(TLP:CLEAR) CISA Report – Dams Sector Active and Passive Vehicle Barriers Guide

Summary: Earlier this month, CISA released an updated version of its “Dams Sector Active and Passive Vehicle Barriers Guide.” The guide is intended to assist dam owners and operators in understanding various types of active and passive vehicle barriers and how to incorporate them into their overall security plan.

According to CISA, the guide also provides a cursory level of technical information regarding barriers and includes references to assist owners and operators in properly designing protective schemes and selecting vehicle barriers and their appurtenant safety and security systems.

Analyst Note: While this guide is geared toward dam owners and operators, water and wastewater utilities would certainly benefit from the guidance offered by the report. Indeed, many water and wastewater utilites frequently report security incidents to WaterISAC in which a hostile vehicle caused some type of damage, such as a vehicle smashing through a perimeter gate. 

Moreover, terrorist and violent extremist frequently advocate for vehicle-borne attacks. Terrorists and violent extremists typically employ vehicles in three main ways to enable an attack: Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), Vehicle as a Weapon (VAW), or a Layered Attack Vehicle – transporting attackers and/or weapons. Over the weekend, for example, an Islamic State-inspired attacker conducted a vehicle ramming attack at a parade in Germany. In 2016, of the deadliest vehicle-borne terrorist attacks occurred in Nice, France where an Islamic State affiliated terrorist drove a truck through a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day, 84 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

Notably, vehicle attacks may include a combination of tactics, according to a First Responder’s Toolbox report. Therefore, effective mitigation requires a layered security approach that includes traffic management, physical barriers, and other access controls to restrict vehicle access without compromising emergency response.

Original Source: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/dams-sector-active-and-passive-vehicle-barriers-guide

Additional Reading:

• (TLP:AMBER) DOT Report: Vehicle Ramming Predictive Analysis: Indicators and Future Risk Factors

Mitigation Recommendation:

• CISA – Vehicle Ramming Mitigation
• UK National Protective Security Authority – Guidance on Hostile Vehicle Mitigation

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 3 & 4