Friday, February 1, 2013


Daily Report

Top Stories

• An arrest warrant was issued for a Romanian national for his alleged involvement in an ATM skimming scheme that stole at least $3.3 million. – Portage Daily Register See item 5 below in the Banking and Finance Sector

 • High winds cancelled 869 flights around the country, and caused delays into New York City’s LaGuardia airport, as a cold front continued to move across the continental U.S. – Bloomberg News

8. January 31, Bloomberg News – (National) High winds delay New York-bound flights as cold front passes. High winds cancelled 869 flights around the country, and caused delays into New York City’s LaGuardia airport, as a cold front continued to move across the continental U.S. Source : http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/High-Winds-Delay-New-York-Bound-Flights-as-Cold-4239232.php

 • Altoona has seen almost-daily water main breaks in January: 24 in the last 22 days due to drastic temperature shifts. – Altoona Mirror

16. January 31, Altoona Mirror – (Pennsylvania) Water mains breaking at high rate. Altoona has seen almost-daily water main breaks in January: 24 in the last 22 days due to drastic temperature shifts. Source: http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/568327/Water-mains-breaking-at-high-rate.html?nav=742

 • The New York Times reported that their computer systems were compromised by hackers from China that appeared to be state-sponsored. – New York Times

27. January 30, New York Times – (International) Hackers in China attacked The Times for last 4 months. The New York Times reported that their computer systems were compromised by hackers from China that appeared to be state-sponsored. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-new-york-times-computers.html?_r=0

Banking and Finance Sector

5. January 31, Portage Daily Register – (Wisconsin; Illinois) ATM hackers skim $3.3 million from 200 customers. An arrest warrant was issued for a Romanian national for his alleged involvement in an ATM skimming scheme that stole at least $3.3 million. Source: http://www.wiscnews.com/news/local/article_74a0527e-6b66-11e2-95a0-001a4bcf887a.html

6. January 31, Spokane Spokesman-Review – (Washington) Feds unseal indictment against developer, his wife, girlfriend. A federal indictment was unsealed against a Spokane developer, his wife, and his girlfriend for their alleged role in a real estate Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors, lending institutions, and the federal government of around $8.8 million. Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jan/31/feds-unseal-73-count-indictment-against-spokane/

7. January 30, WBBM 2 Chicago – (Illinois) ‘Bully Bandit’ robs sixth bank since November. The individual known as the “Bully Bandit” robbed a Chase Bank branch in Chicago January 29, his sixth bank robbery. Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/01/30/bully-bandit-robs-fifth-bank-since-november/

Information Technology

23. January 30, The H – (International) Latest VLC version has dangerous hole. The latest version of the VLC media player contains a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code. Source: http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Latest-VLC-version-has-dangerous-hole-1794474.html

24. January 30, Threatpost – (International) New ransomware encrypts victim data. A new variety of ransomware encrypts data on victims’ machines to prevent removal. Source: http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-ransomware-encrypts-victim-data-013013

For another story, see item 27 above in Top News

Communications Sector

Nothing to report