Private Sector Resources Catalog Update

A couple of years ago someone at DHS got an absolutely brilliant idea, publish a document on the web that provided a summary of, and point of contact information for, each of the public programs operated by each of the various components of DHS. Today, DHS published the latest update of this document on the Private Sector Resources Catalog (PSRC) web site.

The PSRC

One can download the entire PSRC, an unwieldy 75 page document, or you can access individual sections of the document.  During the previous update last summer DHS changed the format of the information somewhat, aligning the sections with the five missions of the Department. Adding some general department information and points of contacts the PSRC offers the following links:

• Department-wide Resources;

• Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security;

• Securing and Managing Our Borders;

• Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws;

• Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace;

• Ensuring Resilience to Threats and Hazards; and

• Appendix A – Key Contacts.

Most readers of this blog are going to find the ‘Preventing Terrorism’ and ‘Securing Cyberspace’ sections most valuable. The ‘Key Contacts’ section provides either an email address or a phone number for (in some limited number of cases) for the various programs in DHS; listed by organization.

Suggestions for Improvements

This really is a great idea, but I just can’t leave well enough alone; there are some changes that I would like to see.

First off, too many of the programs listed in the PSRC do not have their own web page for people to go for more information. These programs typically have an email address to get more information. Each time I have used that contact method I have gotten an informative reply within a day or two; a very reasonable response given that the action agency is typically a small shop with just a couple of people working on the project.

If each program had a small web site with links to the documents that are readily sent to the public, the response would be more efficient; with a more timely exchange of information and less work by the office involved.

I know this isn’t possible for all of the programs. There are some programs where there are vetting requirements before DHS can share the information. For those, we will just have to live with the email point-of-contact.

The second change deals with the Index page provided for the PSRC. The current version is a low-tech index with just a page number for each of the listed programs. It is only useful if you have downloaded the entire PSRC since it doesn’t tell you in which section the page number will be found (though for many you’ll probably be able to guess).

Instead of being a .PDF document this page should be an HTML document with active links to each of referenced programs.

And really, that’s all I’ve got for improving this document. The folks at the Private Sector Office at DHS have done a pretty good job with this information sharing program. Keep it up.

DHS Private Sector Resources Catalog Updated 08-08-11

Yesterday DHS published the third version of the Private Sector Resources Catalog. This catalog was first published in May of last year and had one other update last November. The Private Sector Office has changed the format of the Catalog in this revision. As has been the case you can download the entire Catalog as a single document or as individual chapters. In previous versions the chapters were based upon organizations within DHS, this time the chapters are organized around the mission areas of DHS.

The available chapters now include:

• Department-wide Resources

• Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security

• Securing and Managing Our Borders

• Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws

• Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace

• Ensuring Resilience to Disasters

• Appendix A – Key Contacts

• Appendix B – Index

A quick look at the ‘Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security’ chapter (of obvious interest to the chemical security community) shows that the reorganization has continued to the general organization of the chapters though the individual program description format and information remain pretty much the same as in earlier versions. The chapters are also arranged around functional areas rather than offices within the Department. The headings in this chapter include:

• Bombing Prevention, page 11

• Chemical Security, page 12

• Committees & Working Groups, page 14

• Dams Security, page 14

• General Physical Security Assessment Tools, page 16

• Hazardous Materials Transportation Security, page 18

• Hotel, Lodging & Retail Security, page 18

• Land Transportation, page 21

• Maritime Security, page 22

• Mass Transit and Rail Security, page 24

• News Sources, page 25

• Nuclear Security, page 26

• Passenger and Cargo Air Security, page 26

• Protecting Against Fraud & Counterfeiting, page 28

• Protecting, Analyzing & Sharing Information, page 30

• Terrorism Prevention, page 32

The ‘Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace’ chapter comes closest to being the same functional chapter as found in the previous version of the Catalog. The internal reorganization of this chapter still makes it difficult to compare to the list of programs provided. The headings in this chapter include:

• Cybersecurity Assessment Tools, page 41

• Cybersecurity Incident Resources, page 41

• Cybersecurity Technical Resources, page 42

• Software Assurance, page 44

The change in organization makes the Catalog and its individual chapters a little more user oriented. It does, however, make it a little more difficult for a reviewer like me to determine what programs have been added or removed from the Catalog. Oh well, such is life. I still recommend that anyone with an interest in chemical or cybersecurity should download and review the appropriate chapter from this valuable list of Federal programs and resources.

PSRC 2.0 Update

Last weekend I did a blog posting about the recent update to the DHS Private Sector Resources Catalog. In that post I listed three programs from the previous version of the Catalog that I could not find in the current version and I promised to get more information on the change. I got quick responses from the folks at DHS and I can now provide more information.

Two Programs are Still There

Two of the programs that I listed as missing from the current program are actually still there.

● Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Awareness Web Training
● Surveillance Detection Web Training

Mary Page from the Commercial Facilities Sector Office was kind enough to point out their location in the Infrastructure Protection chapter (pg 31) of the Catalog. Additionally she pointed me at a listing of the IED awareness training on their web page which provides a link to the registration form.

Program Canceled

The third program that I identified, the Security Outreach and Awareness Program (SOAP), is no longer run by the Chemical Sector Specific Agency (CSSA). This was a cyber security review program run by the CSSA, but responsibility for cyber security issues was transferred to the DHS National Cyber Security Division. Esther Langer from the CSSA informed me that the program that effectively takes the place of the old SOAP program is the ICS-CERT’s Cyber Security Evaluation Tool that I have previously discussed.

Private Sector Resources Catalog 2.0

On Thursday I informed you that the latest revision of the Private Sector Resources Catalog had been released and I also said that I would let you know about the changes that would be of interest to the chemical security community after I had a chance to do an in depth review of the new document. Well, as promised, here it is.

First, I did not do an in depth review of the entire document. I concentrated on the four chapters that I thought would be of the most interest to the chemical security community. That does not mean that there won’t be items of potential interest in the other chapters of the Catalog, it just means that I don’t have time to go through the whole thing. Those four chapters are:

• Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C)
• Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP)
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

New Programs

There are a number of new programs listed in each of these chapters. I am not going to provide explanations of all of them; I’ll just list the titles. If it looks like something that might be potentially interesting, use the links above to find a brief description of the program as well as either a web site or email address to obtain additional information.

Cybersecurity and Communications

• The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT)
• Research and Standards Integration Program (RSI)
• Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program

Office of Infrastructure Protection

• Chemical Sector Training and Resources Database
• DHS Webinar “Surveillance Detection Awareness on the Job”
• Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Search Procedures Workshop
• IED Threat Awareness and Response
• Infrastructure Information Collection System (IICS)
• IP Sector-Specific Tabletop Exercise Program (IP-SSTEP) Chemical Sector Tabletop Exercise (TTX)
• Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Web-base
• Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Officer Training
• Chemical Facility Security: Best Practice Guide for an Active Shooter Incident
• Chemical Sector Training Resources Guide
• The Roadmap to Secure Control Systems in the Chemical Sector
• Chemical Sector Security Awareness Guide

Transportation Security Administration

• Maritime Passenger Security Courses
• Air Cargo Screening Technology List-For Passenger Aircraft

Coast Guard (no new programs listed)

I have already written about many of these new programs. Those that I haven’t, I am asking for additional information about and you may see them listed here in future posts.

Removed Programs

In going through these chapters I did note that there were some programs that were missing from the new catalog. Three were three from the Office of Infrastructure Protection chapter that I thought might be of interest to the chemical security community. Since they are not listed in the new catalog, there is no explanation about if/why they may have been discontinued. I am trying to get such explanations and will relay them to my readers if/when. In the meantime here is a list of the delisted programs:

• Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Awareness Web Training
• Surveillance Detection Web Training
• Security Outreach and Awareness Program (SOAP)

Training Programs

There is a wealth of training programs available in this catalog covering a wide variety of subjects and skill levels. Many of them were specifically developed by DHS agencies to meet mandated training requirements. I won’t guarantee the quality or appropriateness of each of these training programs. Each will have a variety of good points and bad points that will have to be evaluated for each facility’s training requirements. But, one thing is for sure, you won’t be able to beat the prices.

Once again, if you are responsible for a DHS covered program, particularly security related programs, you owe it to yourself and your organization to download the appropriate chapters of this Catalog and take a good hard look at the resources that DHS is providing. Your tax dollars are paying for this catalog and the resources listed. Get your share of the benefit.

DHS Private Sector Resources Catalog Updated

Today DHS announced that they had updated their Private Sector Resources Catalog. This publication provides a summary of, and points of contacts for (including links in mst cases) a variety of programs within the Department. This catalog was first published back in May and, as promised DHS has issued their first update.

As with their first revision of the Catalog web page you can either download the entire thing or just the ‘chapters’ that are of interest. The latest version adds two new chapters; Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and DHS Privacy Office.

I certainly haven’t had time to peruse each of the chapters to look at the changes in their list, I’ll probably have a chance to do that this weekend. But my review not withstanding, I would certainly recommend downloading the newest version of which ever chapter (or perhaps you want the whole catalog) that might be of interest to you or your organization.

Private Sector Resources Catalog Page Update 08-05-10

Late yesterday DHS updated their Private Sector Resources Catalog web page. The actual Catalog has not yet been changed, but they did add a new way to access information in the Catalog; they added links to the individual chapters within the catalog. The link to the entire document is still on the page, but you now have the option of just downloading the parts of specific interest. The available documents include: ● Department-wide Resources ● U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ● U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) ● U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ● Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) ● Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ● U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ● Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) ● Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) ● Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ● Appendix A – Key Contacts ● Appendix B – Index I’m not sure if this is a prelude to being able to just update the parts of the document that change over time, but that would make a certain amount of sense. If that is the way that DHS decides to go (and it would be the way I would do things) I would hope that they would also provide the date each chapter was published/changed to make it easier to track updates on this page.

Private Sector Resources Catalog

Lately I have been taking DHS to task for a variety of weaknesses in their ‘Open Government’ efforts so it is only appropriate that I say something positive about their latest effort in this area. Yesterday, after almost two weeks of silence, the DHS Blog had a post about the recent publication of their Private Sector Resources Catalog. The blog describes it this way:

“The catalog provides information, contact numbers and email addresses, and websites for almost every program, office, and component within DHS.”

The table of contents (which provides a click-able link to the chapters, a real valuable tool) provides a quick look at the available information. Of potential interest to the chemical security community are chapters on Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C), Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP), Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Each chapter provides a fairly comprehensive list of programs with points of contact (POC) and/or web pages where further information can be found. Many of the programs listed are hard to find on the Internet without this guide. Other programs are briefly mentioned on the Internet, but no POC information has been made available for more information. So this is a valuable guide, though I don’t recommend printing it out; the real value lies in the link and it is easier to use them in a computer file than from a printed document. The web page for this document promises that “this catalog will be updated regularly to publicize new resources and increase private sector awareness”. Unfortunately, the page does not include a link that would enable someone to be notified when the catalog is updated. The page does include a ‘last reviewed’ date so it will be a fairly simple matter to click through to see when the catalog is revised, but it would be simpler if DHS would add this to their list of pages for which they provide notification of changes service. If DHS provides regular updates of the information (and some parts of DHS have better histories of updating information than others) available and provides links to that information in future updated versions of this guide, they will have gone a long way in redeeming their ‘Open Government’ operations in my eyes. This is a valuable document which will become even more valuable if it is kept updated at regular intervals.