CRIME NIPC Daily Report for 2 May 2002

From: George Heuston (GeorgeH@private)
Date: Thu May 02 2002 - 09:23:33 PDT

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    Movement afoot to beef-up industrial cybersecurity. Senior officials 
    from the president's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, the 
    National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the US Department of 
    Commerce have asked the private sector for detailed advice on how to 
    improve cybersecurity for the nation's most critical industrial-control 
    systems.   The power industry's demand for remote access encouraged many 
    utility companies to establish network connections between corporate 
    systems and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems 
    that manage and control the flow of electricity and perform various 
    other critical functions throughout the energy sector. The movement to 
    Web-based connections has made these systems increasingly vulnerable to 
    disruptions and attacks in cyberspace, especially because of the lack of 
    standards to help the private sector to design security hardware and 
    software that can be used in SCADA and other industrial systems.  
    (Computerworld, 26 Apr)
    
    WWU Comment:  This movement comes after the Critical Infrastructure 
    Assurance Office and the Office of Homeland Security held a conference 
    on cybersecurity of digital control systems on 2 April that included 
    both the private and public sectors.  The increased use of web-based 
    technology has increased the vulnerability of digital control systems, 
    including SCADA systems that are vital to the operation of several US 
    critical infrastructures.  The conference attendees reiterated the need 
    for continued information sharing between sectors, as well as the need 
    for increased security awareness, security standards, and research and 
    development.  
    
    Pollutant found in central Florida aquifer.  Central Florida's main 
    source of drinking water contains traces of a potentially toxic 
    chemical.  The substance, composed of pesticide molecules long classified as
    toxic, seeped into the ground below the abandoned Tower Chemical Co. 
    plant about a dozen miles west of Orlando.  Environmental Protection 
    Agency (EPA) officials hope to identify the pollutant in the coming 
    weeks and determine its health risk.  Upward of 350 homes may be 
    affected.  (Associated Press, 1 May)
    
    JEA launches probe into system collapse. Thousands of Northeast 
    Floridians boiled their drinking water as JEA customers recovered 
    yesterday from a 12-hour power failure and JEA engineers sought to shed 
    light on what caused the breakdown. An investigation will probe whether 
    the power grid's highly sensitive equipment has been properly installed, 
    maintained and inspected. The JEA also is reviewing its tree-trimming 
    process after a sagging transmission line caused a tree to catch fire 
    and forced the Brandy Branch Generating Station to shut down, delaying 
    restoration of power by several hours. The city-owned utility advised 
    its water customers who live west and north of the St. Johns River to 
    use bottled water or boil water from the tap.  (Jacksonville.com, 1 May 02)
    
    New security steps may cost airport up to $85 million. Philadelphia 
    International Airport officials are hastening to figure out how to pay a 
    bill of up to $85 million this year to meet new federal security 
    requirements that all luggage be checked for bombs before being loaded 
    on planes. Commercial airports nationwide face the challenge of 
    installing new security scanning machines and paying for the work, part 
    of the security response to the Sept. 11 attacks. They must meet a 
    congressional deadline for screening all luggages for explosives by Dec. 
    31. Various aviation officials say renovation costs at the nation's 
    airports could total between $2 billion and $9 billion. The federal 
    government will finance a small portion, but Philadelphia and other 
    airports will have to find ways to cover the rest.  (Philly.com, 2 May 02)
    
    dm
    



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