Short Takes – 3-6-24

New Hazmat Guide for Orphan Chlorine Container Response. HazmatNation.com article. Pull quote: “In addition to conducting free training for first responders (in cooperation with other TRANSCAER sponsors), CI has developed publications and focused guidance to enhance chlorine emergency response efforts. This month, CI published a new resource for first responders on safely handling “orphaned” chlorine containers. CI defines an “orphaned” chlorine container as a chlorine cylinder or ton container that has been abandoned and is effectively without an owner.”

Securing home security. Kaspersky.com blog post. Pull quote: “Protection devices — whether they be locks, cameras, alarms, or anything else — should, in theory, be completely secure against any kind of hostile action. After all, they could be deliberately targeted by attackers hoping to break in! Unfortunately, in practice, manufacturers are not always prudent. They make various mistakes: in smart locks, the mechanical part is often not made reliable enough; in cameras, video streams are transmitted openly, allowing unauthorized persons to view or even interfere with them; and in alarms, control channels are poorly protected. This is in addition to other smart-home vulnerabilities that we’ve written about before.”

FHWA Adoption of Cyber Security Evaluation Tool. Federal Register FHWA notice. Summary: “ollowing coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FHWA announces its proposal to adopt the Cyber Security Evaluation Tool (CSET) as a voluntary tool transportation authorities can use to assist in identifying, detecting, protecting against, responding to, and recovering from cyber incidents. The FHWA requests comments on its proposal.”

Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting. Federal Register FRA meeting notice. Agenda: “This meeting of the RSAC will include updates from the working groups for train braking modernization and wayside detectors, which were formed in response to the February 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern Railway Co. freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Working groups for Confidential Close Call Reporting (C3RS) and roadway worker protection will also report to RSAC on their activity. A detailed agenda for the meeting will be posted on the RSAC internet website at least one week in advance of the meeting.” Meeting date: March 21^st, 2024

Notice Open Meeting of the Internet of Things Advisory Board. Federal Register NIST meeting notice. Summary: “The Internet of Things (IoT) Advisory Board will meet Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3, 2024 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., eastern time. Both sessions will be open to the public.” May include discussion of “security of the Internet of Things, including the security of critical infrastructure”.