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Volume 23 — Issue 48 | December 7, 2023

DHS S&T tech helps responders detect presence of life through walls

Law enforcement officers and other first responders may need to identify whether individuals are inside a room when direct line-of-sight is not an option. This requires the capability to “see through walls” with the aid of technology. This capability is critical during activities like breaching operations, searching for trafficked individuals, or in potential hostage situations.

For the last 30 years, technologies detecting presence of life have evolved. They have become smaller, more efficient and less costly, with better operating times as batteries improved. But the technology still needs improvements related to ease of use, ruggedness and detection precision.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working with a technology developer on a tool called Detect Presence of Life (DePLife™), a radar-based system that distinguishes between living and non-living objects behind walls and determines the number of people present. The DePLife device consists of two main pieces of equipment: the radar, which transmits and receives the radio wave pulses, and a user interface device, like a tablet or cell phone, where the results of the radar are displayed.

DHS S&T conducted an operational field assessment (OFA) of the DePLife prototype in October 2022. Eight law enforcement officers and one firefighter tried it themselves, gauging whether it could correctly determine if a space was occupied. The technology successfully detected people standing, laying down, or walking about behind a wall. The report on the Oct. 2022 assessment was released in August 2023. The OFA report captures the results of field tests conducted by first responders and the recommendations offered by first responders on how the technology could be improved.

DePLife was tested again during a second OFA in September 2023, after the developer, MaXentric, incorporated first responders’ feedback into an improved prototype. The enhanced prototype was more shock and weather resistant, more compact and easier to use, and better at detecting individuals standing still.

DHS S&T’s First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) identified a need for a hands-free version of this kind of tool. While the current prototype of DePLife is small and easy to transport, it is not hands free. Next steps for further development of DePLife include solving the hands-free, mobility requirement to detect life movements through a wall while the device itself is moving. A separate effort will focus on additional field testing with first responders to increase detection precision and consistency.

Learn more about DePLife in DHS S&T’s Nov. 16 Feature Article and the August 2023 OFA report.

(Source: DHS S&T)

Highlights

DHS S&T tech helps responders detect presence of life through walls

FEMA’s BRIC program provides additional funding for building code adoption and enforcement

CISA releases Solar Eclipse Communications Planning and Resource Guide

Webinar: Modernizing the U.S. Fire Data System - Understanding the Proposed NERIS Data Framework, register by Dec. 12

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.

FEMA’s BRIC program provides additional funding for building code adoption and enforcement

On Oct. 12, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the availability of $1 billion in funding as part of its fiscal year (FY) 2023 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The BRIC program supports states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.

Research has shown that every dollar invested in building to the latest building codes and standards results in $11 of future avoided losses. This is why one of FEMA’s priorities for the BRIC program in FY 2023 is to increase funding for activities that facilitate the adoption and enforcement of the latest published editions of building codes.

In previous years, FEMA’s BRIC program has funded building code-related activities, but this year, FEMA is dedicating funding exclusively to activities that support the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes.

In FY 2023, each state, territory, or tribe can receive up to $2 million as part of BRIC’s State or Territory Allocation and Tribal Set-Aside funding. These funds can be used for capability and capacity building activities, which includes activities related to building code adoption and enforcement. This is similar to previous grant cycles. However, for the first time in FY 2023, states and territories can each receive an additional $2 million in funds dedicated exclusively to supporting building code activities. Tribes can receive an additional $25 million. FEMA calls this additional funding the Building Code Plus Up.

The following types of activities are eligible for the new Building Code Plus Up funds:

• Executing adoption and or implementation of codes that reduce risk.
• Enhancing existing adopted codes to incorporate more current requirements or higher standards.
• Developing professional workforce capabilities related to building codes using technical assistance and training.

FEMA’s application period for the FY 2023 BRIC program closes on February 29, 2024. State deadlines will be in advance of February 29 and local governments must work with their state, tribal or territorial agency to submit applications. There may still be time to apply for FY 2023 BRIC funding, but this will depend on your state’s deadlines.

Even if your state’s application deadline has already passed, now is a great time to start preparing for FY 2024. This is because FEMA is committed to incentivizing state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies to adopt and enforce modern building codes beyond the FY 2023 grant cycle.

FEMA’s focus on building code adoption and enforcement aligns with the White House’s National Initiative to Advance Building Codes (NIABC), which was launched in June 2022 to accelerate the adoption of modern building codes to improve resiliency, create good-paying jobs, and lower energy bills. FEMA’s interagency Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG) established a Building Codes Task Force to lead implementation of the NIABC. Two notable efforts of the Building Codes Task Force so far are the incorporation of incentives for modern building code adoption and enforcement across many federal grant programs and the continued tracking of building code adoption with FEMA’s National Building Code Adoption Tracking (BCAT) tool. BRIC-eligible activities and construction requirements exemplify priorities under the NIABC.

For more information, please go to https://www.fema.gov/bric.

(Source: FEMA)

CISA releases Solar Eclipse Communications Planning and Resource Guide

North America will experience a solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. This event will be a “total solar eclipse” where the moon covers the sun’s outline completely, creating a dark umbra or “path of totality” from the point where it enters the U.S. in southwest Texas to where it later exits North America from eastern Canada.

Thousands of visitors are expected to migrate to areas in the main eclipse path, putting a strain on local resources that are organizing support for local events related to, or impacted by, the eclipse. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently released a Solar Eclipse Communications Planning and Resource Guide in anticipation of the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse event.

CISA compiled this Guide to assist state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) agencies in pre-planning for communications issues and to capture suggestions, recommendations, and services available from the whole of government to help mitigate shortfalls and close gaps. This document supplements the efforts of the Eclipse Federal Subcommittee as well as ongoing assessments in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois. These states are in the eclipse’s path of totality and are also where weather is likely to be most favorable for viewing.

This Guide summarizes challenges identified in the after-action reporting that followed the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse. In 2017, several small communities were overwhelmed in the transportation, communications, and emergency services sectors when unplanned and uncontrolled population movements migrated quickly into areas not designed for large crowds.

The Guide then offers recommendations for jurisdictions to prepare for the 2024 eclipse, highlighting federal resources and technical assistance available to help SLTTs prepare for this event and to support the event as it occurs. Communications planning considerations are provided at the county, state, and regional levels. The Guide provides an annotated list of resources for further planning guidance.

Visit CISA.gov to access the Solar Eclipse Communications Planning and Resource Guide.

(Source: CISA)

Webinar: Modernizing the U.S. Fire Data System - Understanding the Proposed NERIS Data Framework, register by Dec. 12

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), with DHS S&T and Underwriters Laboratories’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 1 p.m. EST, Modernizing the U.S. Fire Data System: Understanding the Proposed NERIS Data Framework.

This is the second webinar on the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). The first webinar took place on July 13, 2023, and provided a virtual discussion on the vision, purpose, and impact of NERIS.

This second webinar will be a deep dive into the proposed NERIS data framework, complemented by a question-and-answer session. This session will be an opportunity to hear directly from project staff. The webinar will feature presentations from the U.S. Fire Administrator, the Executive Director of FSRI, and other leadership from the USFA and FSRI. It will highlight the project's advancements, key attributes of the new framework, opportunities to offer feedback, and tangible benefits the system will offer to first responders, agencies, and the public.

Register by Tuesday, Dec. 12 to secure your spot for the Dec. 14 webinar.

(Sources: USFA, FSRI, DHS)

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 and international partners release advisory on Russia-based threat actor group, Star Blizzard

On Dec. 7, CISA—in coordination with the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (UK-NCSC), Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC), Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ), and the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Cyber Command Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF)—released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) Russian FSB Cyber Actor Star Blizzard Continues Worldwide Spear-phishing Campaigns. The joint CSA aims to raise awareness of the specific tactics, techniques, and delivery methods used by this Russia-based threat actor group to target individuals and organizations.

(Source: CISA)

CISA and partners release joint advisory on IRGC-affiliated cyber actors exploiting PLCs

On Dec. 1, CISA and partners released a joint advisory on cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian Government Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) exploiting programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

IRGC-affiliated cyber actors using the persona “CyberAv3ngers” are actively targeting and compromising Israeli-made Unitronics Vision Series PLCs that are publicly exposed to the internet, through the use of default passwords. The PLCs may be rebranded and appear as different manufacturers and company names.

All organizations, including U.S. Water and Wastewater Systems Facilities, are encouraged to review this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) IRGC-Affiliated Cyber Actors Exploit PLCs in Multiple Sectors and implement the recommended actions and mitigations.

(Source: CISA)

HC3 white paper: ownCloud vulnerability under active attack

The ownCloud platform allows organizations to store, synchronize, and share files and other content, as well as collaborate and consolidate work processes. This platform is known to be deployed across the U.S. health sector, among other industries. The nature of this platform provides cyber-attackers with a target that can potentially provide access to sensitive health information, as well as a staging point for further attacks. Three vulnerabilities were recently identified in certain versions of ownCloud, the most egregious of which is known to be under active attack. HC3 recommends healthcare organizations running ownCloud identify vulnerable instances and prioritize implementation of the mitigation steps in this document.

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

(Source: HHS HC3)

Progress Software discloses 2 new CVEs in MOVEit

Progress Software disclosed two new high-severity vulnerabilities in the beleaguered MOVEit file-transfer service last week. A privilege escalation path vulnerability, CVE-2023-6218, and a cross-site scripting vulnerability, CVE-2023-6217, were disclosed and patched Nov. 29.

The additional set of vulnerabilities brings the total number of CVEs in MOVEit to eight since a zero-day vulnerability, CVE-2023-34362, was widely exploited in late May. A spree of related attacks by the Clop ransomware group has impacted nearly 2,700 organizations and at least 84 million people, according to Emsisoft.

The company said it had no evidence the latest vulnerabilities have been actively exploited as of Wednesday, but declined to say when they were discovered.

(Source: Cybersecurity Dive)

Dameron Hospital in Stockton hit by cyberattack

Dameron Hospital in Stockton, California, said it is investigating a cyberattack that has forced some patients to reschedule their procedures.

The hospital said in a statement Tuesday that “patient care operations are functioning normally,” which includes its emergency department. The statement added, “Dameron Hospital continues to deliver healthcare services using established system downtime processes. During the transition period to these processes, some patient procedures were rescheduled to ensure that everything was in place to provide seamless continuity of care.”

Dameron Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital with more than 200 beds and that serves San Joaquin County residents.

(Source: KCRA 3 Sacramento)

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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