Category: Industry News

Industry News

IAEA and FAO Help Burkina Faso and Algeria to Enhance Food Safety & Security

Health & Social Care, Industry News
The IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) cooperate in supporting food safety and food quality programmes around the world to address food hazards, food fraud and advise countries on food irradiation. Among the beneficiaries of this programme have been Burkina Faso and Algeria. To celebrate World Food Safety Day, we are drawing attention to the importance of nuclear techniques in monitoring food safety. “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow” – this year’s theme – recognizes how safe food contributes to a healthy life, economy, planet and future.
Enhanced food safety capabilities in Burkina Faso
Tiny but oil- and vitamin-rich sesame seeds have become a staple of Burkina Faso’s economy – creating jobs and generating income. After cotton, the edible seeds that grow in pods have become the West African country’s second most exported agricultural product. This sprouting success in the last decade has been sustained with the help of Burkina Faso’s National Public Health Laboratory (LNSP), supported by the IAEA and FAO, through their Joint Cenre on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
Enhancing food safety analytical capabilities in Algeria
Laboratories in Algeria have received the support to enhance their analytical capabilities for the detection of chemical hazards, including antimicrobial and pesticide residues in a range of food, from poultry and eggs to dates and honey. Algeria was the world’s sixth leading exporter of dates, worth approximately US $129 million in 2020.
Through the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme and in partnership with FAO, staff of the Algerian National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRAA) and the National Institute of Veterinary Medicine (INMV) have been trained in methods of analysis and supported with the required analytical equipment. These institutions are now equipped to contribute towards consumer protection and the trade of agricultural products.
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AIAA and the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) Enter Cooperative Agreement

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News, Space Sector
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) enabling the two organizations to collaborate on aerospace and space cybersecurity endeavors. The two organizations will cooperate to build the knowledge foundations of space cybersecurity. The Space ISAC brings cybersecurity situational awareness and operational excellence and AIAA offers its long history of convening and promoting aerospace expertise, knowledge, and leadership.
“AIAA is committed to bringing cyber protection to the heart of the aerospace industry. It is becoming more and more essential to address cybersecurity on an ongoing basis in the mainstream of our core processes – from the design and development of new space systems, to manufacturing and production, to operations,” said Dan Dumbacher, executive director of AIAA. “We look forward to our continued work with the Space ISAC, to use its frontline role in the cyber defense of aerospace to foster open dialogue and cooperation around this topic.”
The Space ISAC facilitates collaboration across the global space industry to prepare for and respond to vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats; to disseminate timely and actionable information among member entities; and to serve as the primary communications channel for the sector with respect to this information. Space ISAC is the only all-threats security information source for the public and private space sector. It will be the most comprehensive, single point source for data, facts and analysis on space security and threats to space assets. Space ISAC will also provide analysis and resources to support response, mitigation, and resilience initiatives.
Erin Miller, Space ISAC Executive Director, commented, “Space ISAC and AIAA coming together in partnership is a wonderful complement. Our initial collaboration efforts began in 2020 on the first ever ISAC-led tabletop exercise for the space sector. We are formalizing our partnership now and anticipate the impact will be seen through efforts in workforce development, education, space sector cybersecurity awareness, and more.”
The two organizations have already begun collaborating. In 2020, the Space ISAC staged a cybersecurity tabletop exercise for space industry executives at AIAA’s ASCEND event, a global gathering of 3,000 aerospace professionals and others who are focused on accelerating our off-world future faster. Both organizations also value the importance of infusing the  global space industry with content to educate industry professionals and students and will identify opportunities to leverage AIAA’s extensive educator outreach programs.
“Digital technology has made aerospace safer, smarter, and more connected than ever. We must now establish cybersecurity as a priority on par with safety. We look forward to working with the Space ISAC to expand cybersecurity awareness throughout the aerospace community and supply chain,” Dumbacher concluded.
Through the MOU, the Space ISAC and AIAA intend to cooperate on learning opportunities and explore other areas of mutual concern.
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ENISA Report: New Light Shed on Capabilities in Energy & Healthcare

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News
A new report released by the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) showcases the product vulnerability management landscape, unveiling challenges faced by sectoral CSIRTs and PSIRTs.
Europeans can count on more than 500 Computer Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) and on the CSIRTs network to respond to cybersecurity incidents and attacks.
In addition to CSIRTs, Product Security Incident Response Teams (PSIRTs) have emerged more recently. Their role is to manage the vulnerabilities of a company’s products and services.
PSIRTs have been mostly developed in a heterogeneous way. For instance, while some of them are well developed and independent from the main Incident Response (IR) team of the host company, others belong to their Security Operations Centre (SOC) or are just part of the development team.
Why a report on CSIRTs and PSIRTs capabilities?
The Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NISD) adopted in 2016 provides legal measures to boost the level of cybersecurity in the EU. Both CSIRTs and PSIRTs are essential players in the global Incident Response (IR) ecosystem.
The study published today - PSIRT Expertise and Capabilities Development - provides recommendations on the role of PSIRTs in the IR setup of the Member States according to the NISD, specifically in the energy and health sectors.
ENISA had already explored in details the IR setup across all sectors of the NISD in a study published in 2019: “EU Member States incident response development status report”.
Sectoral PSIRTs as energy or healthcare ones may benefit from an aligned approach in terms of processes and collaboration to ensure legal compliance in relation to their business partners, clients and possibly Operators of Essential Services or other actors subject to EU cybersecurity regulation.
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International Code Council resources help prepare for safety and recovery as Atlantic hurricane season begins

Health & Social Care, Industry News
The International Code Council is committed to helping communities stay safe in the midst of hurricanes and tropical cyclones as June marks the beginning of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season and preparing for natural disaster safety and recovery is a top priority.
All levels of government and the private sector must work together to ensure communities are safe and resilient from devastating natural disasters. Throughout hurricane season, the International Code Council is dedicated to helping communities stay safe in their homes, workplaces and neighborhoods.
The Code Council and its members are ready to help through the Disaster Response Alliance. Local and state jurisdictions in the U.S. as well as federal agencies may also contact the Disaster Response Alliance for help to reach skilled professionals who volunteer to assist jurisdictions that request aid with building damage assessment, building inspections and other code-related functions in disaster areas. Code Council members also assist devastated communities with post-disaster building plans reviews, inspections and permit operations through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
“The momentum and awareness we’ve raised during Building Safety Month about the importance of disaster mitigation and building code adoption continues as we enter this year’s hurricane season,” said Code Council CEO Dominic Sims, CBO. “Code officials play an integral role in preparing communities for natural disasters and in navigating recovery after a devastating event. The Code Council and its members are ready to help protect our communities.”
The Code Council, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and state and local officials will host a webinar on the implementation of FEMA’s new disaster recovery policy for code enforcement and administration. This new policy offers building officials and communities an effective way to access many of the resources needed to effectively administer and enforce building codes and floodplain management ordinances for up to 180 days following a major disaster declaration. Register for this free webinar to learn about more about this important new policy, including what activities are eligible and how to apply for reimbursement.
Resources to help prepare for hurricane season:
- Seasonal Hurricane Predictions
- FEMA: Hurricane Safety
- Building Safety Month Week 4: Disaster Preparedness
- Visit the Code Council’s Hurricane Safety & Recovery page to access more useful links and resources to help prepare for hurricane season.
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Iceland prepares for next-generation cybersecurity

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News
A booming data-centre industry and plans to improve connectivity are amplifying Iceland’s role in the global digital ecosystem.
Experts estimate that Iceland loses nearly USD 72 million (ISK 10 billion) to cybercrime each year – equivalent to roughly 0.3 per cent of the north Atlantic island nation’s gross domestic product.
Bringing together the wide range of institutions and experts that regulate, implement, and maintain cybersecurity systems can be a daunting task.
The GCI measures each country’s level of development and engagement in terms of five dimensions of cybersecurity: legal measures, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity development, and cooperation. The result is aggregated into an overall score and ranked among others worldwide.
In fast-moving fields like cybersecurity important steps related to documentation, coordination, and deliberation are easily neglected. To address this challenge, the Cyber Security Council used the GCI framework to review and revise national cybersecurity priorities, considering the framework in the context of Iceland’s priorities.
At the 2020 ITU Global CyberDrill online events, a series of sessions promoting hands-on exercises for national Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs), discussions on current cybersecurity issues and information sharing sessions, Iceland’s Cyber Security Council worked with practitioners from across the island to document the island’s readiness to withstand cyberattacks. Identifying best practices from around the world, the local experts discussed ways to improve their own ecosystem.
Efforts like this helped Iceland boost its GCI performance from 87th to 77th in the global rankings between 2017 and 2018 – and the results of this continued commitment will be revealed in the forthcoming 2020 edition of the Global Cybersecurity Index.
Room to improve
Iceland’s mapping of its cybersecurity progress demonstrates the GCI’s versatility. While such tools are mainly promoted to build capacity in developing countries, similar kinds of engagement can also benefit the most developed.
Technical measures, such as its frameworks for implementing cybersecurity standards, are similarly ripe for improvement. These actions would complement the country’s existing Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IS) and the Icelandic National Cybersecurity Strategy.
[Source: ITU]
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NCSC CEO warns that ransomware is key cyber threat

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News
The chief of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said ransomware was the key threat facing the UK and urged the public and business to take it seriously.
Speaking virtually to an audience at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Annual Security Lecture, Lindy Cameron warned of the “cumulative effect” of failing to properly deal with the rising threat.
She also revealed the threat faced by think tanks, noting that it is “almost certain” that the primary cyber threat they face is from nation state espionage groups, and it is highly likely that they seek to gain strategic insights into government policy and commercially sensitive information.
The CEO of the NCSC – which is a part of GCHQ – also warned that for the vast majority of UK citizens and organisations, the primary key threat is not state actors but cyber criminals.
She highlighted the importance of building organisational cyber resilience which, in combination with government capabilities and law enforcement action, is the most effective way to counter threats in cyberspace.
Lindy Cameron said:
“For most UK citizens and businesses, and indeed for the vast majority of critical national infrastructure providers and government service providers, the primary key threat is not state actors but cyber criminals, and in particular the threat of ransomware.
“While government is uniquely able to disrupt and deter our adversaries, it is network defenders in industry, and the steps that all organisations and citizens are taking that are protecting the UK from attacks, day in, day out.
“The protection they provide is crucial to the digital transformation of the economy, and every organisation, large and small, has a role to play.”
On the recent rise in ransomware attacks, Lindy Cameron noted that the ecosystem is evolving through the Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) model, whereby ransomware variants and commodity listings are available off the shelf for a one-off payment or a share of the profits.
As the RaaS model has become increasingly successful, with criminal groups securing significant ransom payments from large profitable businesses who cannot afford to lose their data to encryption or to suffer the down time while their services are offline, the market for ransomware has become increasingly “professional”.
Elsewhere, Lindy Cameron also set out the context of the Integrated Review and forthcoming cyber strategy, highlighting the need to better integrate our security, economic, technical, and diplomatic capabilities in support of shared national objectives.
She outlined how our allies and adversaries alike are betting on cyber, and that the UK needs to continue setting the pace.
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eu-LISA to Extend its Portfolio with a New Large-Scale IT System

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News
The Council of the EU approved a general approach on the regulation on cross-border judicial tool e-CODEX, which foresees handing over its operational management to eu-LISA, in order to provide a sustainable, long-term legal framework for the system.
e-CODEX – which aims to improve the efficiency of cross-border communication between European judicial authorities and facilitate access to justice for citizens and businesses – has been developed by a consortium of Member States, who are in charge of its management until 2024.
The draft regulation introduces provisions protecting the independence of the judiciary and details the governance and management structure to be implemented within eu-LISA.
The decision was taken during the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting taking place 7-8 June 2021. "The COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on the need to, among others, speed up the digitalisation and interoperability of our justice systems. Providing our judicial authorities with a sustainable, secure system to communicate in cross-border procedures is an important step in this direction", said Francisca Van Dunem, Portuguese Minister of Justice, during the segment dedicated to discussing e-CODEX.
As part of eu-LISA's growing role in the justice domain, the Agency is set to take over operational management of the system as of 1 July 2023.
e-CODEX – which stands for "e-Justice Communication via Online Data Exchange" – offers a digital, decentralised infrastructure for secure communication between national systems, facilitating its users (judicial authorities, legal practitioners and citizens) to send and receive documents, legal forms and evidence. The reasoning behind e-CODEX is that access to justice should not be discouraged by the complex variety of the different legal systems across EU Member States.
The transfer of the system to eu-LISA is not an end in itself, as very soon e-CODEX will be ready for further expansion and will require the introduction of new security and interoperability features. As with all new technology, the implementation must occur hand in hand with the respect of fundamental rights, data protection and privacy regulations. eu-LISA will be responsible, among others, for technical development, maintenance, bug fixing, updates and support, as well as development of new features in order to respond to emerging requirements.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience North America announce Preliminary Conference Programme for October

Agency News, Association News, Industry News

Download your Preliminary Conference Program guide today at www.ciprna-expo.com/PSG

As the recent Ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline, JBS, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp, CNA Financial, and others has demonstrated, as well as the on-going threats from natural hazards/disasters, terrorist attacks and man-made disasters, it is becoming increasingly important for policies and procedures to be implemented to protect our critical infrastructure for a more secure nation.

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to join us at Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience North America in New Orleans, Louisiana, for what will be 3 days of exciting and informative discussions on securing North America’s critical infrastructure.

With a leading line up of international expert speakers, sharing their knowledge, expertise and experiences, we know you will find this a most rewarding and enjoyable event and look forward to seeing you in New Orleans, for the next in-person meeting on October 19th-21st, 2021, where we will ensure a safe and Covid compliant environment for discussing how to secure North America's critical infrastructure.

Download your Preliminary Conference Program guide today at www.ciprna-expo.com/PSG and discover more on this premier conference program, expert speakers and showcase exhibiting companies.

Register today and save $$$ on your conference delegate pass with the early bird.
You can register online today at www.ciprna-expo.com/onlinereg

#criticalinfrastructureprotection #resilience #cybersecurity #disasterprevention #riskmanagement #businesscontinuity #government #emergencymanagement #security #infrastructure

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TSA Could Better Monitor Its Efforts to Reduce Infectious Disease Spread at Checkpoints

Agency News, Industry News, Transport sector
Within TSA, approximately 46,000 TSOs stationed across the nation's commercial airports perform screening and other activities that often require close interaction with passengers. As a result, both passengers and TSOs may be at an increased risk of infection during pandemics such as COVID-19.
The CARES Act included a provision for GAO to conduct monitoring and oversight of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report identifies 1) what steps TSA has taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at passenger screening checkpoints; and 2) how TSA is monitoring TSOs' implementation of amended safety and screening procedures, among other objectives.
GAO analyzed TSA data on TSOs' use of paid leave, reviewed documentation on policies and procedures, and interviewed TSA officials at headquarters and eight U.S. airports. We selected these airports to reflect diversity in the number of COVID-19 cases among TSOs, airport size, and geographic region. In addition, for six of these airports, GAO reviewed closed circuit television footage to observe how TSOs were implementing COVID-19 procedural changes.
To reduce the spread of COVID-19 at passenger checkpoints, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials issued amended safety measures to require that Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) use surgical masks and face shields, change gloves after pat-downs, and physically distance themselves from coworkers and passengers as practicable. TSA also adjusted some screening procedures, such as asking passengers to remove more items from carry-on baggage to reduce the potential for alarms that require bag searches. In addition, TSA modified the use of certain checkpoint screening technologies, and granted TSOs additional paid leave. In January 2021, TSA began an employee vaccination program, and is in the process of vaccinating TSA employees, including TSOs.
TSA's monitoring and analysis of its measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is limited. For example, supervisors' operational checklists do not specifically include the revised COVID-19 procedures, and the data that TSO monitors collect (e.g., on whether TSOs are properly wearing masks or changing gloves) reflect implementation at a point in time rather than throughout a shift. Conducting more complete monitoring would help TSA ensure that its TSOs are properly implementing COVID-19 procedures. In addition, TSA field leadership analyzes available monitoring data for different subsets of airports to understand how COVID-19 procedures are being implemented. However, TSA headquarters officials said they had no plans at the time of our review to analyze this data across all airports nationwide to identify common implementation problems, such as incorrectly wearing face shields and challenges with maintaining physical distance. Analyzing monitoring data across all airports would help TSA identify and address any system-wide deficiencies in implementing COVID-19 procedures, so that it may better protect its workforce and the traveling public.
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Italy announced the creation of the national cybersecurity agency

Agency News, Cyber Security CII sector, Industry News
The Italian government has announced the creation of a new agency focused on cybersecurity. Prime Minister Mario Draghi provided its strong commitment to the creation of the agency that is tasked to protect the country and its critical national infrastructure from cyber threats.
The creation of the agency follows warnings by Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Europe needed to protect itself from Russian "interference". The announcements comes after a slew of ransomware attacks in recent months, with recent high profile examples including Colonial Pipeline and JBS.
It will need to "protect national interests and the resilience of services and essential functions of the State from cyber threats," a government statement said. Speaking in Brussels, following a European Union summit, Draghi said urgent action was needed.
"We need to strengthen ourselves a lot, especially in terms of cybersecurity, all of us, at national level and at EU level... because the level of [Russian] interference both with spies and with manipulation of the web has become truly alarming," he said.
The new Italian cybersecurity agency will develop and implement cyber strategies to prevent, monitor, detect and mitigate cyber attacks, and increase the level of cyber security of the country’ infrastructures.
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