We help organizations protect themselves from catastrophic liability following a terrorist event
SAFETY ACT CONSULTANTS
P.O. Box 4028
Barrington, IL 60011-4028
ph: 202 640 4000
fax: 202 407 7054
alt: Toll Free 855-SAFETY-ACT
INFO
SAFETY ACT AND
HOMELAND SECURITY
NEWS & ARTICLES
|
Cyberattacks likely to escalate this year |
Cyberattacks fueled by ideological ire are likely to escalate this year and continue to bedevil corporations and governments, while putting innocent consumers at risk. That follows a surge of so-called hacktivist attacks in 2011 instigated by the loose-knit Anonymous and LulzSec hacking groups, say security experts and technologists. Hacktivists disrupted scores of websites, pilfered massive troves of data and compared notes. "They are learning from each other," says Kris Harms principal consultant of network security firm Mandiant. "Corporations and governments need to recognize (more) break-ins are inevitable." The unprecedented spike in politically motivated cyberintrusions was capped by Anonymous' breach of Strategic Forecasting's website over the holidays. Anonymous demanded a gourmet Christmas dinner for Bradley Manning, the imprisoned U.S. Army soldier accused of leaking U.S. Embassy communiqus to the whistleblower website, WikiLeaks. It was a little more than a year ago when Anonymous temporarily crippled the websites of Visa, MasterCard, Paypal and others in retaliation for those companies refusing to process payments from WikiLeaks. In the ongoing caper, hacktivists publicly posted credit card records for tens of thousands of the Austin-based online publication's subscribers, along with their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and encrypted passwords, according to data leakage prevention firm Identity Finder. Stratfor.com, the company's website remains shut down but displays an apology alongside an offer for a year's worth of free ID theft protection insurance for subscribers. Clientele includes Apple, the U.S. Air Force and the Miami police department. A prankster recently began sending bogus e-mails to Stratfor subscribers asking them to rate the company's response to the hack. The messages purport to come from Stratfor CEO George Friedman, says Chet Wisniewski, analyst at security firm Sophos. "We're doing a thorough review of our website to ensure that it's secure when we do relaunch," says company spokesman Kyle Rhodes By posting stolen information as proof of an attack, hacktivists make such data readily accessible, at no cost, to ID thieves, says Identity Finder CEO Todd Feinman. "Collateral damage to average consumers has become a very big problem." "In-your-face arrogance, backed up by stunning success, made Anonymous and Lulzsec big news stories all year long," says Josh Shaul, chief technology officer at Application Security. "Recruits are lining up, and hackers are teaching classes to get more people in on the action." Much like the Occupy Wall Street protesters, hacktivists seek to be heard, and eschew financial gain. "In 2011, we saw organized crime groups using malware that was historically used by nation-state sponsored attack groups, and we've seen hacktivists using techniques more common to organized crime," says Mandiant's Harms. Application Security's Shaul says the hacktivists' handiwork should serve as a wake up call. Organizations large and small "are having their networks breached and confidential data displayed for the world to see," Shaul says. The good news: "At least Anonymous is letting them know about the breach." Michael Sutton, research vice president at security firm Zscaler, expects hacktivists to continue operating with near impunity. "We're not dealing with a structured entity where it is possible to cut the head off and slay the beast," he explains. "Each attack discussed in the media inspires another wave of hactivists." |
| Copyright 2012 USA TODAY |
December 14, 2011
Biological Weapons Threat is Growing,
U.S. Warns
December 14, 2011 - Speaking before a recent global conference gathered to review the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva, Switzerland, The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton called for closer international cooperation to prevent terrorist groups from developing or using biological weapons.
Read Full Article
October 27, 2011
Robert Lenzner, Forbes Staff
The SEC has issued a voluntary guidance rule to all public companies asking them to disclose publicly any material cyber attacks that include the theft of financial assets or intellectual property that may be very costly, disrupt their business or result in litigation or reputational damage, according to an SEC disclosure issued October 13....
Read Full Article
October 27, 2011
Massive Hack Hit 760 Companies
By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech October 27, 2011
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A massive cyberattack that led to a vulnerability in RSA's SecurID tags earlier this year also victimized Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many other big-named companies, according to a new analysis released this week.
A list of 760 organizations that were attacked was presented to Congress recently and published by security analyst Brian Krebs on his blog Monday....
Read Full Article
August 3, 2010
New threat:
Hackers look to take over power plants
By LOLITA C. BALDOR (AP) August 3, 2010
WASHINGTON Computer hackers have begun targeting power plants and other critical operations around the world in bold new efforts to seize control of them, setting off a scramble to shore up aging, vulnerable systems....
June 17, 2009
WebMemo
The SAFETY Act:
Obama Cyber Plans and the Private Sector
Jena Baker McNeill
Published by The Heritage Foundation
No. 2490
June 17, 2009
April 9, 2009
"Obama needs to back SAFETY Act on cybersecurity"
April 1, 2009
"NFL Finds Liability Protection"
By Rhianna Daniels
Follow-up story on NFL's Designation & Certification under SAFETY Act. Includes quotes from interviewwith SAFETY ACT CONSULTANT's Managing Partner, Bob Karl.
March 10, 2009
USA TODAY
"NFL exempt from terrorism lawsuits"
By Thomas Frank, 3/10/2009
March 8, 2009
chicagotribune.com
By Josh Meyer | Washington Bureau, March 8, 2009
March 6, 2009
Bloomberg.com
"Somali-Americans Disappearances Raise
Alarm of Terrorism Ties"
By Justin Blum
March 6 (Bloomberg)
Story(Linked with permission of Bloomberg & amp; Author)
February 2, 2009
December 2, 2008
The odds that terrorists will attack a major city with nuclear or biological weapons are now higher than ever due to threats
from rogue states, nuclear smuggling networks and the spread of weapons know-how, according to a bipartisan task force created by the US Congress.
WORLD AT RISK:
The Report of the Commission on the
Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism
COVER LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT

December 2, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), we hereby submit the report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.
The mandate given to this Commission by Congress was far-reaching. We were given a charter to assess, within 180 days, any and all of the nations activities, initiatives, and programs to prevent weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism. We were also asked to provide concrete recommendationsa road map, if you willto address these threats.
In response, we brought together a staff of more than two dozen professionals and subject matter experts from across the national security, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. We interviewed more than 250 government officials and nongovernmental experts. We held eight major commission meetings and one public hearing.
Our research encompassed travel from the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico to London to Vienna. We traveled to Moscow to assess U.S. nuclear cooperation initiatives with Russia. We were en route to Pakistan, a country of particular interest to this Commission and to the United States, only to hear that the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad had occurred. We had been hours from staying in that very hotel.
Ultimately, we opted to center the Commission findings on several areas where the risks to the United States are increasing: the crossroads of terrorism and proliferation in the poorly governed parts of Pakistan, the prevention of biological and nuclear terrorism, and the potential erosion of international nuclear security, treaties, and norms as we enter a nuclear energy renaissance.
The intent of this report is neither to frighten nor to reassure the American people about the current state of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It is to underscore that the U.S. government has yet to fully adapt to these circumstances, and to convey the sobering reality that the risks are growing faster than our multilayered defenses. Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing.
We thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve our country in this task. Our Commission and staff stand ready to help you in any way possible to explore and weigh the findings and recommendations contained in this report.
Respectfully submitted,
Senator Bob Graham
Senator Jim Talent
Chairman Vice-Chairman
Dr. Graham T. Allison
Ms. Robin Cleveland
Mr. Stephen G. Rademaker
The Honorable Timothy J. Roemer
Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman
Mr. Henry D. Sokolski
Mr. Richard Verma
Letters of Transmittal, Preface
& Executive Summary
November 1, 2008
From NIDA's National Defense Magazine:
SAFETY Act Participation Grows
November 2008
By Matthew Rusling
2008 National Defense Industrial Association
September 23, 2008
Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium
Nitrate-Based Fertilizer
The Government, including the DHS, have been pushing private industry to develop "IST's". What are ISTs? - Inherently Safer Technologies.
This press release came from Honeywell - How's that for grabbing the bull by the horns! Not only will their newSAFETY Act liability protection that "flows" to all their suppliersand customers help them sell their product, the very nature of their "fix" will take them to the top.
Job well done!
Press Release | Source: Honeywell |
Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizer; Receives SAFETY Act Designation from U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Tuesday September 23, 8:30 am ET
MORRIS TOWNSHIP, New Jersey, September 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON - News) announced today it has developed a patented new technology to produce a highly-effective, safer ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer with significantly lower explosive potential.
The new technology has already received SAFETY Act Designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, which was created to provide incentives, including liability protections, for the development and deployment of anti-terrorism technologies that can help mitigate security threats.
"The unique composition of this new fertilizer makes it extremely difficult to turn it into a weapon," said Qamar Bhatia, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Resins & Chemicals, which is one of the world's largest producers of ammonium sulfate fertilizer. "Ammonium nitrate has long been an excellent fertilizer, but this technology makes it safer."
Independent tests using guidelines developed with the U.S. government demonstrated that Honeywell's new fertilizer is significantly more difficult to use as an explosive. When mixed with fuel oil -- a common method of using ammonium nitrate as an explosive -- the new ammonium sulfate nitrate fertilizer did not detonate.
The new technology fuses ammonium sulfate with ammonium nitrate, providing both nitrogen and sulfur needed for efficient plant nutrition as well as enhanced safety, quality and storage characteristics.
Honeywell is conducting pilot plant test production of the new fertilizer to finalize scale-up and engineering for manufacturing, and is also in talks with potential manufacturing partners. The company hopes to have limited quantities for sale in certain regions in 2009 and plans to market the material as Sulf-N 26 fertilizer.
Independent agronomic tests on crops and plants -- ranging from grass to cabbage and tomatoes to strawberry and oranges -- found the new fertilizer to be as effective or more effective compared to alternative fertilizers, including straight mixtures of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate. The tests, conducted over the last two years, were completed by major universities in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.
Also, the new fertilizer is both non-hazardous and non-oxidizing as tested by United Nations and U.S. Department of Transportation standards.
Honeywell worked with the DHS and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to develop testing procedures to evaluate the explosive potential of the new fertilizer. The tests were conducted independently by Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), a division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. As part of those tests, the new fertilizer was mixed with a number of substances, including explosives, sensitizer and fuel oil. In all tests, the new fertilizer significantly reduced or eliminated the explosive power of traditional ammonium nitrate.
Honeywell Resin & Chemicals is a part of Honeywell Specialty Materials and is a global leader in the development and production of ammonium sulfate fertilizers, which it sells under the Sulf-N brand for both crop and turf applications. For more information, go to http://www.sulfn26.com.
Honeywell International is a US$38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.
Honeywell Specialty Materials, based in Morristown, N.J., is a US$4.9 billion, global leader in providing customers with high-performance specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates; specialty chemicals; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining.
This report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

June 17, 2009
WebMemo
The SAFETY Act:
Obama Cyber Plans and the Private Sector
Jena Baker McNeill
Published by The Heritage Foundation
No. 2490
June 17, 2009
April 9, 2009
"Obama needs to back SAFETY Act on cybersecurity"
April 1, 2009
"NFL Finds Liability Protection"
By Rhianna Daniels
Follow-up story on NFL's Designation & Certification under SAFETY Act. Includes quotes from interviewwith SAFETY ACT CONSULTANT's Managing Partner, Bob Karl.
March 10, 2009
USA TODAY
"NFL exempt from terrorism lawsuits"
By Thomas Frank, 3/10/2009
March 8, 2009
chicagotribune.com
By Josh Meyer | Washington Bureau, March 8, 2009
March 6, 2009
Bloomberg.com
"Somali-Americans Disappearances Raise
Alarm of Terrorism Ties"
By Justin Blum
March 6 (Bloomberg)
Story(Linked with permission of Bloomberg & Author)
February 2, 2009
December 2, 2008
The odds that terrorists will attack a major city with nuclear or biological weapons are now higher than ever due to threats
from rogue states, nuclear smuggling networks and the spread
of weapons know-how, according to a bipartisan task force created by the US Congress.
WORLD AT RISK:
The Report of the Commission on the
Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism
COVER LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT

December 2, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
In accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), we hereby submit the report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.
The mandate given to this Commission by Congress was far-reaching. We were given a charter to assess, within 180 days, any and all of the nations activities, initiatives, and programs to prevent weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism. We were also asked to provide concrete recommendationsa road map, if you willto address these threats.
In response, we brought together a staff of more than two dozen professionals and subject matter experts from across the national security, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. We interviewed more than 250 government officials and nongovernmental experts. We held eight major commission meetings and one public hearing.
Our research encompassed travel from the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico to London to Vienna. We traveled to Moscow to assess U.S. nuclear cooperation initiatives with Russia. We were en route to Pakistan, a country of particular interest to this Commission and to the United States, only to hear that the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad had occurred. We had been hours from staying in that very hotel.
Ultimately, we opted to center the Commission findings on several areas where the risks to the United States are increasing: the crossroads of terrorism and proliferation in the poorly governed parts of Pakistan, the prevention of biological and nuclear terrorism, and the potential erosion of international nuclear security, treaties, and norms as we enter a nuclear energy renaissance.
The intent of this report is neither to frighten nor to reassure the American people about the current state of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It is to underscore that the U.S. government has yet to fully adapt to these circumstances, and to convey the sobering reality that the risks are growing faster than our multilayered defenses. Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing.
We thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve our country in this task. Our Commission and staff stand ready to help you in any way possible to explore and weigh the findings and recommendations contained in this report.
Respectfully submitted,
Senator Bob Graham
Senator Jim Talent
Chairman Vice-Chairman
Dr. Graham T. Allison
Ms. Robin Cleveland
Mr. Stephen G. Rademaker
The Honorable Timothy J. Roemer
Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman
Mr. Henry D. Sokolski
Mr. Richard Verma
Letters of Transmittal, Preface
&Executive Summary
November 1, 2008
From NIDA's National Defense Magazine:
SAFETY Act Participation Grows
November 2008
By Matthew Rusling
2008 National Defense Industrial Association
September 23, 2008
Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium
Nitrate-Based Fertilizer
The Government, including the DHS, have been pushing private industry to develop "IST's". What are ISTs? - Inherently Safer Technologies.
This press release came from Honeywell - How's that for grabbing the bull by the horns! Not only will their newSAFETY Act liability protection that "flows" to all their suppliersand customers help them sell their product, the very nature of their "fix" will take them to the top.
Job well done!
Press Release | Source: Honeywell |
Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizer; Receives SAFETY Act Designation from U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Tuesday September 23, 8:30 am ET
MORRIS TOWNSHIP, New Jersey, September 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON - News) announced today it has developed a patented new technology to produce a highly-effective, safer ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer with significantly lower explosive potential.
The new technology has already received SAFETY Act Designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, which was created to provide incentives, including liability protections, for the development and deployment of anti-terrorism technologies that can help mitigate security threats.
"The unique composition of this new fertilizer makes it extremely difficult to turn it into a weapon," said Qamar Bhatia, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Resins & Chemicals, which is one of the world's largest producers of ammonium sulfate fertilizer. "Ammonium nitrate has long been an excellent fertilizer, but this technology makes it safer."
Independent tests using guidelines developed with the U.S. government demonstrated that Honeywell's new fertilizer is significantly more difficult to use as an explosive. When mixed with fuel oil -- a common method of using ammonium nitrate as an explosive -- the new ammonium sulfate nitrate fertilizer did not detonate.
The new technology fuses ammonium sulfate with ammonium nitrate, providing both nitrogen and sulfur needed for efficient plant nutrition as well as enhanced safety, quality and storage characteristics.
Honeywell is conducting pilot plant test production of the new fertilizer to finalize scale-up and engineering for manufacturing, and is also in talks with potential manufacturing partners. The company hopes to have limited quantities for sale in certain regions in 2009 and plans to market the material as Sulf-N 26 fertilizer.
Independent agronomic tests on crops and plants -- ranging from grass to cabbage and tomatoes to strawberry and oranges -- found the new fertilizer to be as effective or more effective compared to alternative fertilizers, including straight mixtures of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate. The tests, conducted over the last two years, were completed by major universities in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.
Also, the new fertilizer is both non-hazardous and non-oxidizing as tested by United Nations and U.S. Department of Transportation standards.
Honeywell worked with the DHS and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to develop testing procedures to evaluate the explosive potential of the new fertilizer. The tests were conducted independently by Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), a division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. As part of those tests, the new fertilizer was mixed with a number of substances, including explosives, sensitizer and fuel oil. In all tests, the new fertilizer significantly reduced or eliminated the explosive power of traditional ammonium nitrate.
Honeywell Resin & Chemicals is a part of Honeywell Specialty Materials and is a global leader in the development and production of ammonium sulfate fertilizers, which it sells under the Sulf-N brand for both crop and turf applications. For more information, go to http://www.sulfn26.com.
Honeywell International is a US$38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.
Honeywell Specialty Materials, based in Morristown, N.J., is a US$4.9 billion, global leader in providing customers with high-performance specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates; specialty chemicals; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining.
This report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

By e-Mail: e-Mail
INFO [at] SAFETYACTCONSULTANTS [dot] com
Online: Web-form
Phone: (202) 640-4000
Toll-free: (877) S ACT HELP
(877) 722 - 8435
Fax: (202) 407-7054
Mailing Address:
SAFETY ACT CONSULTANTS
P.O. Box 4028
Barrington, IL 60011-4028
We look forward to assisting you in creating customized solutions critical to your organization and key in helping protect the public.
Protect Your Organization from enterprise threatening liability that will follow a terrorist event alleged to involve your organization's facilities or products in any way
Protect your bottom line from suits stemming from the use, manufacture, distribution, provision or deployment of anti-terrorism or terrorism response or mitigation related products, advice, aid, procedures, technologies or other services
Save Money on both new and existing insurance programs, the ongoing cost of risk as well as the overall SAFETY Act process
Increase Your Revenue by using SAFETY Act approval to help market your products, advice, facilities, technologies or services including cyber or network related
Thoroughly understand the SAFETY Act as well as the regulations that implement it
Thoroughly understand the SAFETY Act application process
Evaluate the Act's benefit to your organization, insurance, products, suppliers, vendors and customers
Determine if SAFETY Act
protection can apply to a given product, facility, technology, procedure and/or service
Describe and review the Act with your risk management, legal, upper management, finance, engineering, and marketing groups as needed
Evaluate the time demands, costs and difficulty of the application process for your unique exposures
Manage the entire application process through completion
Evaluate insurance programs for adequacy in coverage, limits, protecting your liability cap savings, insurer and SAFETY Act compliance
Evaluate contracts and other agreements for conflicts, issues adequacy as well as insurer and SAFETY Act compliance
Provide options for minimizing cost of insurance and risk while maximizing coverages
Arrange for outside experts as appropriate for your specific needs including experts in technical, legal, insurance and political affairs as well as physical and financial asset, business income and supply chain protection
Monitor the SAFETY Act status of your suppliers, vendors, subcontractors and customers
Negotiate with the DHS, insurance brokers, insurers and/or lawyers if potential problems, conflicts, limitations, potential savings or enhancement possibilities exist
Create a standardized process to coordinate and manage all SAFETY Act related activities for existing, planned or future exposures as well as third party approvals (i.e. your vendors)
Post approval support including any changes in your insurance, the insurance market, insurance costs; changes in your approved products or services; periodic review of compliance and other services you deem necessary
Advise on other terrorism related financial protection strategies including contractual protection review, FARs, Public Law 85-804, Government Contractor Defense - "Boyle", captive utilization and/or formation, conventional and non-conventional terrorism insurance coverages, TRIA applicability and access, etc.
"Vision without Action is a Daydream -
Action without Vision is a Nightmare"
- Japanese Proverb
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Latest Site Update: 2/15/2012
SAFETY ACT CONSULTANTS
P.O. Box 4028
Barrington, IL 60011-4028
ph: 202 640 4000
fax: 202 407 7054
alt: Toll Free 855-SAFETY-ACT
INFO