Short Takes – 11-28-23

Hackers Hijack Industrial Control System at US Water Utility. SecurityWeek.com article. Pull quote: “An image posted by KDKA-TV suggests that the hackers took control of an Unitronics Vision system, which is a programmable logic controller (PLC) with an integrated human-machine interface (HMI). Unitronics Vision products have been known to be affected by critical vulnerabilities that could expose devices to attacks.”

GOP faces ominous signs in effort to avoid January shutdown. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “After this week, the House is set to be in session for just 16 legislative days before the first of a two-part deadline to fund the government on Jan. 19 — with the rest expiring two weeks later, on Feb. 2. This week’s appropriations stall [no spending bills being considered in House] only exacerbates the time crunch.”

Russia: Sabotage, Incompetence and Corruption in Russia. StrategyPage.com article. Pull quote: “Ukrainian sabotage teams in Russian territory disrupt railroad movement by damaging key elements of the railroad signals and communications systems. This makes the railroads less reliable and often leads to accidents that derail supply trains and block further use of that line until the wreckage is removed and the rails repaired. Ukraine has even been able to get operatives deep inside Russia to damage the Trans-Siberian Railroad, which is currently used to move weapons and munitions from North Korea to Ukraine.” Not clear if these are physical or cyber-physical attacks.

Post-Thanksgiving leftovers crowd Congress' December plate. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Lawmakers have punted on funding the government until after the holidays, but there's still plenty of issues they'll have to confront before bolting from Washington later in December.” Missing from this discussion are a number of authorization bills, including farm bill as well as FAA, Intel, and Intelligence reauthorizations.

Mars Needs Insects. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Either way, humans will have to take — and live with — squirming companions, along with some that are too small to see, anywhere they would like to go beyond Earth — because the only way to survive out there is to make it more like down here, a planet that teems with nutrient-rich beasts.”

The T-shirt chewing enzyme ready to tackle plastic waste. BBC.com article. Pull quote: “Since it produces the same chemical monomers that plastic producers are already using, minimal change is needed. But the familiarity of its product is also a challenge - since these indistinguishable chemicals will cost about 60% more than those derived from petrochemicals.”

Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC) Sector Puget Sound. Federal Register CG notice. Summary: “The Coast Guard requests individuals interested in serving on the Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC), Sector Puget Sound submit their applications for membership to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Sector Puget Sound (COTP). The Advisory Committee assists the COTP as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Sector Puget Sound, in developing, reviewing, and updating the Area Maritime Security Plan for their area of responsibility.”

A Controversial US Surveillance Program May Get Slipped Into a ‘Must-Pass’ Defense Bill. Wired.com article. Pull quote: “By week’s end, top congressional leaders are expected to present the final text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a massive bill that directs the Pentagon’s annual funding and one of only a few bills that lawmakers cannot afford to let die. Amending the bill to extend the Section 702 program would force members into an up-or-down vote with limited debate and no opportunity to omit any unwanted, last-minute changes.”

Most school shootings in U.S. aren’t mass killings, study finds, and they’re often driven by community violence. OCRegister.com article. Pull quote: “It found that these adolescents were responsible for only a handful of mass casualty shootings, defined as those involving four or more gunshot fatalities. About half of the shootings analyzed — 119 — involved at least one death. Among the events, seven killed four or more people.”

Chlorine is a highly useful chemical that's also extremely dangerous − here's what to know about staying safe around it. TheConversation.com article. Pull quote: “Chlorine gas exposure, even for short periods of time and at low levels, leads to eye, throat and nose irritation and causes coughing and breathing problems and burning in the eyes. Higher exposure levels can cause chest pain, severe breathing difficulties, pneumonia, vomiting and fluid in the lungs. Very high levels can cause death. Chlorine also can be absorbed through the skin, resulting in pain, swelling, inflammation and blistering.” Very informative, well-balanced article.

DHS Awarded Patent for Homeland Explosive Consequence Assessment Tool. DHS.gov press release. Pull quote: “HExCAT provides emergency managers with capabilities to streamline decision making and emergency response planning, by, among others, identifying vulnerabilities at large venues, devising effective evacuation procedures for facilities, and planning routes for relocating large groups of people to medical facilities. Additionally, HExCAT houses a library of 28 different types of military and homemade explosives, including various fuel and oxidizer combinations that amplify explosive effects, and provides unique insight into potential worst-case outcomes. The tool can also model different scenarios in diverse indoor and outdoor public spaces to more accurately predict how these scenarios will play out and how to adapt in real life situations.”

CISA Urges Congress to Reauthorize Key Chemical Security Program. SecurityBoulevard.com article. “Murray called on Congress to reauthorize CFATS, saying it “provides essential resilience for the chemical industry by enabling chemical facility owners and operators to understand the risks associated with their chemical security holdings, develop site security plans and programs, conduct site inspections, coordinate with local law enforcement and first responders, and continue to reevaluate each facility’s security posture based on changes in its chemical holdings and threat nexus.””