwide threats to U.S. national security for the upcoming year. It provides the Intelligence Community’s (IC’s) assessments of the most pressing threats to U.S. national interests, which are informed by the interests of the United States’ key adversaries and competitors.

The 2022 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, released last month, assesses the most direct, serious threats to the United States expected in 2022.

This 31-page report details the objectives, activities, and capabilities of four adversarial nations:  China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  It examines conflicts and instability taking place across the globe that may be of concern to the United States (Afghanistan; India-Pakistan; India-China; Near East; East Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Africa).  It also provides analysis for each of the following transnational issues:

• Infectious diseases and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Biological weapons.
• Anomalous health incidents.
• Climate change and environmental degradation.
• Innovative use of new technology.
• Transnational crime.
• Migration.
• Global terrorism.

Information available as of Jan. 21, 2022, was used to develop this assessment. Therefore, while Russia-Ukraine tensions are part of the overall assessments in the report, the most recent impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are not incorporated into this report.

For an overview and discussion of impacts to homeland security inclusive of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, homeland security practitioners may be interested in a feature article and two-part webinar series from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) on the topic America’s evolving homeland security threats at home and abroad.

Part 1: A World Divided was conducted on March 16 and focused on the international landscape, including discussion of the impact of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and an emboldened China. Part 2: A Nation Divided, airs today. It focuses on America’s domestic threats and explores their relationship to international threats. Part 1 is now available on-demand and Part 2 will soon be available on CHDS’s website.

(Sources: ODNI, CHDS)

COPS Office releases guidance on community engagement strategies for law enforcement drone programs

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones, are incredibly useful in public safety disciplines. UAS can map damage after weather events, help in search and rescue efforts, increase safety in suspect pursuits, enter potentially hazardous environments, and even see in the dark. UAS can increase both public safety and officer safety and wellness and can potentially save money for local jurisdictions. However, they also require intensive coordination with multiple local and federal agencies and with the community.

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has just released a guidance document for law enforcement on UAS: Community Engagement Strategies for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) Law Enforcement Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Programs (Community Engagement Strategies).

Even the most robust and well planned UAS program cannot be successful without the confidence of the people the law enforcement agency is sworn to protect and serve. This publication assists SLTT law enforcement agencies in establishing solid public relations with respect to their drone programs. It includes recommendations on public outreach and education to encourage transparency and inform the public about law enforcement use of drones in the community.

This publication is the third in a series developed by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in collaboration with the COPS Office. The previous two publications in this series are:

• Drones: A Report on the Use of Drones by Public Safety Agencies—and a Wake-Up Call about the Threat of Malicious Drone Attacks (Drones), published Dec. 2020. This report outlines a wide range of considerations for creating a law enforcement drone program as well as countering malicious drone activity by bad actors.
• Roadmap to Implementing an Effective Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Program (Roadmap), published Feb. 2021. This report is a focused eight-step guide to help agencies plan and implement drone programs.

The latest publication, Community Engagement Strategies, builds on the Roadmap’s second step – Engaging the Community.

The guidance within all three publications is the product of the collaborative efforts of the COPS Office, PERF, and an SLTT Working Group convened by the COPS Office, comprised of practitioners from cutting-edge UAS programs nationwide, stakeholder groups, and federal partners from relevant departments.

You can access the Drones, Roadmap, and Community Engagement Strategies publications on the COPS Office website.

(Source: DOJ COPS Office)

Webinar: How to implement effective employee vigilance strategies and de-escalation techniques

For a community to mitigate or prevent acts of targeted violence against its citizens, businesses, or critical infrastructure, all stakeholders must be ready and trained to play their part.

Emergency responders, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and community business owners are all key stakeholders in this effort. Acts of targeted violence have the potential to escalate very quickly. These stakeholders need to plan together and train together to respond effectively to threats of targeted violence.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) Emergency Services Sector Management Team (ES SMT) hosts a webinar series as part of its Emergency Services Sector Resilience Development Project (ESS RDP). This webinar series supports the ESS RDP’s objective to proactively coordinate a unified effort to assist in critical infrastructure resilience and continuity of operations for the Nation’s first responders.

The next webinar in the ESS RDP series is “How to implement effective employee vigilance strategies and de-escalation techniques.” It is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST.

During this 45-minute presentation, CISA’s Office of Security Programs will provide an overview of two of CISA’s latest resources: De-Escalation for Critical Infrastructure Owners and Operators and Employee Vigilance Through the Power of Hello. These resources empower employees to identify suspicious activity, navigate the threat of potentially escalating behavior, and take measures to stabilize or de-escalate the encounter.

The presentation will discuss how to report the situation to an organization’s multi-disciplinary threat management team or directly to local law enforcement. Participants will be guided through the OHNO concept – Observe, Initiate a Hello, Navigate the Risk, and Obtain Help – by taking a comprehensive look at their work environment and identifying common behavioral and suspicious activity indicators.

Additional CISA resources will be discussed to amplify security capacity-building and enhance security planning.

This webinar will be hosted on HSIN Connect, which uses the Adobe Connect platform. Participation does not require advanced registration or a HSIN account. Simply follow this link to join the webinar at the scheduled time: https://share.dhs.gov/deescalationci/. If you have never attended a HSIN Connect meeting before, you can test your connection ahead of the event.

For more information on the ESS Resilience Development Project, contact the Emergency Services Sector Risk Management Team at EmergencyServicesSector@cisa.dhs.gov.

(Source: CISA)

Cyber Incident Assistance

MS-ISAC
SOC@cisecurity.org
1-866-787-4722

IdentityTheft.gov

IC3

Cybercrime Support Network

General Information

StopRansomware.gov

CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

FTC scam list

CISA alerts

Law Enforcement Cyber Center

TLP Information

Readout of CISA call with critical infrastructure partners on potential Russian cyberattacks against the United States

On March 22, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency convened a three-hour call with over 13,000 industry stakeholders to provide an update on the potential for Russian cyberattacks against the U.S. homeland and answer questions from a range of stakeholders across the nation.

As the President noted on Monday, March 21, evolving intelligence indicates that the Russian Government is exploring options to conduct potential cyberattacks against the United States.

A recording of the call is available here.

(Source: CISA)

Strengthening cybersecurity of SATCOM network providers and customers

CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are aware of possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communications (SATCOM) networks. In response, CISA and FBI have published joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) Strengthening Cybersecurity of SATCOM Network Providers and Customers, which provides mitigations and resources to strengthen SATCOM provider and customer cybersecurity.

CISA and FBI strongly encourage critical infrastructure organizations and, specifically, organizations that are SATCOM network providers or customers to review the joint CSA and implement the mitigations. CISA and FBI will update the joint CSA as new information becomes available.

(Source: CISA)

FBI releases the Internet Crime Complaint Center 2021 Internet Crime Report

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its annual report.

The 2021 Internet Crime Report (pdf) includes information from 847,376 complaints of suspected internet crime—a 7% increase from 2020—and reported losses exceeding $6.9 billion. State-specific statistics have also been released and can be found within the 2021 Internet Crime Report and in the accompanying 2021 State Reports.

The top three cyber crimes reported by victims in 2021 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and personal data breach. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, investment fraud, and romance and confidence schemes. 

(Source: FBI IC3)

State and local governments could gain access to federal network monitoring service

A new bill in Congress includes language creating a pilot program that would extend the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) network monitoring services for federal agencies to state and local governments.

The bill proposes a project, over up to three years, in which state, local and tribal governments could enroll in CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program, which monitors federal agencies’ networks in close to real time and gives officials dashboards showing vulnerabilities to be addressed.

If enacted, the pilot program would include at least five state and local governments, provided those entities already follow one of several recognized cybersecurity frameworks — such as those offered by the Center for Internet Security or National Institute of Standards and Technology — and have the bandwidth to use the diagnostic services and make recommended changes.

State and local governments that are members of the Center for Internet Security’s federally funded Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) have access to a range of monitoring and vulnerability management services. And some states, including Iowa and North Dakota, have recently opened or expanded security operations centers that offer 24-hour monitoring.

The MS-ISAC also recently received an $11 million boost in a federal spending bill.

(Source: StateScoop)

The InfoGram is distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures.

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