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Volume 23 — Issue 10 | March 9, 2023

New reports from NFPA’s Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment project

Immersive learning environments make use of technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and simulation, to create realistic environments for learning. These environments are useful for training in the fire service, especially when live training would be dangerous, resource-intensive or very technically involved.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is conducting a Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment (FILE) project which will identify, assess, and summarize available and emerging tools that can be used in immersive learning environments for the fire service. The project will also consider the impact of these immersive learning environments on firefighter skills, health, and safety during training.

The information provided by this project will be useful to fire service training agencies who must investigate technologies for immersive learning and ensure that what they implement is both effective and safe.

The NFPA released two reports for this project in January:

• A Literature Review summarizes the current landscape of immersive learning in fire service training. The report focuses primarily on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
• A Focus Group Summary captures the outcomes of five focus groups with fire training stakeholders. Each focus group contributed to a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis focused on the pros and cons of using immersive training environments for fire service training. Additionally, focus group participants identified a role for immersive learning as a recruitment tool.

Both the Literature Review and Focus Group Summary conclude that, in most cases, immersive learning is not currently suited as a replacement for live training, but immersive learning environments are recommended as a very important part of blended learning. As technology continues to develop, both the possibilities and complexities of extended reality applications in training will evolve.

The forthcoming Stakeholder Summit and its Summit Proceedings will provide a future roadmap for development of the firefighter immersive learning environment.

This project is funded by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and is estimated to be completed by third quarter of 2023.

Visit the NFPA’s Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment project page to learn more, access the published reports, and access forthcoming reports when they are published.

(Source: NFPA)

Highlights

New reports from NFPA’s Firefighter Immersive Learning Environment project

New DHS S&T laboratory and certification program will focus on NG911 interoperability

DHS announces $2 billion in FY2023 preparedness grants

On-demand webcast: Extrication and EMS - Coordinating Team Delivery of Critical Care

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.

New DHS S&T laboratory and certification program will focus on NG911 interoperability

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently published a Feature Article discussing its progress developing and implementing a new laboratory and Next Generation 911 (NG911) interoperability testing and certification program.

The primary goal of this lab is to provide operators, manufacturers, and vendors with a physical and virtual test facility that offers standards, guidelines, and metrics that can be used to test and validate interoperability of their technology solutions. The new lab will focus on improving interoperability testing of solutions accessed across 911 platforms at the state and local levels.

According to statistics from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), an estimated 240 million calls are routed to first responders every year via our country’s 911 system. At the same time, NENA estimates that, as of February 2021, there were 5,748 disparate 911 platforms in the U.S., each operating its own technologies, components, and processes for sending and receiving calls and routing and dispatching emergency medical services.

The new laboratory and NG911 interoperability testing and certification program is a joint effort between S&T and multiple agencies, including the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI) Center of Excellence, the Department of Transportation, Texas A&M University’s Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC), and other government and private stakeholders.

This multi-phase joint effort has been underway since 2020. In the first phase, S&T, CIRI, and ITEC conducted community outreach efforts among various stakeholders and partners in the 911 space.

Phase two is ongoing and estimated to run until late 2023. This second phase involves:

• Defining which components of a 911 system will need to be tested with vendor solutions.
• Developing related conformance, compatibility, and interoperability tests and test cases.
• Setting up baselines for determining metrics for success and effectiveness in the field.

To learn more, see DHS S&T’s March 2 Feature Article.

(Source: DHS)

DHS announces $2 billion in FY2023 preparedness grants

On Feb. 27, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the release of $2 billion in grant funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Along with this announcement, DHS released the Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) for each of its preparedness grant programs that will be funded by this $2 billion.

These preparedness grant programs provide critical funding to help state, local, tribal, and territorial officials prepare for, prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism.

DHS has identified six national priority areas in the FY 2023 grant cycle: cybersecurity; soft targets and crowded places; intelligence and information sharing; domestic violent extremism; community preparedness and resilience; and election security.

As with previous years, new capabilities that are built using homeland security grant funding must be deployable if needed to support regional and national efforts. All capabilities being built or sustained must have a clear linkage to the core capabilities articulated in the National Preparedness Goal.

The allocations for FY 2023 include both competitive and non-competitive awards.

Non-competitive grants include:

• Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP): State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) - $415 million.
• HSGP: Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) - $615 million. This year, four additional urban areas were added, bringing the total number of funded urban areas to 40: Austin, Texas; Honolulu; Jacksonville, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee.
• Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) - $355 million.
• Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR) – $10 million.

Competitive grants include:

• HSGP: Operation Stonegarden - $90 million.
• Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program - $15 million.
• Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NGSP) - $305 million. Last year, Congress increased NSGP funding by $70 million. This year, Congress provided an additional $55 million increase, bringing the NSGP funding up from $180 million two years ago to $305 million this year.
• Port Security Grant Program - $100 million.
• Transit Security Grant Program - $93 million.
• Intercity Bus Security Grant Program - $2 million.

The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant recipients must now allocate at least 35% of the funding to Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA), compared to only 25% two years go. Additionally, SHSP and UASI grant recipients must allocate 30% of the award across the six priority areas.

All preparedness funding notices can be found at www.grants.gov. Final submissions must be made through the non-disaster grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov.

Additional information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and http://www.fema.gov/grants.

(Sources: DHS, FEMA)

On-demand webcast: Extrication and EMS - Coordinating Team Delivery of Critical Care

The Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) aired a one-hour webcast on Dec. 15, 2022, Extrication and EMS: Coordinating Team Delivery of Critical Care! The webcast is now available on demand free of charge with a brief registration.

Good vehicle extrication demands a unique collaboration between rescue and emergency medical personnel. Incorporating key victim assessment information in the extrication size-up will improve your strategic and tactical plans. To save a patient (not just chop up a vehicle) rescue and EMS must understand each other’s jobs and work together effectively.

This program uses a real-world approach to incorporate EMS care considerations in the extrication strategy and shows how the most critical trauma encountered in vehicle collisions can be managed quickly and effectively by first responders.

This webcast, presented by an experienced emergency responder and member of the JEMS editorial board, will help you make better strategic extrication decisions and more safely deliver immediate life-saving treatment, reducing the time from patient contact to patient removal to patient surgery.

To learn more and register, visit JEMS’ registration page for this event.

(Source: JEMS)

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

FBI and CISA release #StopRansomware: Royal Ransomware

On March 2, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) #StopRansomware: Royal Ransomware to provide network defenders tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with Royal ransomware variants. FBI investigations identified these TTPs and IOCs as recently as January 2023.

Royal ransomware attacks have spread across numerous critical infrastructure sectors including, but not limited to, manufacturing, communications, healthcare and public healthcare (HPH), and education.

CISA encourages network defenders to review the CSA and to apply the included mitigations. See StopRansomware.gov for additional guidance on ransomware protection, detection, and response.

(Source: CISA)

“Adversarial Machine Learning: A Taxonomy and Terminology of Attacks and Mitigations” NIST draft available for comment

The initial public draft of NIST AI 100-2 (2003 edition), Adversarial Machine Learning: A Taxonomy and Terminology of Attacks and Mitigations, is now available for public comment.

This NIST report on artificial intelligence (AI) develops a taxonomy of attacks and mitigations and defines terminology in the field of adversarial machine learning (AML). Taken together, the taxonomy and terminology are meant to inform other standards and future practice guides for assessing and managing the security of AI systems by establishing a common language for understanding the rapidly developing AML landscape. Future updates to the report will likely be released as attacks, mitigations, and terminology evolve.

The public comment period for this draft is open through Sept. 30, 2023. See the publication details for a copy of the draft and instructions for submitting comments. NIST intends to keep the document open for comments for an extended period of time to engage with stakeholders and invite contributions to an up-to-date taxonomy that serves the needs of the public.

(Source: NIST)

EPA takes action to improve cybersecurity resilience for public water systems

On March 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a memorandum stressing the need for states to assess cybersecurity risk at drinking water systems to protect our public drinking water.

Cybersecurity represents a substantial and increasing threat to the water sector, given the relative ease of access to critical water treatment systems from the internet.

Water security planning has been a critical component of EPA and of state efforts to ensure the provision of clean and safe water since the increased threat of terrorism and malevolent attacks after 9/11. Through their sanitary survey programs, states have worked with public water systems (PWSs) to identify and protect against physical security vulnerabilities. PWSs have increasingly relied on the use of electronic systems to operate drinking water systems efficiently. As a result, incidents of malicious cyber activity on PWSs have shut down critical treatment processes, locked up control system networks behind ransomware, and disabled communications used to monitor and control distribution system infrastructure like pumping stations.

Including cybersecurity in PWS sanitary surveys, or equivalent alternate programs, is an essential tool to address vulnerabilities and mitigate consequences, which can reduce the risk of a successful cyberattack on a PWS and improve recovery if a cyber incident occurs.

Read the memorandum and guidance on EPA’s Cybersecurity for the Water Sector page.

(Source: EPA)

Emotet malware attacks return after three-month break

The Emotet malware operation is again spamming malicious emails as of Tuesday morning on March 7, after a three-month break, rebuilding its network and infecting devices worldwide.

Emotet is a notorious malware distributed through email containing malicious Microsoft Word and Excel document attachments. When users open these documents and macros are enabled, the Emotet DLL will be downloaded and loaded into memory.

While Emotet has been considered the most distributed malware in the past, it has gradually slowed down, with its last spam operation seen in November 2022.

On Tuesday, cybersecurity firm Cofense and the Emotet-tracking group Cryptolaemus warned that the Emotet botnet had once again resumed sending emails. Instead of using reply-chain emails like in the previous campaign, the threat actors are utilizing emails that pretend to be invoices. Cofense says that they have not seen any additional payloads being dropped now, and the malware is just collecting data for future spam campaigns.

These attacks commonly lead to data theft and full-blown ransomware attacks on breached networks.

(Source: Bleeping Computer)

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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