Short Takes – 9-28-22

Finding statistics about APT’s? It’s complicated. Scadamag.Infracritical.com opinion piece. A look at APT threats vs ICS. Pull quote: “In the past 12 years it has been the state APT or state supported threat actor that has attempted with various levels of success to take away the view and control of critical physical processes from the operators of critical infrastructure. These efforts have succeeded in causing unauthorized changes to IACS/ICS that have threatened or have caused physical damage to people, equipment and the environment.”

Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. WhiteHouse.gov post. A number of cybersecurity mentions. Pull quote: “It is the policy of my Administration to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security.  Central to this policy and its outcomes are principles of equity, ethics, safety, and security that enable access to technologies, processes, and products in a manner that benefits all Americans and the global community and that maintains United States technological leadership and economic competitiveness.”

CSB Releases Final Investigation Report on 2016 Sunoco Oil Terminal Fire and Explosion in Texas. CSB.gov news release. Link to investigation report. News release pull quote: “Both Sunoco and L-Con developed plans and procedures to provide employees with guidance on how to safely conduct hot work operations, but the CSB found that guidance was inadequate to prevent the fire and explosion. Specifically, the investigation found that the pipe involved in the incident contained residual flammable crude oil which was not adequately cleaned or inerted prior to commencing hot work.”

British police fear weapons from Ukraine war could reach the UK and terrorists. Independent.co.uk article. No actionable information. Pull quote: “Speaking at the International Security Expo in London on Tuesday, he added: “Whatever the outcome of this awful conflict, it is clear that over the medium term there will be huge amounts of weapons and ammunition in the region, which will take some time to stabilise and normalise [British spelling] when the phase of outright war ends.”