Short Takes – 2-27-24

Unmanaged third-party access threatens OT environments. HelpNetSecurity.com article. Pull quote: “73% of organizations permit third-party access to OT environments, with an average of 77 third parties per organization granted such access. Challenges to securing third-party access include preventing unauthorized access (44%), aligning IT and OT security priorities (43%), and giving users too much privileged access (35%).” NOTE: No source given for data.

F-35: The Part-Time Fighter Jet. POGO.org article. Pull quote: “Fortunately, such a yardstick does exist. It is the full mission capable rate, or the percentage of aircraft available to perform all the assigned missions. The testing director said the full mission capable rate standard is “a better evaluation of combat readiness” for the F-35 program. When this higher standard is applied to the F-35 fleet, the magnitude of the program’s failure becomes clear: DOT&E reports the full mission capable rate for the F-35 fleet was 30% in 2023.”

Senate GOP fears Speaker Johnson headed toward shutdown wreck. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Lawmakers face another deadline to fund the rest of government on March 8 and don’t appear to be close to reaching a deal on funding the Pentagon and the departments of Homeland Security, Labor and Health and Human Services — which traditionally draw more controversy.”

Congress barrels toward shutdown: 4 scenarios. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““If you think over the next week — or two weeks, or a month — that the United States Congress, House and Senate is going to be able to agree on 12 spending bills, you’ve been dipping into your ketamine stash,” he [Sen Kennedy (R,LA)] added.”

How record February heat is priming the US for crop-wrecking ‘whiplash’. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “But more heat in the southern ocean is creating a windier jet stream, which “is like one of those figure skaters hitting a crack in the ice.” As the skater stumbles, their arms flail out behind them — “and it’s the same thing with the polar vortex. As they are hit by the energy coming from the jet stream down below, their circulation slows down, and you get more outbreaks.”” Caveat: “While it’s impossible to make any predictions more than two weeks out, the risk of this kind of “weather whiplash” is increasing, Cohen said.”

S&T Tests Cutting-Edge Counter-Drone Technology. DHS.gov article. Pull quote: “"The mission of the OSU Counter-UAS Center of Excellence is to work with both government and industry to provide assessments of UAS threats and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation systems and their capability to detect, identify, and deter drone attacks both at home and abroad,” said Dr. Jamey Jacob, Executive Director of OAIRE. “This test provides a penultimate example of how universities can help both parties to provide the best value for the taxpayer.””

Chlorine is a highly useful chemical that's also extremely dangerous − here's what to know about staying safe around it. AkronLegalNews.com editorial. Pull quote: “A yellow-green gas at room temperature, chlorine is highly reactive, which means that it readily forms compounds with many other chemicals. These reactions often are very intense. Chlorine reacts explosively or forms explosive compounds with many common substances, including hydrogen, turpentine and ammonia.”

China to increase protections against hacking for key industries. Reuters.com article.  Pull quote: “"In response to frequent risk scenarios such as ransomware attacks, vulnerability backdoors, illegal operations by personnel, and uncontrolled remote operation and maintenance, we will strengthen risk self-examination and self-correction, and adopt precise management and protective measures," according to the plan, published on MIIT's [Ministry of Industry and Information Technology] website.”

A bureaucratic printer jam holds up a major Biden climate rule. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Publication in the government journal — which includes rules, notices and executive orders — triggers when rules take effect. It also kicks off a timeline that allows Congress to unravel rules — a process that environmental advocates worry a second Trump administration could use to torpedo Biden regulations in early 2025.”

Notice of President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council Meeting. Federal Register DHS meeting notice. Agenda: “The National Infrastructure Advisory Council will meet in an open session on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST to discuss NIAC activities. The open session will include: (1) a period for public comment; (2) a keynote address on critical infrastructure security and resilience; (3) Subcommittee updates and member discussion.