February 16, 2006 InfoGram

This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by email at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

Guarding Against Organizational Information Theft

The data theft of private and professional information from the cyber systems of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) and steps to secure those systems were outlined in the 26 January InfoGram. The EMR-ISAC suggests that it is equally important for ESS members to safeguard their hard-copy critical infrastructure information.

Dumpster divers search through trash to find useful and valuable information about organizations, their personnel, and operations. The information they seek has a new name, "TRASHINT," or "trash intelligence," but their objective remains the same: to find inside information that can be used to harm organizations and their personnel.

Information specialists consider it essential to understand the types of information valued by TRASHINT thieves, and to acquire a crosscut shredder to render it useless to them. They suggest the following as examples of critical infrastructure information to shred and/or destroy.

• Proprietary information, including diagrams, first-generation drawings, program summaries, and meeting notes.
• Incident records, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), directives, administrative regulations, publications, and directories.
• Personnel rosters and phone lists indicating leadership positions and where personnel fit in the organization.
• Memoranda and discarded electronic correspondence and paper notes that might include passwords, specific activities, personal information, and account names.
• Discarded computer equipment packaging that alerts information thieves to the purchase of new equipment and provides brand names that could help them hack into a system based on known vulnerabilities associated with certain equipment models.
• Credit card statements, offers, or receipts, bank statements, insurance forms, inventory lists, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and personal telephone numbers.
• CDs and tapes unless properly erased or written over, and CDs that have failed to copy correctly when "burned," but could still contain information.

The EMR-ISAC encourages ESS organizations to implement these Operations Security (OPSEC) measures as part of their critical infrastructure protection (CIP) practices. Identity theft is a personal and organizational threat.

Pipeline Emergencies Training Program

Training and supporting materials that offer life-saving information to the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) are available as part of a joint effort by the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Part of the nation's critical infrastructure, the U.S. has 327,000 miles of natural gas transmission pipelines, 1.8 million miles of natural gas distribution pipelines, and 161,000 miles of pipelines for a range of liquid petroleum products, all used daily. The EMR-ISAC recognizes that pipeline incidents can pose a hidden or unseen threat to ESS personnel.

In 2002, PHMSA, the primary federal agency responsible for ensuring the safe operation of pipelines, began working with NASFM on the Partnership for Excellence in Pipeline Safety. While the partnership's long-term goal is to eliminate pipeline incidents, the organizations collaborated to create the Pipeline Emergencies training program. To help ensure personnel safety, the program teaches responders about the hazards and risks of pipeline operations.

The no-cost training package includes a textbook supported by a curriculum instructor's guide and companion PowerPoint presentation, as well as a CD-ROM, and training video. A dedicated website (http://www.pipelineemergencies.com) offers additional information. One-day train-the-trainer programs for the package have taken place in 15 states and others are being scheduled.

The EMR-ISAC suggests that interested organizations determine the presence of pipelines in their jurisdictions by contacting local utility companies, permit offices, government planners, etc.

For more information about the training package or to request a train-the-trainer program, contact Elizabeth Tucker of NASFM at etucker@firemarshals.org.

Online Seminar to Examine First Responder Systems

An upcoming Internet seminar will look at what processes, tools, and policies are critical to help manage the day-to-day and once-in-a-lifetime events and incidents that confront the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).

A focus of the live program will be the expansion of the traditional role of the ESS caused by world and natural events and the increasing demands on, and expectations for, the performance of public safety systems and consequential strain on their critical infrastructures.

An important emphasis will be on preparedness, an ESS priority. Specifically, participants, led by responders from state and local government and experts from government and industry, will examine the critical steps to preparedness and achieving excellence in systems and support. The EMR-ISAC has been advised that participants will be able to talk online with other viewers and submit questions to be read aloud and answered by the guest speakers.

The one-hour free seminar is scheduled for 11:00 to 12:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) (2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST) on February 23, 2006. It is being presented by Government Technology magazine in cooperation with Adobe Systems Incorporated. To register, visit http://adobe.regsvc.com/reg/turnkey/register.asp?EID=4708. For additional information, contact Jennifer Coe at Government Technology (jcoe@govtech.net).