Monday, May 7, 2007

Daily Highlights

The Associated Press reports the average price of gasoline topped $3 a gallon at the pump Friday, May 4, amid growing concerns that refineries are simply not making enough gas to meet peak summer demand. (See item 2)
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Federal officials on Friday, May 4, placed a hold on 20 million chickens raised for market in several states because their feed was mixed with pet food containing an industrial chemical. (See item 24)
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Information Technology and Telecommunications Sector

39. May 04, Security Focus — Report: TJX thieves exploited wireless insecurities. The insecure wireless network at a Marshalls discount clothing store near St. Paul, MN, may have allowed hi−tech attackers to gain a beachhead in retail giant TJX Companies' computer network, resulting in the theft of information on at least 45.6 million credit and debit cards, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, May 4. While TJX's other systems were upgraded to Wi−Fi Protected Access (WPA), the Marshalls store's wireless network connecting credit−card processing hardware to the company's server was not, investigators working on the case told the WSJ. In January, TJX companies acknowledged that online attackers had apparently stolen credit and debit card data from its processing systems.
Source: http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/496

40. May 04, Government Accountability Office — GAO−07−455: Information Technology: Numerous Federal Networks Used to Support Homeland Security Need to Be Better Coordinated with Key State and Local Information−Sharing Initiatives (Report). A key challenge in securing our homeland is ensuring that critical information collected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is shared in a timely manner with federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. It is important that federal networks and associated systems, applications, and data facilitate this vital information sharing. GAO was asked to (1) identify DHS and DOJ networks and Internet−based system applications that support homeland security and (2) determine whether DHS efforts associated with its Homeland Security Information Network are being coordinated with key state and local information−sharing initiatives. GAO assessed the coordination between DHS and two key state and local initiatives of the Regional Information Sharing System program. To improve coordination with state and local information sharing efforts and avoid duplication, GAO is recommending, among other things, that DHS inventory key state and local initiatives, implement coordination and collaboration practices, and ensure its efforts are consistent with the Administration’s information−sharing initiative. In its written comments, DHS concurred with the above recommendations and noted actions it is taking to implement them.
Highlights: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07455high.pdf
Source: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07455.pdf

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