Disaster Due Diligence
Firestorm Newsletter
Firestorm believes that preparedness is predicated on recognition of imminent threats. Our newsletter is an invaluable threat assessment tool that tracks and reports on current conditions and issues, to maximize and facilitate your corporate continuity plans and preparedness efforts.
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Sample Newsletter:
FROM THE FIRESTORM BLOG
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Hackers Shake Web to the Core, Article by Al Kirkpatrick, The Kirkpatrick Report
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Who’s the Next Script Kiddies Target? Article by Karen Masullo, Firestorm EVP Social Media
FIRESTORM EXPERT ANALYSIS
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Natural Disaster, Storm Shelters Draw Complaints, Lt. Col Oz Hill (Ret.)
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Infrastructure Safety, Analysis by Kenneth O’Dell, S.E. M.ASCE, Principal, Firestorm MHP
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Operational Risk, Analysis by Phillip Wexler, Firestorm Expert Council
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Health Matters, Analysis by Dr. Don Donahue, Director, Firestorm Healthcare Response Team
FROM THE FIRESTORM BLOG:
The Kirkpatrick Report, authored by nationally recognized Chief Information Security Officer, Al Kirkpatrick, is now a regular feature of the Firestorm Blog.
Hackers Shake Web to the Core
“The keepers of the Internet have become acutely concerned about their ability to protect the most sensitive personal information such as account logons and credit card numbers.” Quote Source: USA Today Hackers Shake Web to the Core, Security at Top Levels Questioned, By Byron Acohido, September 28, 2011
Article by Al Kirkpatrick, The Kirkpatrick Report
If you happened to see the front page of USA TODAY on September 28, 2011 you were greeted with the above headline. Okay, we all agree that Armageddon likened headlines often exaggerate reality, so I decided to provide some plain-English background and my take on this issue from an “in-the-trenches” perspective.
To understand the incident that prompted the headline, one must first understand one of the foundational concepts of Internet-based commerce:
Problem: When a user opens up an Internet web-page, they must have some sort of trust that the web-page is really published by the person or organization that the web site claims to be published by.
In plain English – when you are viewing a web site with a banner that displays AMAZON.COM – one would assume that Amazon, the internet commerce people, published that web site.
Now, unless you've been taking a Rip Van Winkle nap for ten years or so, you probably know that the bad guys have found a myriad of ways to pretend to be someone they aren’t. Hopefully, you also know to look for that cool little padlock symbol at the bottom of your browser screen whenever you are transacting something confidential back and forth over the Internet... Read the Rest of this story on the Firestorm Blog
Fox, NBC and USA Today – Who’s the Next Script Kiddies Target?
Article by Karen Masullo, Firestorm EVP Social Media
USAToday’s Twitter account became the latest victim of the hacking group Script Kiddies: Unlike previous Script Kiddies hacks however, the USA Today effort apparently did not include tweets with fake news stories. Instead, the group boasted about previous hacks and encouraged people to "like" them on Facebook.
You may recall we discussed a breach of the FoxNews Politics Twitter account by the Script Kiddies Hackers over the 2011 July 4th weekend.
Next, NBC News found itself victim of a tasteless attack via its Twitter account on September 9th of this year. The NBC News hacks read:
"Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed into the site, suspected hijacking…more as the story develops"
"Flight 4782 is not responding, suspected hijacking. One plane just hit Ground Zero site at 5:47," the hackers wrote in a second tweet before posting, "This is not a joke. Ground Zero has just been attacked. We're attempting to get reporters on the scene."
In the Fox Twitter account hack, the offending messages were left “live” on the account for more than 12 hours – many suspected this was to allow the FBI and others to investigate but this was never confirmed, and that in itself created negative messaging.
In the NBC attack, due to solid oversight and communication by NBC’s Marketing Director Ryan Osborn, the issue was spotted and reported within 3 minutes, and removed within 8. Moreover, NBC used its hundreds of thousands of followers to act as brand advocates and reach out to the Twitter community en masse to alert users to the hack... Read the Rest of this story on the Firestorm Blog
FIRESTORM EXPERT ANALYSIS
Natural Disaster
HEADLINE: Storm shelters draw complaints
SUMMARY: Officials from the communities that provided primary shelters in Monmouth County, New Jersey during Hurricane Irene are raising concerns about how the operation was run. As hundreds of people flowed into shelters in Colts Neck, Holmdel, and Wall, there was insufficient security, medical personnel, and food which could have turned into dangerous situations, said officials from the three communities.
ANALYSIS: It is imperative that emergency management officials are prepared to immediately open shelters, as well as, commence and sustain operations in the event of a disaster or catastrophic event. The key to readiness is:
- predicting the needs of the community or population expected to use the shelter
- planning the logistics and life support resources required to sustain shelter operations
- training and exercises for staff and volunteers on shelter operations best practices
- performing efficiently when required
- maintaining the intellectual agility and operational flexibility to effectively respond to un-programmed developments
- capturing lessons learned for the purpose of improving operations and sustaining excellence
