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Volume 22 — Issue 33 | August 18, 2022

Fire service leaders discuss recruitment and retention strategies that work in Sept. 1 webinar

Lexipol is hosting a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. EDT called Facing the New Recruitment Reality: Career and Volunteer Strategies That Work.

The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) research shows firefighter staffing levels have remained flat since 2015, regardless of career, combination, or volunteer status. At the same time, call volumes are steadily increasing. This is very concerning, both for responders and for the communities they serve.

Fire departments across the country have been facing recruitment and retention challenges for quite some time. In addition to maintaining essential staff required for increasing demands for service, fire departments today struggle with challenges reaching a younger generation and striving to recruit a more diverse membership.

Resources and support are available from programs such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Make Me a Firefighter program, and guidance from the United States Fire Administration.

However, while these resources and guidance are a big help, especially for the volunteer departments that make up 67% of the nation’s fire service, they are not enough. New strategies are necessary.

Some fire departments are fighting back with unique approaches to hiring and shift scheduling, examining hiring standards and creating new opportunities for community members to participate in fire department operations. Importantly, these strategies are working.

If you’re looking for new recruitment inspiration, join this Sept. 1 webinar to learn directly from fire service leaders:

• How societal changes are affecting career choices and the impetus to volunteer.
• Why fixing the recruitment problem starts with department culture.
• The difference between changing hiring standards and lowering them.
• Specific strategies each of these agencies are using to boost recruitment.

You can register for this webinar on Lexipol’s website.

(Source: Lexipol)

Highlights

Fire service leaders discuss recruitment and retention strategies that work in Sept. 1 webinar

DHS tests next generation wildland urban interface alerting technology

NIST releases guidance on security for first responder mobile and wearable devices

FEMA hosts 2022 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Summer Engagement webinar series

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.

DHS tests next generation wildland urban interface alerting technology

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) concluded a proof-of-concept demonstration of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) integration model in Fairfax County, Virginia. The model integrates next generation technologies with FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) enabling alerting authorities to disseminate Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) with new capabilities such as displaying hazard and evacuation alert information on the "infotainment" screens in vehicles.

Integrating IPAWS with new technologies, such as GPS navigation applications and cutting-edge technologies, could enable critical information, such as evacuation routes and safety zones, to be communicated to the public in near real-time in their vehicles’ entertainment and navigation systems.

This project was made possible through a contract awarded through S&T’s Long-Range Broad Agency Announcement program. The demonstration was conducted at the Fairfax Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and in a field location in Fairfax County, in collaboration with the FEMA IPAWS Program, Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management and HAAS Alert, Inc.

(Source: DHS S&T)

NIST releases guidance on security for first responder mobile and wearable devices

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its Security Guidance for First Responder Mobile and Wearable Devices (NIST IR 8235) last month.

The purpose of this Security Guidance is to enable jurisdictions to select and purchase secure devices for first responders and to help industry design and build secure devices tailored to the needs of first responders.

The guidance first provides an analysis of public safety mobile and wearable devices based on a testing methodology and a variety of device tests conducted by NIST. It then provides best practices for maintaining the security of these devices. This document does not identify specific devices, manufacturers, or service providers.

In this Security Guidance, the term “mobile device” is used to refer to cellular technology such as smartphones and tablets, but also land-mobile radio (LMR) handset devices. The term “wearable device” refers to a small device that may or may not have a full-fledged operating system. Wearables are generally assumed to lack cellular service and usually rely on short-range wireless protocols like WiFi or Bluetooth. They are often single-purpose embedded systems collecting data from a set of sensors built into the device.

The Security Guidance builds on the first responder use cases, threat analyses, and security objectives established in in the companion 2020 NIST publication, Security Analysis of First Responder Mobile and Wearable Devices (NIST IR 8196) as well as the foundational Cybersecurity Framework.

Some use cases that provide a foundation for the selection of devices that were analyzed and tested include wearable sensors used by firefighters, mobile devices for electronic patient care recording (EPCR), body worn cameras, LMR handsets, mobile applications used by law enforcement to access sensitive or confidential data, and many others.

The best practices include guidance tailored to first responders’ needs, organized by the Cybersecurity Framework’s five core functions:

• Identify – your public safety needs and devices.
• Protect – yourself by applying security and training users.
• Detect – issues by logging and monitoring your devices.
• Respond – with a prepared plan to address issues.
• Recover - from issues by implementing the plan and constantly improving.

You can access Security Guidance for First Responder Mobile and Wearable Devices and its companion document, Security Analysis of First Responder Mobile and Wearable Devices, on NIST’s website.

(Source: NIST)

FEMA hosts 2022 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Summer Engagement webinar series

Each year, FEMA hosts several educational webinars on its Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs for applicants, subapplicants and other relevant stakeholders.

The Hazard Mitigation Assistance 2022 Summer Engagement Series features experts and special guests who will provide information on three HMA grant programs:

• The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). This program helps communities rebuild after a major disaster in a way that reduces future disaster losses.
• The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. This program helps communities reduce risks from future disasters and natural hazards.
• The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program. This program helps to reduce the risk of flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The 10 webinars in the 2022 Summer Engagement Series are:

• Thursday, Aug. 4: Capability and Capacity Building (C&CB) Funding in the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Programs: What Does It Mean for Me? Note that this date has already passed, but a recording is now available.
• Thursday, Aug. 18: System-Based Mitigation: Building Enduring Community Resilience.
• Friday, Aug. 19: Mitigating Severe Repetitive Loss and Repetitive Loss Properties.
• Tuesday, Aug. 23: BRIC/FMA Notice of Funding Opportunity Webinar #1.
• Thursday, Aug. 25: Application Pitfalls.
• Thursday, Sept. 1: BRIC/FMA Notice of Funding Opportunity Webinar #2.
• Thursday, Sept. 15: BRIC/FMA Notice of Funding Opportunity Webinar #3 – Tribal-Focused.
• Thursday, Sept. 22: BRIC Notice of Funding Opportunity Technical and Qualitative Criteria.
• Thursday, Sept. 29: Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation Review 101.
• Tuesday, Oct. 4: Using Grant Funding to Build Resilience: The How, When, and Where of Applying for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

Visit FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Webinars page to learn more about each of these webinars and to access recordings for missed webinars when they become available. Visit FEMA’s Adobe Connect Catalog for the Hazard Mitigation Assistance 2022 Summer Engagement Series to register.

(Source: FEMA)

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

CISA Alert (AA22-228A): Threat Actors Exploiting Multiple CVEs Against Zimbra Collaboration Suite

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) are publishing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) in response to active exploitation of multiple Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) against Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS), an enterprise cloud-hosted collaboration software and email platform.

Cyber threat actors may be targeting unpatched ZCS instances in both government and private sector networks. CISA and the MS-ISAC strongly urge users and administrators to apply the guidance in the Recommendations section of this CSA to help secure their organization’s systems against malicious cyber activity.

Read the full Alert AA22-228A for technical details and recommended mitigations.

(Source: CISA)

‘A huge disruption’: Expert explains impact of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office system outage

Action News Jax reported Sunday, August 5 that the FBI was assisting the city [of Jacksonville, Fla.] in its investigation. Five independent sources confirmed to Action News Jax that the cyber-attack impacted the department’s computer-aided dispatch system, or ‘CAD’. The director of technology for the 911 Association said a disruption could slow down response times, which is why 911 centers are often the target of attacks. Sources said the attack also impacted the system officers use to make arrest reports.

(Source: CBS47/Fox30 - Action News Jax)

HC3: Sector Alert - Apple Fixes Two Zero Day Exploits

Apple has released a security update fixing two zero-day common vulnerability and exposures (CVE) that they state are being actively exploited. It is unknown as to how these bugs were discovered outside of the reports from an anonymous researcher. The exploits can grant an attacker remote code execution (RCE) and kernel level privileges on a device.

A device compromised from these exploits could be subjected to data access to an unauthorized user, location retrieval, internet tracking, and much more. With the increasing use of iOS devices in the healthcare sector, it is strongly encouraged to update your devices immediately. Over the course of this year, Apple has released updates to fix seven total zero-day exploits.

Read the full Sector Alert from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3).

(Source: HHS HC3)

MS-ISAC: End-of-Support Software Report List – August 2022

The importance of replacing software before its End-of-Support (EOS) is critical. EOS occurs when software updates, patches, and other forms of support are no longer offered, resulting in software becoming prone to future security vulnerabilities.

Replacing software and firmware/hardware before it reaches EOS will significantly reduce any risks and costs associated with EOS. Download the list of EOS software dates that the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) is currently aware of: EOS Report – August 2022.

(Source: MS-ISAC)

Tech, cyber companies launch security standard to monitor hacking attempts

A group of 18 tech and cyber companies said Wednesday they are building a common data standard for sharing cybersecurity information. They aim to fix a problem for corporate security chiefs who say that cyber products often don’t integrate, making it hard to fully assess hacking threats.

Amazon. com Inc.’s AWS cloud business, cybersecurity company Splunk Inc. and International Business Machines Corp.’s security unit, among others, launched the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework, or OCSF, Wednesday at the Black Hat USA cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

Twilio phishing attack fallout spreads to Signal

Signal, widely considered one of the most secure messaging platforms globally, was among the companies directly impacted by a phishing attack against Twilio earlier this month.

The downstream impact of the phishing attack on Twilio, which compromised the platform’s widely used two-factor authentication service, exemplifies the potentially serious repercussions of a cyberattack on a third-party vendor.

(Source: Cybersecurity Dive)

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

Fair Use Notice:
This InfoGram may contain copyrighted material that was not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The EMR-ISAC believes this constitutes “fair use” of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material contained within this document for your own purposes that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Disclaimer of Endorsement:
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement of the linked websites or the information, products or services contained therein. Reference to any specific commercial products, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the EMR-ISAC or the U.S. government.

Section 504 Notice:
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that FEMA grantees provide access to information for people with disabilities. If you need assistance accessing information or have any concerns about access, please contact FEMAWebTeam@fema.dhs.gov.