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Volume 22 — Issue 49 | December 15, 2022

DHS S&T publishes market survey of respirators suitable for wildland firefighting

Wildland firefighters are exposed to many of the same respiratory hazards as structural firefighters. However, the standard respirator systems used by structural firefighters are too heavy and bulky to be used in wildland firefighting, which often involves strenuous manual labor over long hours. Wildland firefighters must also carry tools and supplies, sometimes over long distances, and cannot limit their carrying capacity with bulky respiratory equipment.

Wildland firefighters often use bandanas and N95 masks for protection due to their light weight and small size. But these masks are inadequate protection against the particulate and gas hazards of wildfires.

Air-purifying respirators (APRs) and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are small and portable, yet still offer protection from hazardous air particles, smoke and gases, making APRs and PAPRs suitable for wildland firefighting.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently published a Market Survey Report assessing commercially available APRs and PAPRs suitable for wildland firefighters.

This survey includes information on the design, capabilities, and costs of 27 APRs and 4 PAPRs. For each respirator, information is provided on the combination gas cartridge and particulate filter available for that respirator that is most appropriate for wildland firefighting applications. Respirators range in manufacturer’s suggested retail price from $14 to $1,508. All products in the survey are National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified or pending NIOSH certification as an APR or PAPR.

All respirators included in the survey can be carried or stowed in or on load-carrying equipment and are durable and decontaminable. The PAPRs assessed in this report are powered by single-use batteries and have a battery life of at least four hours under continuous usage.

This assessment of wildland firefighter respirators was conducted as part of DHS S&T’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program. DHS S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) manages the SAVER program and conducts objective operational assessments of commercial equipment and systems. The outcomes of these operational assessments and SAVER’s market research help emergency responders improve their procurement decisions.

Access this report and related reports on respiratory protection technology for wildland firefighting on DHS S&T’s website.

(Source: DHS S&T)

Highlights

DHS S&T publishes market survey of respirators suitable for wildland firefighting

White House launches Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose Dashboard powered by the National EMS Information System

FEMA releases Restoration and Recovery Guide for Private-Public Partnerships and supplemental Fact Sheets

Webinar: Bombing Prevention Resources for Mitigating the Use of Explosives and IEDs Against Critical Infrastructure

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.

White House launches Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose Dashboard powered by the National EMS Information System

As part of its commitment to reversing the tide in fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) recently announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind national data dashboard of non-fatal opioid overdoses across the country.

The Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose Tracker was developed by ONDCP in partnership with state emergency medical services (EMS) offices and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The new dashboard is HIPAA-compliant, using information derived from state-submitted, de-identified clinical and patient data within the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS). NEMSIS data consist of electronic patient care records completed by nearly 95% of all EMS agencies nationwide.

The new Opioid Overdose Tracker will allow local agencies to track EMS activations for non-fatal overdoses at the state and county levels. At a time when a non-fatal overdose is a leading predictor for a future fatal overdose, widespread access to this data will help first responders on the frontlines of the overdose epidemic target life-saving interventions such as the overdose-reversal medication naloxone.

The dashboard allows communities to compare non-fatal overdose measures in their area to national averages in four categories:

• Population rate of non-fatal opioid overdose in a community.
• Average number of naloxone administrations per patient.
• Average EMS time in transit to reach an overdose patient.
• Percentage of non-fatal opioid overdose patients not transported to a medical facility.

Additional features expected in 2023 include surveillance of non-fatal overdose events involving any/all drugs, demographic impact, patient outcomes and leading clinical measures.

Learn more about this new resource in the White House’s press release. Access the new Opioid Overdose Tracker at NEMSIS.org.

(Sources: White House, NEMSIS)

FEMA releases Restoration and Recovery Guide for Private-Public Partnerships and supplemental Fact Sheets

Jurisdictions implement a variety of coordination structures pre- and post-disaster to help identify risks, establish relationships, and organize and build capabilities to effectively manage disaster recovery. Private-public partnerships provide collaborative frameworks among public and private sector stakeholders to promote equitable and inclusive disaster recovery.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has just published a Restoration and Recovery Guide for Private-Public Partnerships.  This 14-page guidance document provides recommendations and resources for jurisdictions to help plan and coordinate the restoration of community lifelines, plan and develop recovery strategies and implement recovery operations.

To accompany the new Restoration and Recovery Guide, FEMA also released three Fact Sheets related to private-public partnerships and disaster resource identification:

• Private-Public Partnerships Support Equitable Outcomes for Risk Reduction. This Fact Sheet provides guidance for a private-public partnership to consider the risks and needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities and support the development of data-driven strategies for equitable outcomes.
• Private-Public Partnerships Support Reducing Risks and Building Resilience. This Fact Sheet provides guidance for a local government to collaborate with the private sector to develop equitable and inclusive mitigation strategies based on an assessment of shared disaster risks and vulnerabilities.
• Disaster Resource Identification. This Fact Sheet includes an overview of sources for recovery resources, guidance on how to search for disaster recovery resources, and recommendations for disaster recovery resource management.

These four new guidance documents supplement FEMA’s 94-page Building Private-Public Partnerships guide (P3 Guide), which was last updated in July 2021 to align with the 2019 revision of the National Response Framework. The latest update to the National Response Framework emphasizes the importance of government and private sector collaboration to support effective coordination of resources and the stabilization of community lifelines.

All of these documents help public and private sector emergency managers collaborate to increase resilience. All of the documents, an executive summary, and a Spanish translation of the P3 Guide are available for download on FEMA’s Planning Guides page.

(Source: FEMA)

Webinar: Bombing Prevention Resources for Mitigating the Use of Explosives and IEDs Against Critical Infrastructure

The Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC), a component of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD's) Information Analysis Center (IAC) enterprise, is hosting a webinar: Bombing Prevention Resources for Mitigating the Use of Explosives and IEDs Against Critical Infrastructure. 

The webinar will feature the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency’s (CISA’s) Office for Bombing Prevention and will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

The mission of CISA’s Office for Bombing Prevention is to protect life and critical infrastructure by building capabilities within the public and across the private and public sectors to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate bombing incidents. 

This session will look at threat landscape awareness products, training opportunities, and videos to help government professionals and their supporting academia and industry partners anticipate, identify, and prevent bomb attacks. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the national threat landscape and ways the government industry may be vulnerable, learn about national policy for counter-improvised explosive devices (C-IEDs), and hear more about the resources available to help prepare their physical space and educate staff.

The following topics will be covered:

• A greater understanding of the IED threat.
• Strategic approaches for C-IED preparedness, prevention, and response capabilities and specific resources to improve their capabilities.
• Information to support existing/new preparedness efforts, such as risk assessments and staff training.

Learn more and register to attend this free webinar. This webinar is open to anyone with an HDIAC account. An HDIAC account is free and can be obtained by completing a brief account registration form.

(Source: HDIAC)

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

NSA, CISA, and ODNI release guidance on potential threats to 5G network slicing

On Dec. 13, the National Security Agency (NSA), CISA, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), published Potential Threats to 5G Network Slicing. This guidance—created by the Enduring Security Framework (ESF), a public-private cross-sector working group led by the NSA and CISA—presents both the benefits and risks associated with 5G network slicing. It also provides mitigation strategies that address potential threats to 5G network slicing. The guidance builds upon ESF’s Potential Threat Vectors to 5G Infrastructure, published in 2021.

CISA encourages 5G providers, integrators, and network operators to review this guidance and implement the recommended mitigations. For additional 5G guidance, visit CISA.gov/5G-library.

(Source: CISA)

FBI’s vetted info sharing network ‘InfraGard’ hacked

InfraGard, a program run by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to build cyber and physical threat information sharing partnerships with the private sector, this week saw its database of contact information on more than 80,000 members go up for sale on an English-language cybercrime forum. Meanwhile, the hackers responsible are communicating directly with members through the InfraGard portal online — using a new account under the assumed identity of a financial industry CEO that was vetted by the FBI itself.

(Source: KrebsOnSecurity)

FBI seizes 48 internet domains that offered DDoS-for-Hire services

On Dec. 14, the Justice Department announced the court-authorized seizure of 48 internet domains associated with some of the world’s leading DDoS-for-hire services, as well as criminal charges against six defendants who allegedly oversaw computer attack platforms commonly called “booter” services.

The FBI is now in the process of seizing the websites that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks that flood targeted computers with information and prevent them from being able to access the internet. Booter services such as those named in this action allegedly attacked a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of individuals. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and can completely disrupt internet connections.

The coordinated law enforcement action comes just before the Christmas holiday period, which typically brings a significant increase in DDoS attacks across the gaming world.

(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California)

HC3: Analyst Note – BlackCat (AKA ALPHV)

BlackCat is a relatively new ransomware variant, known to be in operation since November 2021. It is exceptionally capable and is believed to be operated by individuals with significant experience as cyber criminals, who have extensive relationships with other significant players throughout the cybercriminal ecosystem. BlackCat is known to have targeted the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector and is expected to continue. The HPH should take this threat seriously and apply appropriate defensive and mitigative actions towards protecting their infrastructure from compromise.

BlackCat is noteworthy because its features make it technically sophisticated as compared to other RaaS variants, allowing for the ability to target a wide range of corporate environments. Like all ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations, the BlackCat operators recruit affiliates to perform corporate breaches and encrypt devices, while retaining code maintenance and development responsibilities for themselves.

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

(Source: HHS HC3)

California hit by cyber-attack, LockBit claims responsibility

California’s finance department has been hit by a cybersecurity attack, the state’s Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC) confirmed on Monday. According to a blog post by Cal-CSIC, the intrusion was identified through coordination with state and federal security partners. The Cal-CSIC further explained that while they cannot comment on specifics of the ongoing investigation, they confirmed that no state funds have been compromised.

Meanwhile, the Russia-affiliated ransomware group LockBit is claiming responsibility for the attacks, days after Mikhail Vasiliev was charged with participation in the gang's global ransomware campaign.

(Source: InfoSecurity)

CISA releases phishing infographic

On Dec. 8, CISA published a Phishing Infographic to help protect both organizations and individuals from successful phishing operations. This infographic provides a visual summary of how threat actors execute successful phishing operations. Details include metrics that compare the likelihood of certain types of “bait” and how commonly each bait type succeeds in tricking the targeted individual. The infographic also provides detailed actions organizations and individuals can take to prevent successful phishing operations—from blocking phishing attempts to teaching individuals how to report successful phishing operations.

(Source: CISA)

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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