nfca cyber intelligence network relies on hsin for mission
TRANSCRIPT
Table of Contents:
NFCA Cyber Intelligence Network Relies on HSIN for Mission Success
HSIN Supports Cyber Shield 2021 Full-Scale Exercise
CISA Uses HSIN for School Safety Task Force Webinar
Partners Rely on HSIN for Hurricane Ida Response
HSIN Hurricane Response Template Streamlines Operations
HSIN Provides Key Support to FLETA
Canadian and U.S. Partners Use HSIN for Maritime Security Operations
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and HSIN plays a key role in cybersecurity operations by offering our partners resources to more effectively coordinate planning, perform risk mitigation, and respond to threats. Cyber specialists, including federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, use HSIN to seamlessly communicate regardless of agency affiliation or geographic location. With HSIN, cyber analysts and investigators can quickly analyze, vet, and disseminate critical information that allows partners to use the actionable intelligence to make informed decisions and respond to cyberattacks. The secure, real-time information-sharing capabilities provided by HSIN improves resiliency and helps ensure public safety across the nation.
NFCA Cyber Intelligence Network Relies on HSIN for Mission SuccessThe National Fusion Center Association (NFCA) established the Cyber Intelligence Network (CIN) in September 2014 to enhance fusion centers’ capabilities to build and sustain an effective cyber threat intelligence network. The CIN is an association of cyber analysts and investigators across the country, dedicated to responding to cyber incidents, sharing cyber intelligence, and producing analytical products on threats.
“HSIN supports the rapid exchange of cyber intelligence across the nation, which helps us identify threats, respond to incidents, and develop plans to prevent the next incident from occurring,” said Lance Larson, Co-Chair of the CIN and investigator assigned to the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center. “With HSIN, we can collaborate as a unified team, avoid duplication of effort, and expand our knowledge by interacting with other analysts.”
CIN Uses HSIN to Help Mitigate Threats and Save Lives
The CIN uses HSIN as the platform for its 24/7 National Cyber Room, where analysts can examine and share raw, unvetted data in real time. In June 2020, the CIN identified the BlueLeaks data hack in an open source venue and took the lead in partnering with the FBI to notify and assist victim agencies. The BlueLeaks hack exposed approximately 300 gigabytes (16 million rows) of sensitive data that included personally identifiable information (PII) of law enforcement officers.
The high volume of data prevented most agencies from quickly examining, identifying, and alerting affected individuals, so the CIN worked with agencies to provide access to a FBI tool to streamline search and analysis.
“Our support was all about enabling agencies to review the data for possible exposure
risks; for example, one state agency didn’t know the first step to take so we provided access to the tool and instructions about how to use it,” said Larson.
In addition to responding to leaks of sensitive data, the CIN has worked with 911 system operators to address and mitigate telephony denial of service (TDoS) attacks, which overwhelm telephone systems to prevent incoming and outgoing calls. Malicious actors have used TDoS attacks against 911 call centers and other Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for ideological purposes (hacktivism), extortion, and to distract emergency services from other criminal activity. The TDoS attacks, which are increasing in number, directly threaten the safety and lives of people who depend on 911 systems for life-saving assistance and other emergencies.
HSIN Supports Over 600 CIN Members Across 50 States and Three U.S. Territories
The CIN team is organized according to the six regions used by the NFCA and together they support operations across all 50 states and the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each region
Cybersecurity
Delivering Mission Success
ADVOCATEThe HSIN
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HSIN Supports Cyber Shield 2021 Full-Scale ExerciseOver 800 Participate from 40+ State National Guards, DoD, and Commercial Industry
Earlier this year, interagency and industry partners used HSIN for Cyber Shield 2021, a full-scale cybersecurity exercise held annually by State National Guards, the National Guard Bureau, and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which provides command and control of Department of Defense (DOD) homeland defense efforts and coordinates defense support of civil authorities.
The exercise held July 10–24 at Camp W.G. Williams in Utah, was designed to help the nation develop an agile force that can quickly respond to cybersecurity challenges. Command staff used HSIN Connect to provide a common operating picture, which included security and situational awareness around the exercise venue and across the “cyber range” on base.
“HSIN allows multiagency, real-time information sharing in an unclassified setting that isn’t available in other online collaborative systems,” explained Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, Commander, 1st Battalion, 129th Regional Training Institute, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, IL. “HSIN’s support for Cyber Shield plays an integral role in fostering engagement among interagency and industry partners, and helps us prepare for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks.”
HSIN supported Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration (JRSOI) operations, which involved processing registrations for more than 800 participants, staging equipment and other assets required for the exercise, supporting logistics, and integrating mission-ready forces into a cohesive unit. Cyber Shield, which is the nation’s largest unclassified cyber defense training exercise, has been using HSIN since 2013; and planning is underway for Cyber Shield 2022, which will be held at the Michigan National Guard Fort Custer Training Center.
Expanding the Operational Impact of HSINFor Organizations: Fact Sheet: HSIN Critical Infrastructure CommunitySuccessful critical infrastructure protection requires coordination and collaboration among infrastructure owners and operators, DHS, other federal agencies, and state and local government. The HSIN Critical Infrastructure (HSIN-CI) community serves as the primary, nationwide DHS collaboration system for sharing Sensitive-But-Unclassified (SBU) information among private sector critical infrastructure owners and operators and government agencies.
For Community Managers: Fact Sheet: Using HSIN to Support Public-Private PartnershipsSharing information and collaborating across public-private sector partners presents a unique set of challenges to overcome. However, because HSIN provides a secure environment that operates outside of any one organization’s technology infrastructure, partners can set up dedicated information sharing communities across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. During an emergency, information shared on HSIN is still accessible even when other forms of communication such as commercial cell networks are not functioning.
HSIN in ActionTo learn more about the innovative ways HSIN advances cybersecurity, check out these additional resources:
n HSIN and GMO Played Key Roles in Nationwide Election Security Initiatives
n Strengthening Cybersecurity Operations
n �America’s�Cybersecurity�Efforts�Increasingly�Rely�on HSIN
HSIN supports the rapid exchange of cyber intelligence across the
nation, which helps us identify threats, respond to incidents, and develop plans to prevent the next incident from occurring.Lance Larson Co-Chair of the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA) Cyber Intelligence Network (CIN)
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CISA Uses HSIN for School Safety Task Force WebinarDHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) School Safety Task Force (SSTF) used HSIN Connect to host a webinar on August 31 titled, “Back-to-School: Safety Resources for a Successful Year.” The event, which drew more than 380 attendees from the kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) community, featured leaders from the Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, who provided an overview of resources, programs, and guidance to support schools in safely re-opening as the 2021–2022 academic school year gets underway.
The discussion featured information on initiatives including the Department of Education’s Return to School Roadmap,
“Lessons from the Field” Webinar Series, and Summer Learning and Enrichment Collaborative, as well as the additional resources offered through the Federal
School Safety Clearinghouse on school safety topics such as school climate and mental health, physical security, and threat assessment and reporting. It closed with an interactive question-and-answer period designed to allow participants to engage with the speakers.
The event was the latest installment in the 2021 School Safety Webinar Series, a monthly program the SSTF manages and hosts on behalf of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse. Through the series, the SSTF partners with Federal agencies to raise awareness of school security issues and threats and equips school leaders with resources, strategies, and tools to create safer and more resilient school systems.
To date, five webinars have been held with more than 2,400 attendees from across the K-12 community. The events have
focused on (1) mitigating the threat of school violence after COVID-19; (2) youth preparedness and community resilience; (3) school-based mental health issues; (4) school safety funding opportunities; and (5) back-to-school safety. To learn about past and upcoming events and opportunities for your school or district, visit schoolsafety.gov/opportunities.
Law Enforcement Agencies in Franklin County (OH) Use HSIN for “Operation Unity”Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEMHS) used HSIN Connect September 2–3 in support of Operation Unity, a 24-hour law enforcement operation that resulted in the arrest of 99 wanted felons as well as an additional 79 felony arrests. Officers also took 32 illegal guns off the streets and seized significant amounts of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. While several agencies in Franklin County have worked together in the past, Operation Unity marked the first time every department in the county partnered in a simultaneous law enforcement operation.
“HSIN helped provide great awareness for our dispatchers and incident commanders during a few car chases, officers in trouble, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs seized, multiple high-threat arrest warrants, and other incidents,” explained Adam Ingram, FCEMHS Planning Manager. “We had approximately two dozen personnel logged into HSIN, and we received a lot of good feedback on the value that HSIN provided.”
Franklin County includes more than 15 cities, including the state capital, Columbus, and is home to approximately 1.3 million people. During Operation Unity, uniformed and plainclothes officers were at work in every city in Franklin County, carrying out their coordinated mission to reduce crime in the region. In addition to its role in supporting law enforcement, FCEMHS coordinates all-hazards emergency management and disaster preparedness functions for Franklin County.
“Operation Allies Welcome” Relies on HSIN for Interagency CoordinationMultiple DHS components, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Department of State (DOS), and other federal agencies are using HSIN as a secure file repository and information sharing system to support Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), which is an all-of-government effort to support vulnerable Afghans as they safely resettle in the U.S. Personnel across multiple OAW locations and detachment sites are using HSIN to share operational information and ensure effective coordination of medical and public health operations.
Dev Jani, Executive Officer for the DHS Chief Medical Officer, remarked, “The HSIN site has been useful due to its ability to host a document library in SharePoint and quickly credential and authorize users from multiple federal departments and agencies into the system.” A key requirement for OAW was to have an information sharing system that allowed access by multiple federal agencies. HSIN also provides the ability to expand and adapt to future OAW operations, including those at safe havens and other command and control locations.
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Partners Rely on HSIN for Hurricane Ida Response
U.S. Coast Guard District 8 Relies on HSIN for Hurricane Ida Response
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) District 8 (D8) used HSIN Connect for Continuity of Operations (COOP) activities supporting command and control and real-time information sharing related to Hurricane Ida response and recovery operations. More than 1,700 USCG D8 individuals (including active, reservists, civilian, and dependents) evacuated duty stations and relocated to Memphis, TN, St. Louis, MO, and Houston, TX. USCG D8 used HSIN to share Catastrophic Incident Search and Rescue (CISAR) information including civilians trapped and/or seeking rescue, related reports on social media, power outages, oil platform failures in the Gulf of Mexico, distressed vessels, requests for air assets, status and situation reports, and information on collapsed buildings and damaged structures.
HSIN is also being used to share the contact information of key D8 staff, search and rescue statistics, area command products, imagery, executive summaries, and interagency reports. In addition to USCG D8, organizations with participants in the HSIN Connect room include USCG Sectors New Orleans, Mobile and Houston-Galveston, Marine Safety Unit Houma, Maritime Safety and Security Team Houston, USCG Atlantic Area, USCG Auxiliary, USCG National Response Command Center, USCG Incident Management Assist Team, and USCG Agency Representatives embedded at the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Geospatial Management Office (GMO) Support
HSIN identity-proofing was used to enable user access to Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) Remote Sensing resources located on the Geospatial Management Office (GMO) Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) Portal. The HIFLD-Remote Sensing (HIFLD-RS) team engaged with the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during daily coordination calls to ensure all hurricane-related image services were updated and available to users. HIFLD-RS
further engaged with the GMO-GII team to ensure that imagery messaging, which included image collection updates and direct links to GMO-partner image services and web maps, was available via user login alert pop-up messaging.
Federal Protective Service (FPS) Region 7 Southern District
The Federal Protective Service (FPS) Region 7 Southern District (R7SD) used HSIN Connect to share real-time information regarding Hurricane Ida. Information shared in HSIN includes federal facility damage reports and power outages, watches, warnings and advisories, potential local impacts, reference documents, points of contact, press releases, and scheduled events and meetings.
Information is entered directly by personnel on the ground, and HSIN is allowing leaders to manage large volumes of information that can be viewed from anywhere and by anyone who has been granted access. With HSIN, users can easily package and re-distribute information in a minimum amount of time, as well as reuse it for future operations and after-action reports to improve processes and implement best practices. FPS R7SD has been using HSIN since 2017.
Business Resilience Group, Global Resilience Federation
The Business Resilience Group (BRG), Global Resilience Federation (GRF) used HSIN August 29–September 1 for Hurricane Ida preparation and response efforts. The BRG used HSIN to share information with regional business leaders and consolidate critical resource information for cross-sector communities. HSIN Connect users included representatives from the financial, healthcare, and energy sectors, as well as community leaders of other types of organizations. Information shared in HSIN included regional and state-level data such as emergency operations center locations, alert registrations, flood zones, evacuation routes, power outages, and shelter locations.
HSIN Annual Assessment: Making HSIN Better Together Annual Assessment Closes Nov. 1What do you think of your HSIN user experience? Is HSIN able to effectively support your mission and all your operational goals? That’s what HSIN would like to know and that’s where you come in!
Last month, HSIN launched the fiscal year 2021 annual assessment. The HSIN Annual Assessment is an important initiative that helps capture feedback from you—our federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, international and private sector partners—so that we can learn how to better meet your needs.
The feedback we have received to date has been superb, but we need all 170,000 plus of you to respond. To best serve our users, HSIN needs your feedback to ensure that it continues to be able to provide secure and easy collaboration and information across jurisdictions and between partner agencies.
The annual assessment is designed to be easy to use and quick to complete. Most users are able to complete the survey in under five minutes. And it is accessible from mobile and desktop devices alike.
Whether you use HSIN daily, weekly, monthly, or only a few times each year, HSIN wants to hear from you! Let’s make HSIN better, together. Responses will be accepted through November 1.
GIVE FEEDBACK
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HSIN Supports Partners’ Response to Hurricane Henri
American Red Cross of Greater New York
At the request of the New York Regional Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross of Greater New York (ARC GNY) was activated and used HSIN Connect to support Hurricane Henri information sharing August 20–23. Four emergency operations centers were activated, and ARC GNY liaisons staffed two centers virtually and staffed two centers in-person.
HSIN Connect was used by ARC GNY liaisons from Long Island to Westchester to communicate with the ARC operations management team to share incident related information such as briefing/mission requests, fact clarification, and overall information exchange. According to Shirley Leung, ARC GNY Manager for Government Operations, “Connect is a great tool for our team to communicate, particularly in the virtual COVID environment. It provides the room layout and settings like a dashboard and is quite convenient and user friendly.”
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a HSIN Connect room in support of Emergency Support Function (ESF#12) (Energy) responders’ activation, August 21–22 for Hurricane Henri. DOE responders deployed virtually and in person to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regional response centers and a state emergency operations center. Information posted in the HSIN Connect room included quick links to response tools and sites, daily “battle rhythms,” situational and spot reports, force laydown maps, and storm tracking. While the the HSIN Connect room was used mainly by activated DOE responders and HQ Emergency Response Center personnel, the entire DOE ESF#12 responder cadre of approximately 120 personnel could access the HSIN Connect room at a moment’s notice for situational awareness.
USCG Sector San Juan Uses HSIN for Tropical Storm Grace ResponseHSIN served as the central information sharing platform for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector San Juan Prevention Department during Tropical Storm Grace on August 12. The Prevention Department used HSIN Connect to simultaneously update multiple data points regarding facility and vessel readiness across the Sector San Juan area of operations.
Before and after the storm hit, teams of two-to-four members were dispatched to verify facility conditions. HSIN Connect allowed for real-time data upload, data transparency, and most importantly, the ability to upload data to a platform that is not restricted to a government workstation. According to Lieutenant Commander Christopher O’Connor, Waterways Management Chief, “The most compelling trait is that the HSIN Connect platform can be accessed from any device, Coast Guard workstations, standalone computers, tablets, and phones, which leads to a free flow of information up the chain of command.”
HSIN Hurricane Response Template Streamlines OperationsA HSIN Connect Hurricane Common Operating Picture (COP) template document, based on U.S. Coast Guard District 7’s Hurricane Situational Awareness Room (SitRoom), is now available to assist in preparedness and response operations. HSIN created the Hurricane COP template as “quick start” resource that allows HSIN users to rapidly set up a HSIN Connect room with information pods to track data such as:
n Local and National Weather Feeds
n Camera Feeds
n Chat Sessions
n Emergency Planning Documents
n Information on Displaced Citizens
n Emergency Response Points of Contact
Other helpful resources that can be incorporated into the Hurricane COP include:
n National Hurricane Center (NHC)
n DHS/FEMA (Ready.gov) - Hurricanes
n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Natural Disasters and Severe Weather
With the HSIN Hurricane COP, partners can quickly and more effectively share information during operations.
Training Tip: Learn How to Implement the HSIN Hurricane COP
HSIN Learn has created a training presentation where you can see example layouts of information pods with live links to weather-related resources. The HSIN Hurricane COP training also includes helpful reminders about available quick reference guides (QRGs) such as:
n HSIN Connect Mobile Access for All Users
n HSIN Connect for Participants
n HSIN Connect for Hosts and Presenters
Visit the Hurricane COP Getting Started Guide to access the training; and, if you need additional assistance, contact your HSIN Mission Advocate or send an email to [email protected].
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FLETC Uses HSIN to Provide Mission-Critical Training to Over 90 AgenciesFederal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) use HSIN Connect to support the delivery of mission-critical training to more than 90 federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners across the homeland security enterprise. Using HSIN Connect, FLETC has delivered training to classes ranging in size from 24 to more than 350 attendees. The capabilities provided by HSIN have been especially helpful when direct, in-person training isn’t possible due to COVID-19 protocols, travel restrictions, or budget constraints.
“HSIN Connect allows us to provide rapidly developed training on emergent areas of law and policy to combat crises across the homeland security enterprise,” said Robert Duncan, FLETC Attorney-Advisor (Instructor). “FLETC uses HSIN Connect to host online basic training to new officers and agents, advanced training to supervisors, and continuing legal education to attorneys on topics including Electronic Law and Evidence, Drone Law, Indian Law, Sexual Assault Offenses, and Supreme Court Updates.
FLETC uses HSIN to support organizations including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Air Marshal Service, Federal Protective Service, National Security Agency Police, New York State Office of the Attorney General, New York City Department of Investigation, and many other federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies.
HSIN Provides Key Support to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board
Training is a critical aspect of law enforcement, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board and Office of Accreditation (OA) uses HSIN as a key part of its assessment and accreditation process. Approximately 50 training organizations from 35 federal agencies use HSIN to upload their academy and/or program materials for review and conduct in-briefings, observations, and support assessment activities. On average, there are four-to-ten organizations using the HSIN community during the same timeframe.
Assigned, restricted-access libraries in HSIN allow agencies to upload evidence to support each of the 47 Program Standards or 44 Academy Standards. The number of policies and evidence required to support each standard depends on the training organization and how they operate. Examples of some of the materials uploaded to HSIN include training materials, photos of facilities or equipment, screen shots of agency systems, and redacted instructor teaching evaluations.
The process begins with the participating agency coordinating potential assessment dates with the FLETA OA, and then conducting the self-assessment, which is mandatory and typically occurs two to three months prior to the official FLETA Assessment. Each assessment, self-assessment, and FLETA assessment, include three to five qualified volunteers from the FLETA community. During each assessment, the assessors may identify a need for improvements or additional policy/
evidence to support the standard. In these situations, the organization will prepare the materials locally and upload the new file to HSIN for the assessor’s review.
“Prior to COVID-19, HSIN was used by some of our organizations in an effort to reach more assessors and save on travel costs,” explained FLETA OA Executive Director Joseph M. Collins. “Once COVID hit, the OA needed a solution to continue operations and HSIN was instrumental for us to achieve that goal. Since June of 2020, all FLETA assessments have been conducted remotely and HSIN helped us do that.”
Following the FLETA Assessment, the assessment team produced a report that is used by FLETA Board Review Committee members when they conduct their final review, prior to awarding or denying accreditation. Organizations receiving accreditation are required to submit an annual report to the OA demonstrating continued compliance. FLETA has used HSIN as its internal network since March 1, 2014. In addition to supporting assessments, FLETA has used HSIN to deliver synchronous and asynchronous training, communicate events and other activities, support the FLETA Board, make forms and other internal resources available to the FLETA community, and house the Model Practices Clearinghouse of policies, procedures, and processes that are available for review and download by all FLETA participating organizations.
To learn how HSIN can support your mission, contact [email protected].
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We Want to Hear Your Organization’s Operational Success Stories Nomination Period Closes Oct. 29
Has HSIN made a significant contribution to your organization’s mission success? If so, be sure to enter your organization for a 2021 Best of HSIN Award. Each year, HSIN honors communities and users who have applied HSIN in innovative ways to achieve mission success.
By now, you should have received an email with a link to a Best of HSIN nomination form. If not, please visit the Best of HSIN page on HSIN Central to download one. Once you have the form, please describe the impact HSIN had on your mission or operation and be sure to include specific examples. You can also include attachments such as screenshots or user experience studies to best support your claim.
HSIN users and stakeholders can submit a nomination in one of the following five categories:
n Daily Operations/Mission Integration: Demonstrate the integrated use of HSIN as part of standard, daily operations to support successful mission outcomes.
n Event Support: Demonstrate the successful use of HSIN as part of event-support operations, such as planning, event management, incident tracking, or information sharing.
n Incident Support: Demonstrate operational use of HSIN for incident response operations, such as those involving COVID-19, civil unrest, active shooters, hurricanes, floods, or wildfires.
n Interagency Collaboration: Demonstrate community growth and collaboration among federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, international, and/or private sector homeland security partners.
n Greatest Impact to the Information Sharing Environment: Demonstrate exemplary performance using HSIN to leverage information sharing that contributes to safety and homeland security.
By submitting a nomination, you are helping other HSIN communities learn about best practices that improve decision-making, promote partnerships and collaboration, and facilitate operational success. Be sure to plan ahead as nominations close on October 29.
U.S. Coast Guard Relies on HSIN for Industry Day EventsThe U.S. Coast Guard Office of Aeronautical Engineering (CG-41) deployed HSIN Connect to host a series of virtual industry day events July 26–29. The events allowed the USCG to conduct market research on commercially available radar capabilities and share their requirements for radar performance and integration with industry suppliers. Federal agency participants included the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.
Commenting on HSIN’s contribution, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Cody Leeper, Avionics/Sensors/C5ISR Systems Manager, stated, “The HSIN virtual platform made it possible for the USCG to host a weeklong industry day event. The USCG completed the required market research to move forward with the sustainment and acquisition of a radar system for both of the USCG rotary wing platforms.”
Over 900 Participants Attend Virtual CISA Industry Day Supported by HSINDHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) used HSIN Connect to host a virtual industry day on August 5, which attracted 940 participants. The CISA Acquisition Office, which hosted the event, offered vendors an insight into CISA’s current and future challenges on several topics including supply chain, public/private partnership efforts on 5G security and resiliency, and next-generation network priority services.
Collaborating and partnering with industry vendors is a key part of CISA’s mission. CISA Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan expressed his appreciation to HSIN, saying, “Thanks for all of your help during the CISA Industry Day. I know there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in order to hold an event like this, and I have heard positive feedback from many attendees since the event.”
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ABOUT HSIN | HSIN is DHS’ designated system for trusted sharing of Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) information among federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, international and private sector partners. Mission operators use HSIN to access homeland security data, send requests securely between agencies, manage operations, coordinate planned event safety and security, respond to incidents, and share the information they need to fulfill their missions and help keep their communities safe. HSIN users are making key contributions to homeland security in areas such as preventing terrorism, bolstering cybersecurity, securing the borders, intercepting illegal drugs, keeping schools safe, and combating criminal gangs.
For more information, contact the HSIN Outreach Team at [email protected] or visit our website at www.dhs.gov/hsin.
Canadian and U.S. Partners Use HSIN for Maritime Security Operations
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Puget Sound and numerous Canadian and U.S. partners have been using HSIN to help manage operations focused on detecting, deterring, and interdicting illegal activities and improving maritime domain awareness. USCG Sector Puget Sound, based in Seattle, WA, has used HSIN to help manage three large-scale operations and more than 10 smaller interagency operations this year. In August, HSIN supported joint U.S. and Canadian interagency law enforcement operations centered around the San Juan Islands, WA, and Gulf Islands, British Columbia.
“We set up our HSIN Connect room to bring intel analysts, investigators, landside personnel and assets, maritime assets, and command and control staff together in one forum to share law enforcement information, run background requests and warrants checks, and task assets conducting operations,” explained Lieutenant Jake Hardiman, USCG Sector Puget Sound Enforcement Division.
“Our intel and investigative staff used HSIN to directly interact with units in the field to provide law enforcement
information during maritime boardings and interactions, and our command and control staff used HSIN to actively move assets around the operating area while adjudicating active cases.”
The team also uses HSIN to share patrol schedules, images of vessels to be boarded, and other information integral to the mission. Assets used in operations this year included ships, patrol vessels (small boats), helicopters, airplanes , radar trucks, and landside collection teams. Canadian partners participating in the operations included the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). In addition to the USCG, participating U.S. agencies included DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Office of Field Operations (OFO), and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP).
To learn how HSIN can support your mission, contact [email protected].
holds individual meetings using HSIN Connect, and the entire CIN participates in weekly coast-to-coast meetings to share information on recent trends and analysis.
Each fusion center has established baseline capabilities related to the analysis and sharing of cybersecurity threats, but the need for additional expertise is growing. Cybersecurity expertise is in high demand and there is a shortage of resources required to meet this demand. To help develop an available pool of skilled resources to address the increasing number and severity of attacks, the DHS Intelligence Training Academy (ITA) asked the CIN to produce a curriculum to train cyber analysts and investigators.
“To develop this curriculum, we brought together cybersecurity experts from all six NFCA regions; we reached out to all 80 fusion centers to ask them what they needed to develop enhanced cyber skills,” explained Larson. “Together with the ITA, we produced a curriculum, the Cyber Analyst Seminar (CAS), that is now in use all across the country.”
The CAS provides baseline training for all entry-level and intermediate DHS and fusion center cyber analysts and investigators. It is a five-day, 40-hour course offered nine times per year, and as of August 2021, it has educated more than 1,200 analysts. Students must complete all blocks of instruction to receive a graduation certificate, and the training is accredited by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board. For virtual/remote learning sessions, the course is delivered via HSIN. For more information about the CAS please contact [email protected].
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