2019 CSSS Presentations Available

Yesterday the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) updated both the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) landing page and the Chemical Sector Security Summit (CSSS) web site to provide a link to the presentations page for the 2019 CSSS. As is usual for the CSSS, even given the advent of live web casts of many of the presentations, the presentations page just provides copies of the slides used during the CSSS, not the voice or text of the actual presentation, so many of the details have been lost to posterity.

The list of presentations, however, is impressive (see the presentation page for links to the documents):

• Air Domain Awareness           522.67 KB

• Assessing the Risk from Stolen or Diverted Toxic Industrial Chemicals 2.61 MB

• Building an International Network of Chemical Security Practitioners   994.41 KB

• CFATS and the Personnel Surety Program (PSP) Overview      1.74 MB

• CFATS Deep Dive     2.3 MB

• CFATS Personnel Surety Program      781.18 KB

• Chemical Sector 101  2.81 MB

• Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) Overview 3.55 MB

• CISA Regional Service Delivery Model           2.02 MB

• Compliance Requirements for Release Chemicals        2.13 MB

• Dow Incident and Crisis Management 420.26 KB

• Extreme Weather Impacts       3.29 MB

• Federal Emergency Management Agency's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Office: Chemical Portfolio Overview    1.44 MB

• Industrial Control Systems Vulnerabilities and Resources         1.63 MB

• International Chemical Security Framework     831.89 KB

• International Supply Chain Protection Challenges and Solutions           1.85 MB

• Introduction to the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA)        2.12 MB

• Jack Rabbit II Update and Impacts      2.65 MB

• Little Arc-Flash: How Digital Attacks Can Cause Physical Ramifications          1.45 MB

• Multidisciplinary Partnerships in Chemical Security and Preparedness  1.68 MB

• Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) Overview         417.7 KB

• Reducing the Threat of Improvised Explosive Device Attacks by Restricting Access to Explosive Precursor Chemicals        737.28 KB

• Supply Chain Risk Management         1.63 MB

• U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Risk Management      1.17 MB

• Waterside Security of Especially Hazardous Cargoes (EHC)     1.83 MB

• Weather Hazard Preparedness 5.12 MB

• What to Expect During a CFATS Inspection    1.01 MB

I have not had a chance to do a detailed review, or even look at all of the presentations, but a quick review of the CFATS Deep Dive presentation shows that the slides may contain a great deal of useful information for CFATS facilities and chemical facilities that are not currently involved in the CFATS program but are concerned about their facility security. Interesting bits of information from this presentation include:

• Shipping/Receiving COI slide contains note about “In-Transit Security and Tracking”;

• Response slide contains note that: “Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) may be contacted by local Chemical Security Inspectors to verify that facilities have developed plans for emergency notification, response, evacuation, etc.”;

• Good detail in Crisis Management slide;

• Outreach with Local Responders slide includes note to: “Invite Local Law Enforcement and Responders to DHS Inspections”;

• Cybersecurity slide provides brief discussion of what computer systems might be covered under CFATS program;

• Personnel Surety slide contains a good ‘Hiring Checklist’, but missed the opportunity to provide a similar ‘departure checklist’ (maybe it was discussed in the actual presentation?);

• Annual Audit Example slide contains a detailed example of how to record (and by inference conduct) an annual audit of the facility’s CFATS program;

I really like the idea of inviting off-site response personnel to CFATS inspections. It helps keep them involved in the process, aware of what is going on, and should provide some chemical security training that is missing from most professional training programs for these personnel. A copy of invite letters should be kept in the facility’s CFATS records to demonstrate positive outreach to these folks, even if they do not participate.

I hope to get to do more detailed reviews of some of the presentations here over the next couple of weeks.