In the U.S., critical infrastructure consists of sixteen essential sectors that make daily life possible. National critical functions are the functions of government and the private sector so vital to the U.S. that their disruption, corruption, or dysfunction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety. Here, we talk to Brian Harrell about the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risks to critical infrastructure and more.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) published the Resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Conformance Framework today. PNT services, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), is a national critical function that enables many applications within the critical infrastructure sectors. This framework will inform the design and adoption of resilient PNT systems and help critical infrastructure become more resilient to PNT disruptions, such as GPS jamming and spoofing.
According to media reports, the U.S. Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of a major cyber espionage operation that affected many U.S. federal agencies.
Domestic critical infrastructure is arguably now more at risk than at any point in living memory, and certainly in a peacetime context. As a consequence of the pandemic, there have been multiple attacks on electricity grids, water systems and energy organizations, election locations, and newly distributed enterprises. What is the best way to go about protecting what is at risk?
After a successful launch earlier this year, Carnegie Mellon researchers introduced the latest version of the IoT Privacy Assistant, an app and digital infrastructure that enables users to discover IoT devices nearby, learn about the data they collect and any controls they might possibly give, such as opting in or out of their data collection and use practices.
When we hear the term “critical infrastructure,” we want to believe that the assets – whether they are physical or digital – are extremely secure. Our minds conjure images of the vaults of Fort Knox, which are protected from every angle. However, critical infrastructure of the digital variety is not necessarily any more secure than any other digital asset. It all comes down to how meticulous the organization is in looking for and quickly closing vulnerabilities and security gaps that expose an attack surface for a bad actor to exploit.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) will be releasing a document that provides a roadmap to threat mitigation of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services, a national critical function powering many of the critical infrastructure sectors that enable modern society. The conformance framework was developed with input from industry stakeholders and will help critical infrastructure owners and operators make risk-informed decisions when deciding what PNT equipment to deploy. It provides distinct levels of resilience so end users can choose equipment that’s appropriate for their needs, based on criticality and risk tolerance.
On November 19 and 20, more than 200 industry and government officials exercised the energy sector’s response and recovery to a Wasatch earthquake during CESER’s Clear Path VIII. This year’s scenario impacted critical energy infrastructure within Utah and the surrounding states with cascading impacts across the Western United States. The regional, all hazards Clear Path Exercise series brings together energy sector partners on an annual basis to update policies and procedures, identify areas for collective improvement, and strengthen relationships and cooperation.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which hosted the Super Bowl LIV, was looking for a solution to protect its critical infrastructure and ensure a consistent experience for fans and spectators.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad F. Wolf introduced two new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC): Tom Jenkins and Catherine Lotrionte. Created by President George W. Bush in 2002, the HSAC is a Department of Homeland Security federal advisory committee that provides the secretary with independent, informed recommendations, and advice on a variety of homeland security issues.
