Firestorm

Private Seminar, Tucson

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:09:58 GMT

Private Seminar, Tucson
Start Date: 19-Sep-08 10:30 AM
End Time: 19-Sep-08 3:00 PM
Speaker: Harry Rhulen

Private Training Wisconsin

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:13:13 GMT

Private Training Wisconsin
Start Date: 18-Sep-08 8:30 AM
End Time: 18-Sep-08 12:00 PM
Speaker: Jim Satterfield

Private Training Philadelphia

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:05:45 GMT

Private Training Philadelphia
Start Date: 16-Sep-08 10:00 AM
End Time: 16-Sep-08 11:30 AM
Speaker: Jim Satterfield

Chemical Manufacturers Association Seminar, Grapevine, TX

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:04:25 GMT

Chemical Manufacturers Association Seminar, Grapevine, TX
Start Date: 3-Sep-08 6:00 PM
End Time: 5-Sep-08 10:00 AM
Speaker: Harry Rhulen

Private Seminar, Fort McPherson, GA

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:32:30 GMT

Private Seminar, Fort McPherson, GA
Start Date: 28-Aug-08 10:00 AM
End Time: 28-Aug-08 12:00 PM
Speaker: Joni Charme

Seminar, Orange County, CA

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:38:05 GMT

Seminar, Orange County, CA
Start Date: 27-Aug-08 7:30 AM
End Time: 27-Aug-08 7:30 PM
Location: Snell & Wilmer LLP., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Speaker: Harry Rhulen

Snell & Wilmer LLP.

600 Anton Blvd.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Firestorm Newsletter 20-Aug-08

noemail@firestorm.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

August 20, 2008

Cyber security

HEADLINE: U.S. at risk of cyber attacks, experts say

SUMMARY: The recent computer attacks on the country of Georgia signal a new kind of cyber warfare. The U.S. is not fully prepared for a large-scale, coordinated attack, experts say. Such attacks can be mounted anonymously and cheaply from anywhere in the world. A cyberattack on the U.S. could hobble utilities, transportation and other infrastructure.

STORY LINK: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/18/cyber.warfare/index.html

ANALYSIS: Over the past 20 years I had the opportunity to train thousands of law enforcement investigators on the techniques used to investigate hacking activities. The joke within this group has always been that we "only catch the dumb ones." That mindset exists due to the limited availability of advanced training, hardware and software resources for what is arguably our first line of defense for cyber attacks within our borders. While the military and 3-letter agencies have resolved this dilemma (they have allocated billions for the problem) they are the exception to the rule.

American corporations (especially the multi-national ones) and telecommunication giants, along with federal, state and local governmental agencies, are sitting ducks for state-sponsored foreign hackers. Want a shock? Try calling your local law enforcement agency and ask them if you were a victim of a state-sponsored hacking attack, who would they send to investigate and help in mitigating the attack? The answer should convince you that you are on your own with this problem.

While there are lots of highly qualified cyber-cops, they are in short supply and even today are spread way too thin to be a viable resource in responding to a full-blown attack targeted at America's internal technological infrastructure.

Bottom line: Don't be a willing victim, do as much as you can to increase the levels of security for your home and business computer systems as you can afford. Every time you raise the computer security bar it makes it just a little bit more difficult for the hackers to gain access to your systems, slowing down their malicious efforts to a crawl.

Bill Spernow, Firestorm Expert Council member

Risk management

HEADLINE: Terrorism insurance also a risk

SUMMARY: Losses arising out of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack is a major concern of many businesses. Although terrorism policies are available, strict limits as to what is covered have generated limited interest in carrying a policy. Terrorism has a very specific definition in policies and generally needs to be an event carried out by a group of people for political purposes.

STORY LINK: http://ellwoodcityledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19835396&BRD=2724&PAG=461&dept_id=563781&rfi=6

ANALYSIS: A lot of what the representative from HRH quoted in this story is saying is correct. A key point is terrorism insurance does not cover domestic acts of violence. For example, the Oklahoma City bombing -- because a U.S. citizen was the guilty party -- would not have been covered by terrorism insurance. Also, the pricing for this coverage is open to a lot of interpretation. The question of who should buy this raises more questions than answers. I would recommend anyone looking to buy terrorism coverage make sure they fully understand what is and is not covered.

-- Peter H. Foley, Firestorm Executive VP

Counterterrorism

HEADLINE: TSA to expand regulation of private aviation

SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is planning to increase regulations for private planes, which are currently flying with no security rules. DHS secretary Michael Chertoff has expressed concern about terrorists transporting explosive materials or themselves on private aircraft.

STORY LINK: http://hsdailywire.com/single.php?id=6650

ANALYSIS: TSA would like to create additional chaos in the General Aviation arena, especially in the category of aircraft over 12,500 pounds. My concerns are what "their plan" will be.
TSA needs to realize trucks, whose availability is much greater than small aircraft, have a greater chance of doing damage than the category of small aircraft. Imagine what an 18-wheeler packed with fuel and/or explosives could do vs. a small aircraft being flown into a target. The 18-wheeler parked below or alongside a sky scraper would wreck havoc and create horrific damage.
TSA should realize putting this emphasis on small aircraft and helicopters has been done before and everyone is out there watching and waiting. There is much more TSA should concentrate on. TSA sees "general aviation" as a weak point and most FBO's and small aircraft owners and operators do not see it that way.

Michael W. Wewers, Firestorm Expert Council Member

Communicable illness

HEADLINE: Bacteria a big killer in 1918 flu pandemic: study

SUMMARY: A report in The Journal of Infectious Diseases said preparations for future pandemics should include stockpiling antibiotics as well as antiviral drugs and vaccines, based on samples of lung tissue taken from victims of the 1918 flu pandemic which showed evidence of damage both by the flu virus and pneumonia-causing bacteria.

STORY LINK: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1647217720080819?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews

ANALYSIS: In discussing a potential pandemic, most emphasis has been upon the potential of antiviral drugs to reduce severity or even provide protection. This report shows that with weakened immune systems, other illnesses can cause significant loss of life. Whether it is pneumonia, heart attack, stroke, appendicitis, cancer, accidents, asthma, kidney disease, shortage of medical supplies and staff or suicide, there will be substantial loss of life from otherwise treatable illnesses or events.

These factors will not receive the proper medical response because of the pandemic surge and loss of capabilities to treat. These deaths will not be linked directly to the pandemic, but will be a direct byproduct. America and the world are not ready for a pandemic. There is no actionable plan. There will be chaos, so be your own first line of defense.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

Healthcare

HEADLINE: The return of the company doctor: Medical clinics are springing up at businesses — and savings are substantial

SUMMARY: Company based medical clinics are on the rise. Toyota, Nissan and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts are some of the companies offering on-site medical treatment for routine matters. The benefits include productivity gains and large savings for employees.

STORY LINK: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25972415/

ANALYSIS: Preparedness offers many benefits, including an up to fivefold return on investment. Recognizing that importance of human capital, providing onsite medical support reduces time lost while improving employees’ health.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

20-Aug-08 3:00 PM

Firestorm Newsletter 14-Aug-08

noemail@firestorm.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

August 14, 2008

Communicable illness

HEADLINE: Contact with Birds Not Required to Contract Bird Flu Infection

SUMMARY: A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that in at least 25 percent of human H5N1 avian influenza infections, how the person was exposed to the virus remains a mystery. The majority of cases are a result of close contact with diseased poultry or between infected family members. Some of the unclear cases occurred in individuals with no contact with live poultry.

STORY LINK: http://www.naturalnews.com/023815.html

HEADLINE: H9N2 avian flu strain has pandemic potential

SUMMARY: A recent study found that the H9N2 avian influenza, widespread among birds in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, could become transmissible in humans with only minor mutations. If the H9 does acquire the ability to spread in people, it is likely at first to cause only minor illness. But the new data indicate that if it mixes with other human viruses, as commonly occurs, it could become more potent.

STORY LINK: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35160/title/H9N2_avian_flu_strain_has_pandemic_potential

ANALYSIS: Many people have focused on the probability of an H5N1 avian flu pandemic. There are those who believe it will never occur. Some are wishful thinkers or sceptics in general. This report reconfirms we are at risk from a large number of communicable diseases. We should not focus on only one.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

HEADLINE: New bird flu strain found in Nigeria, U.N.’s FAO says

SUMMARY: The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that a new strain of H5N1 has shown up among birds in Africa. The new strain is genetically different from the strains that circulated in Nigeria during earlier outbreaks in 2006 and 2007 and is new to Africa, the FAO said. The H5N1 has killed or forced the slaughter of 300 million birds worldwide.

STORY LINK: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1139457720080811?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

ANALYSIS: There is really no new news here, as the introduction of the new strain to Africa was most likely by smuggling exotic birds (or chickens from China as mentioned as a possibility in this article). Both smuggling networks have been reported in the past. There is no reason anyone should consider this introduction more important than the present avian outbreaks of H5N1. Some of the folks following avian flu are starting to worry more about H7, especially since there has been some controversy on the actual number of cases and reported deaths that occurred in Wales and what the United Kingdom has reported.

-- Dr. Steve Cunnion, Firestorm Expert Council member

Business continuity

HEADLINE: Introducing Title IX: Voluntary Certification

SUMMARY: The Title IX program will utilize voluntary preparedness standards to assess private sector entity compliance. This voluntary program offers benefits to a certified organization, such as insurance premium reductions as well as being viewed as more stable, dependable and reliable by its customers.

STORY LINK: http://www.avalution.com/Perspectives/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=84617ae8%2Def98%2D4ebb%2D9dda%2Db6f73f4b5466&ID=45

ANALYSIS: Every business needs a continuity plan. The 9/11 Commission found that “preparedness is not a luxury, but a cost of doing business.” Public Law 110-53 and Title IX represent putting these principles into action. Businesses should be concerned that “voluntary” becomes dictatorial, oppressive, and a financial disaster. Unless industry acts collectively to design industry specific voluntary standards that can be self-evaluated, a Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory type continuity burden will quickly follow for continuity and disaster planning.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

Data security

HEADLINE: Top 6 Regulatory Issues of 2008 -- and What's Coming Next

SUMMARY: U.S. financial institutions have been mandated to implement programs to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft for covered accounts. The final Identity Theft "Red Flags" rules and guidelines went into effect on January 1, 2008 and have a mandatory compliance date of November 1, 2008.

STORY LINK: http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=929&opg=1

HEADLINE: Global Study of 3100 Companies Reveals Top Tech Business Issues

SUMMARY: Ensuring the security of personal information is a top concern for corporate executives. A study reveals protection of personal information and regulatory compliance as the top two business issues impacted by technology. Businesses should have a plan in place to respond to security breaches before they occur.

STORY LINK: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/08/05/231754/executives-most-worried-about-securing-personal-data.htm

ANALYSIS: At the consumer level, especially with respect to those concerned about the security of their personal information, this article's title may leave the impression that because IT executives are "concerned and worried" about this problem it is being addressed. Unfortunately, nothing is further from the truth. For example, taking a closer look at the survey results we see that only 3.6 percent of the 86,000 ISACA members even bothered to take the time to respond to the survey. If this 3.6 percent is the only group "worried" about the problem of protecting your personal data, what does that say about the other 96.4%? Has this larger group already fixed the problem? That's unlikely given the identity theft incidents that are reported on a regular basis. The sad fact of the matter is that this "concern and worry" seldom, if ever, translates to a budget to fix the problem, because the problem has yet to become a problem for most companies. When it does become a problem (read: your personal data is traded/sold by identity thieves) it will be too late for you and a wakeup call for our "concerned and worried" IT executives who should have acted sooner but couldn't justify the budget until the problem became a problem. Regardless, when it comes to identity theft we are all victims waiting to happen.

--Bill Spernow, Firestorm Expert Council member

14-Aug-08 4:00 PM

Firestorm Newsletter 8-Aug-08

noemail@firestorm.com — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

August 8, 2008

Culture of preparedness

HEADLINE: Learning to Be Your Own Best Defense in a Disaster

SUMMARY: The most important factor in surviving an emergency is your own behavior. Unfortunately, human behavioral instincts and reactions to crisis situations usually aren’t correct. Steps such as taking part in evacuation drills at work and at home are a simple way you can improve your chances of survival. You are your own first responder.

STORY LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05well.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

ANALYSIS: During a crisis is not the time to begin a planning process. Having a clear understanding and practice of plans is the difference in life or death. We have plans in almost every aspect of life, such as going to work, buying groceries and fixing dinner. We practice sports, singing and dancing. Why not plan and practice for something that happens 70,000 times a year? According to the Red Cross, that’s how many disasters occur annually in America.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

Communicable illness

HEADLINE: CDC Finds Some Bird Flu Strains have Acquired Properties that Might Enhance Potential to Infect Humans

SUMMARY: A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA has found that some bird flu strains have properties that could increase their potential to infect people and possibly spread among people. To date, most of cases of bird flu have occurred from direct contact with infected poultry.

STORY LINK: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110980.php

ANALYSIS: Both H5 and H7 influenzas mutate continuously. Finding the right combination of markers that convert the viruses to human-to-human transmission is ultimately a timing issue. The concern is a rapid escalation of cases. While H7 is not as deadly as H5, the resulting absenteeism would cause substantial economic losses, and those with weakened immune systems would be a great risk. If H5 mutates, the loss of life could be staggering.

-- Jim Satterfield, Firestorm President/COO

Business continuity

HEADLINE: FM Global Study Reveals Most Large Companies Exposed to Natural Disasters but Many Underprepared

SUMMARY: A new study by FM Global reveals a large gap for companies between the natural disasters they are vulnerable to and their level of preparedness. Most companies are not adequately prepared and are not overly concerned about the potential impacts on business continuity. To ensure sustainability of the company and to mitigate economic loss, planning for how to adapt operations during a crisis is critical.

STORY LINK: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS169769+06-Aug-2008+BW20080806

ANALYSIS: Too many companies believe it won't happen to them. Companies have an obligation to their shareholders, employees and the community at large to be prepared. Regardless of the cause, whether global warming or other factors, weather patterns have become very unpredictable. We have seen this with the tornadoes of the first and second quarter of 2008, the fires in California, and the wakeup call with the recent earthquake. Businesses will be affected, whether directly hit with a natural catastrophe or being on the receiving end of secondary factors such as disruption in supply chain and/or customers driven out of the market.

-- Peter H. Foley, Firestorm Executive VP

Bioterrorism

HEADLINE: Modest Gains Against Ever-Present Bioterrorism Threat

SUMMARY: Experts agree that after an investment of $57 million over the past seven years only modest gains have been made toward preventing an act of bioterrorism. The United States lacks the necessary plans and an organized structure needed in the event of a massive disease outbreak.

STORY LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201624.html

8-Aug-08 11:00 AM