Department of Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Complete DHS Daily Report for May 28, 2009

Daily Report

Top Stories

 According to the Bucks County Courier Times, a 35-ton concrete silo crashed through the roof of the CGM Concrete business in Bensalem, Pennsylvania on Monday. (See item 8)


8. May 27, Bucks County Courier Times – (Pennsylvania) Silo crashes through building. A 35-ton concrete silo crashed through the roof of a Bensalem business on May 25 and could lead to the building’s demolition on May 27. The business was closed and no one was injured. Officials said the silo, which collects concrete dust atop the CGM Concrete business, crashed through the roof about 7:30 p.m. It nearly sheared through one steel I-beam and severely twisted two others on its way to the ground, fire officials said. A wall was cracked and leaning outward on May 25. A gas line and water line inside the building were ruptured, however, PECO workers and firefighters were able to shut down the gas and water supply, the fire investigator said. Inspectors were at the scene and officials planned to have engineers look at the building before deciding if the entire building would be demolished. Source: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/28/2009/may/26/silo-crashes-through-building.html


 KAKE 10 Wichita reports that 110 employees were evacuated from Horizon Mill elevators inside the Cargill plant in Wichita, Kansas on Tuesday after a small fire broke out in the west grain bin. Firefighters blocked off surrounding streets due to the threat of explosion. (See item 16)


16. May 26, KAKE 10 Wichita – (Kansas) Wichita fire crews extinguish grain bin fire. Firefighters were dispatched to Horizon Mill elevators, inside the Cargill plant in Wichita, shortly after 8 a.m. on May 26. The business reported a small fire in the west grain bin. Upon arrival, crews encountered fire and smoke. About 40 firefighters were on scene. Investigators told KAKE news they evacuated the building and surrounding areas for safety precautions. About 110 employees were evacuated from the business. Around 1:45 p.m., those evacuated were being let back in. Officers had blocked off the area between 10th and 13th Streets from Saint Francis to Washington. Firefighters used an unmanned mercury monitor as a water delivery system to battle the fire. Fire officials said they used the monitor because of an explosion threat. Crews are maintaining a perimeter around the fire and continued to use the monitor system until the fire was extinguished. Source: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/46085077.html


Details

Banking and Finance Sector

10. May 27, Salt Lake Tribune – (Utah) Alpine man accused of widespread investment scam. Federal prosecutors on May 26 accused an Alpine man of defrauding investors in a multimillion dollar real estate scheme. A U.S. attorney said the defendant collected more than $100 million from investors. The three-count indictment was announced on May 26. The number of victims, most of whom live in Utah, could be in the hundreds, said the U.S. attorney. The indictment says the defendant held seminars beginning in 2004 and told potential investors they could make substantial amounts of money through a program named the Equity Mill. The investments allegedly were to be used by Founders Capital to make loans to its associated entities, including Hill Erickson LLC and New Castle Holdings LLC, so they could buy real estate. The indictment alleges that Founders Capital and Franklin Squires Investments, another Koerber company, never made a profit. The indictment says the defendant used more than $50 million to make “Ponzi” payments to keep his scheme going. Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12451772


11. May 27, Rutland Herald – (Vermont) Police warn of credit union phone scam. Rutland police are investigating a phone scam targeting Heritage Family Credit Union and its membership. Police said the scam operates through automated phone calls to city residents who have claimed that the residents’ accounts at the credit union were deactivated due to suspicious activity. The automated call asks for credit card information and pin numbers to reactivate the accounts. City police are asking anyone who receives the calls to report them to their credit union and to their local police agency. Source: http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090527/NEWS01/905270317/1002/NEWS01


12. May 26, WLUC 6 Marquette – (Michigan) Beware of phone scams. Phone scams are starting to hit parts of the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin again. Calls have been coming in requesting information such as account and credit card numbers. Customers of both institutions received phone calls soliciting information. Individuals who received the calls reported that they were coming from Forward Financial Credit Union in Niagara, Wisconsin and the River Valley Bank in Iron Mountain. It is a scam that could be spreading. Two financial institutions so far have been affected by the scam. Officials warn that once something like this starts, it generally sweeps the area. If a call is received asking for credit card or banking information, it is suggested that the person who received the call to notify their bank or credit union. Source: http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=304723


Information Technology


27. May 27, IDG News Service – (International) Twitter gets targeted again by worm-like phishing attack. Twitter users have been tricked into divulging their login and password details to a Web site that then spammed their contacts. The culprit is a Web site called TwitterCut. Some Twitter users began getting a message that appeared to be from one of their friends and included a link to the TwitterCut Web site. The message implied they could gain more Twitter contacts by following the link. At one time TwitterCut looked quite similar to the real Twitter login page, said the chief research offer for the security vendor F-Secure. If a person entered their login details, TwitterCut would then send the same message via Twitter to all of the victim’s contacts, a kind of phishing attack with worm-like characteristics. No malicious software is installed on a user’s machine, he said. Although TwitterCut probably holds the login details for many accounts, it doesn’t appear those accounts have been used to spam out links to more dangerous Web sites. TwitterCut’s Web site has been reported to services that blacklist potentially harmful Web sites, although it is still active. Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/165561/twitter_gets_targeted_again_by_wormlike_phishing_attack.html


28. May 25, SiliconRepublic.com – (International) ‘Gumblar’ virus could be bigger than Conficker worm. A new malware virus is on the loose and within days has become accountable for half the malware on the web. It is particularly vicious because it targets Google users in particular. The worm, also known as JSRedir-R, attacks computers through vulnerabilities in Adobe PDF reader and Flash player. By last week, more than half of all malware found on websites was identified as Gumblar, with a new webpage infected every 4.5 seconds. The worm redirects the user’s Google search results to sites that download more malware onto the machine or allow criminals to conduct phishing attacks to steal login details. It has begun to spread on sites where passwords or software have been previously compromised and visitors are infected without realizing it. It is believed the malicious worm draws its code from a webpage based in China. Once cybercriminals are in possession of a victim’s FTP credentials, any sites that the victim manages can also be targeted for compromise — a common malware propagation tactic, said IT security firm ScanSafe. Source: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/13025/cio/new-worm-to-rival-conficker

Communications Sector

29. May 26, CNET News – (International) First commercial 4G base station being tested in Sweden. The Swedish national incumbent telecommunications operator Telia announced the world’s first radio base station in a commercial 4G network has been deployed in Stockholm, Sweden. Telia is among a handful of mobile operators worldwide building next-generation networks for mobile broadband with 4G or LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology. The largest is Verizon, identified as a world leader by Ericsson’s CEO. “The U.S. is back in the driver’s seat and Verizon has taken the lead in rolling out LTE,” he said. Though Telia says it has connected the 4G base station to its IP network and to a test network belonging to Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson, commercial launch of the network is not expected until 2010, when modems will be available. Verizon has announced the same time frame. Expected speeds are “10 times faster than the speeds customers enjoy today with mobile broadband in 3G networks,” according to Telia. That would mean between 60 megabits and 100 megabits per second, given that today’s 3G networks with HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology can attain 6Mbps to 10Mbps, depending on the version deployed. Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10249578-94.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Wireless