Muslim Americans are loyal to the US and positive about their future even as they continue to face high levels of discrimination. They embrace American values and democratic principles but aren’t sure if the rest of American embrace them. A recent Gallup poll found some 56% of Protestants said American Muslims had no sympathy for Al Qaeda, the lowest number of any faith group. By comparison, 63% of Catholics and 70% of Jews thought Muslim Americans had no sympathy for Al Qaeda.

“That’s certainly a challenge for the [US Muslim] community – to have their loyalty questioned by such a large number of their fellow Americans.”

Nearly six-in-ten adults say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists, or Mormons, according to a new report based on a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life (www.pewforum.org) and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press (http://www.people-press.org).

In a 2007 Pew survey, 53% of American Muslims reported that it was more difficult to be a Muslim after the 9/11/01 attacks. Asked to name the most important problem facing them, the options named by more than 10%of American Muslims were:  discrimination (19%), viewed as a terrorist (15%), public ignorance about Islam (13%), and stereotyping (12%). 54% believe that the U.S. government’s anti-terrorism activities single out Muslims. 76% of surveyed Muslim Americans stated that they are very or somewhat concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, while 61% express a similar concern about the possibility of Islamic extremism in the United States.

In 2011, a Gallup poll found that 93% of Muslim Americans considered themselves loyal to the United States.

This is the picture across America. What does it look like closer to home in Knoxville, Tennessee?

The InfraGard Knoxville Members Alliance is extremely pleased to welcome Shadab and Nadeem Saddiqi to speak at our next meeting about Islam, Muslims, and what is currently happening within the local Muslim community in Knoxville. Both Nadeem and Shadab are very active in the Muslim community and represent the Muslim Community of Knoxville (www.muslimknoxville.org) organization. They are both learned authorities on the subject matter and are accomplished public speakers as well. From their unique perspective we can anticipate learning a great deal about our Muslim neighbors and have the opportunity to ask questions. This is an outstanding opportunity InfraGard highly encourages you attend.

You do not have to be an InfraGard member so please bring coworkers, family, and friends. Please mark your calendars and plan to be there for this special event.

The meeting will be held in the Auditorium of the Fountainhead College of Technology on Thursday, March 15^th, at 9:30 AM.

If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact Richard Scheuch at 423-439-5356 or rscheuch@embarqmail.com

The Holiday Mail for Heroes program provides Americans the opportunity to send holiday greetings to our men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, our nation’s veterans and their families.  Between October 3 and December 9, the public can send a “touch of home” through holiday cards that contain messages of cheer and appreciation.

“By taking a few moments to express their gratitude to the men and women who serve our country, Americans can touch the lives of those whose sacrifice may have taken them far from home this holiday season,” said Sherri Brown, senior vice president, Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces.  “The men and women who receive these cards on military installations and in hospitals tell us time and again that they are touched by the warmth and gratitude expressed from people they have never met.”

For the fifth annual program, The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are also encouraging families, schools, youth, civic groups, scouting troops, places of worship, and other groups that are interested in participating in the Holiday Mail for Heroes program to organize and host card-making events.  For a list of tips and ideas, please visit: www.redcross.org/holidaymail

People are invited to send a message of thanks and holiday cheer from now until Friday, December 9 by mailing them to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Cards must be postmarked by December 9.  For reasons of processing and safety, participants are asked to refrain from sending “care packages,” monetary gifts, using glitter or including any inserts with the cards.  For more information and card requirements, please visit www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

Additional ways to become involved with the campaign include connecting with fellow card senders through Facebook at www.facebook.com/redcross and Twitter at www.twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holidaymail.

In 2009, the average company lost nearly 5 percent of its revenue to fraud perpetrated by employees, according to the 2010 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse (PDF). Asset fraud — stealing company resources — represented 90 percent of the incidents, but only averaged $135,000 in losses per company. On the other hand, financial fraud makes up only 5 percent of all cases of corporate fraud, but it is the most damaging, with a median loss of more than $4 million, according to the report, which is published every two years by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

 The 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report from Verizon Business and the U.S. Secret Service reports that 48 percent of data breaches are caused by insiders, and that another 11 percent of breaches are caused by business partners. The report also found that 48 percent of all data breaches occur because of privilege misuse.

 Insider threats can come from well-meaning employees, as well as those who are disgruntled or malicious. Because employees often have access to sensitive business information, insider threats have become as complex and dangerous to enterprises as attacks that come from external malicious hackers. Insiders are not just employees: today they can include contractors, business partners, auditors… even an university alumnus with a valid email address. Not all insider attacks are malicious; the perpetrators may be unknowing pawns of a malevolent colleague or a poorly-tested system, or simply the careless initiator of unintended consequences.

 What is this threat? What can you do to protect yourself?

 To answer these questions, the InfraGard Knoxville Members Alliance at its next meeting will present “Betrayed…the Trusted Insider.”  This video is a compelling, thought provoking drama designed to show the the price of silence when employees see marked, sometimes subtle, changes in one on their coworkers.  A new girlfriend, divorce, working odd hours, “minor” security violations….it’s not like he is a spy.  But what if he is?  What is the price of silence?  The video also features former colleagues of convicted spies who reflect on the personal toll extracted by betrayal. 

 The meeting will be held in the auditorium at the Fountainhead College of Technology beginning at 6:00 PM on Thursday, October 20^th. This meeting is open to all who would like to attend. Note that this is an evening session.

 For further information on this meeting or the Knoxville InfraGard chapter please contact Pat Payne at pjzz@comcast.net or Richard Scheuch at rscheuch@embarqmail.com.

The ETCSS Committee proudly presents the Seventh Annual East Tennessee CyberSecurity Summit being held in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee at the Knoxville-Hilton Hotel on October 12^th and 13^th, 2011.  The Conference is again co-hosted by the FBI, University of Tennessee, Fountainhead College, TVA, TVA-OIG, and ORNL.  InfraGard chapter members, IT professionals in academia, government, law, and private industry from across the region will be attending as well.

The event is just a few weeks away so mark your calendars now and plan ahead.  Repeat attendees, high conference quality, and new program offerings predict that seats will sell out early.

The early registration fee of $125 per person will cover conference admission and include:

• 16 hours of Continuing Professional Education units
• Learning from and networking with your colleagues
• Lunch and parking for both days of the conference

A special accommodation rate at the downtown Knoxville Hilton is available for conference attendees.  See the conference web site for details.

To register for the event and the breakout sessions please visit our web site at www.etcss.org

The theme for this year’s conference is “From the Board Room to the Court Room”

This year we are pleased to include speakers on Energy Security, NIST SP 800-53 Security Controls Catalog and Risk Assessment updates, incident response, and the recent cyber events at ORNL.  Additionally, the Summit will feature six breakout sessions, each limited to an audience of ~70 registrants each.

To register for the sessions please visit our web site at http://www.etcss.org/registration/breakout-registration/.  You will see a selection for each breakout session time period, and you will already be registered for the Main Session.  You should choose whether you will attend the breakout session or the Main Session for that time period.  For those breakout sessions you do not wish to attend, leave the Main Session selected.

If you have already registered for the conference, you will still need to register for each breakout session you wish to attend. If you have not yet registered for the conference, you must do that prior to registering for breakouts.

This year’s breakouts include the following topics.

Harlan Carvey will present a breakout session on “What’s New in Windows 7: An Analyst’s Perspective.”  Harlan, a computer forensics author, researcher and practitioner, has written several books and tools focusing on Windows systems and incident response. Check out more information at his blog at http://windowsir.blogspot.com/.  (Harlan will also present a main session on “Incident Preparedness.”)

Joe McCray of Strategic Security, an in-demand instructor, will present a breakout session on SQL Injection.  Joe has an extensive background in pen-testing, forensics, and training as well as hacking experience.  (Joe will also present a main session on “You Spent All That Money and Still Got Owned?”)

Returning this year is Bill Dean of Sword & Shield Enterprise Security who will present a breakout session on “Determining Advanced Attacks Using Memory Forensics.”  (Bill will also present a main session on decisions made in the Boardroom and their outcomes.)

Ajay Aggarwal of Palo Alto Networks will present a breakout session on “Making Network Security Meaningful from the Boardroom to the Courtroom,” a discussion of current regulations, policies, and incidents; moving network security from data to information; and considerations around logging – detail, best practices, and legal concerns.

Booz Allen Hamilton will present a session on their Risk-Informed Decision-making (Risk-ID) methodology.  The presentation will talk broadly about defining measures of mission risk, comparing different types of risk investments on an “apples-to-apples” basis, determining how changes in key mission priorities or total budget impacts resource decisions, building organizational consensus for resource re-allocation, and justifying spending strategies for key stakeholders, including Congress.

Jeff Schibonski from Oak Ridge National Laboratory will present a breakout session on insider threats. Jeff is a computer scientist specializing in protecting information and information systems from both internal and external threats.

In a year filled with breaches, persistent attacks, complex malware and “hacktivism”, we look to bring our attendees presentations and technical breakout sessions that provide information, techniques and tools to prepare them to make the best decision they can to protect their data and systems. In addition, we provide speakers and breakout sessions that will add value to the conference and your education as well as new opportunities to expand your professional network.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOU THERE!!!!!!

ETCSS 2011 Committee

The Forum is tailored for emergency managers, first responders (emergency medical services, law enforcement, security, firefighting, etc.), hospitals, health departments, and emergency management organizations. Through the Forum, DOE and TEMA communicate current emergency management issues that affect the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and several neighboring cities and counties.  The Forum gives DOE and TEMA an opportunity to network with emergency management professionals in the East Tennessee area.

The opening General Session will begin at 9 a.m.  Following the morning General Session, three sets of afternoon break-out sessions are planned with a closing General Session scheduled for 4 p.m.  Exhibits will be open for viewing all day beginning at 8 a.m.  Oliver’s Catering Services will be available onsite for attendees who wish to purchase lunch.  Online registration is available until September 6, 2011 at:  http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/oremforum under 2011 EM Forum.   Walk-in registration will also be available the morning of the Forum.

The line-up of topics and speakers planned this year include:

•  Emergency response at the Pentagon on 9/11
•  DOE’s activities during the 9/11 events
•  DOE ORR Site Briefings
•  Report on Tennessee’s 2010 and 2011 Natural Phenomena Events
•  U.S. Radiological Response to the 2011 Japan Earthquake
•  Security and Emergency Management Challenges in the next Ten Years

In addition, this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency/Department of Homeland Security is funding a one-day training program titled:   Sharing Information and Intelligence related to Food Importation and Transportation.  This training will take place on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, at the  New Hope Center. The target audience is those who work in food safety and emergency response such as law enforcement officers, emergency managers, first responders, and the state fusion center.  This training is free and registration can be completed at http://www.oakridge. doe.gov/oremforum under 2011 DHS/FEMA Course. The deadline to register is Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Lunch will not be available for purchase that day, so participants will have to make lunch arrangements.

If you need further information, please contact Leon Duquella at (865) 576-9755 or send an e-mail to:  oremforum@oro.doe.gov.

Special Agent Brent Watkins, our FBI coordinator, will give us his unique “intel” update.

The meeting will begin at 9:30 AM and is open to members and guests.For further information on this meeting or the InfraGard chapters, please contact Richard Scheuch at 423-439-5356 or rscheuch@embarqmail.com.

Atlanta InfraGard has sent notification that the ALIST 2011 conference has been postponed until the beginning of next year. They are working on dates in January or February and will advise when it has been rescheduled. If you are interested in attending, please watch this space for further announcements.

The 2nd annual ALIST conference will be held on August 17th at Kennesaw State University in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. (ALIST is the acronym for Atlanta’s Local InfraGard Security Training.) The event features three complete tracks with six sessions in each track. All sessions are open to all attendees. These tracks cover Law Enforcement, Infrastructure Protection, and Information Security.

The 2011 Keynote Speakers will be Senator John Albers, from the Georgia 56th District and Rick Maxwell, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

An agenda for the conference and a registration link are posted at ALIST 2011.

If you would like more information about this conference, please contact Paul Farley @ (770) 927-7412 or iama_president@googlegroups.com.

An example of such opportunities is the symposium list4d below.

The target audiences for the JCIP includes “… Critical Infrastructure Owners & Operators, CIO’s, Security Directors, Risk Managers, Business Continuity Directors, and other partners in similar roles” 

If any members of the Knoxville or Tri-Cities chapters of InfraGard are interested, please contact Pat Payne. Pat can forward their information to the organizers for more details.  If possible, please include company name, job title, and phone number.

Dr. Phyllis A. Schneck, VP and CTO, Public Sector, McAfee, Inc., will be the featured speaker. Dr. Schneck is the Founding Chairman and Chairman Emeritus of the InfraGard National Members Alliance.

Don’t Miss Out — REGISTER NOW for this FREE Webcast!

To register, please visit: http://www.msisac.org/webcast/
(Please note: For security purposes, please copy and paste or type this address into your Internet browser.)

The Department of Homeland Security is organizing the National Level Exercise 11 (NLE 11) to take place May 16-20th. The National InfraGard Members Alliance has been actively engaging with the planning team through the National Private Sector Working Group.  Much of the background on this exercise can be found at http://www.ready.gov/nle2011.

NLE 2011 will be historic in the level of private sector participation, according to information received from the FEMA Private Sector Division. Their approach this year is described as “inclusive, invigorating and innovative”. Important updates – Participant Options and the VIP Observer Program - have been added to their public NLE 2011 web site.

Participant Options

Recently added is a very thorough Participant Guide .  Perhaps the most striking opportunities within this guide are the five participant options.  Participant Registration forms included in the guide (p. 11) as follows:

1. Full Engagement—Planner and Player
2. Full Engagement—Simcell
3. Leadership Discussion Testbed

To register or obtain additional information regarding these options, email Private.SectorNLE@dhs.gov.

4. Self Directed—Downloadable Tabletop Exercise (TTX)

To register or obtain additional information regarding this option, email FEMA-Private-Sector@dhs.gov

5. Virtual

To register or obtain additional information regarding this option, email NEP@dhs.gov

 VIP Observer Program

The NLE 11 External Affairs Working Group (EAWG) is developing the VIP/Observer Program to be conducted during the exercise.  This program will offer invitees the opportunity to observe a wide-range of NLE 11 activities.  Selected activities and briefings will be offered in several NMSZ states (AR, MO, IN, MS) as well as the National Capital Region during the week of May 16th.  The invitees will be sent the formal invitation package which includes a cover letter signed by Secretary Napolitano, an observer schedule/menu of options, a registration form, and the NLE 11 Fact Sheet. 

Listed below is additional information on the program and how to submit nominations:

Suggested Private Sector Working Group (PSWG) Invitees include Corporation CEOs; Association Executive Directors; Directors of Security; Emergency Management Liaisons, and the like.

Funding Information:

Please note that there is no funding available for travel/lodging for the observers.  However, buses may be provided to/from individual events, and a boxed lunch will be provided during several of the all-day activities.

Requested Invitee Nomination Information:

Name of Invitee:

Title/Organization:

Invitee Contact Information (phone/email/address):

Name/Title/Org of Nominator:

Additional Notes as needed:

NLE 2011 is heating up.  Please join the action. The Knoxville chapter of InfraGard has already made a request to participate.