Complete DHS Daily Report for August 15, 2013
Daily Report
Top Stories
• A Charlotte loan officer pleaded guilty to
his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that manipulated and fraudulently approved
more than $158 million in government-backed loans. – Charlotte Observer See item 4 below in the Banking and Finance Sector
• Federal authorities charged nine individuals
with running a ‘pump and dump’ penny stocks scheme that defrauded investors of
more than $140 million. – Associated Press See item 5 below in the Banking and Finance Sector
• Approximately 539 Cyclospora infection cases
have been reported in 19 states, including one in California. – Food Safety
News
15.
August 14, Food Safety News –
(National) Cyclospora cases reach 539, including one in California. According
to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximately 539
Cyclospora infection cases have been reported in 19 states, including one in
California. The California case was likely acquired out of State and it is not
yet clear whether the cases from all of the States are part of the same
outbreak. Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/cyclospora-infections-from-sea-to-shining-sea/#.Ugts6pKko0c
• Authorities ordered hundreds of residents to
evacuate as the Elk Complex Fire in Idaho burned 99,000 acres and destroyed
over a dozen homes. – Reuters
19.
August 14, Reuters – (Idaho; Utah) Wildfire
threatens two Idaho mountain towns; evacuations ordered. Officials ordered
hundreds of residents to evacuate as Idaho’s Elk Complex Fire burned 99,000
acres and destroyed over a dozen homes. Crews reached less than 5 percent
containment August 13 as they battled a 400-acre wildfire that erupted in Utah
and prompted the evacuation of 400 homes near Park City. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-usa-fires-idaho-idUSBRE97C10J20130814
Details
Banking and Finance Sector
2. August
14, CNN – (Louisiana) Hostage standoff inside rural Louisiana bank ends
with gunman dead. An armed gunman was killed by police after he took
hostages at a Tensas State Bank branch in St. Joseph August 13. The gunman shot
and critically wounded two hostages during the incident. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/us/louisiana-bank-hostages/index.html
3. August
14, Glendale News-Press – (California) Sting nabs seven in Los
Angeles-area card-skimming scheme. Police arrested seven people in
Glendale, the San Fernando Valley, and the Los Angeles area for allegedly
running a payment card skimming and fraudulent card manufacturing scheme. The
suspects would then use the cards to purchase large amounts of gasoline and
resell the fuel. Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-me-sting-nabs-seven-in-los-area-card-skimming-scheme-20130814,0,1690840.story
4. August
13, Charlotte Observer – (North Carolina; South Carolina) Feds:
Fraud ring targeted rural homebuyers. A Charlotte loan officer pleaded
guilty to his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that manipulated and fraudulently
approved more than $158 million in government-backed loans for properties in
North Carolina and South Carolina. Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/08/13/4234625/feds-fraud-ring-targeted-rural.html
5. August
13, Associated Press – (International) Feds: 9 sold worthless stocks in massive
scheme. Federal authorities charged nine individuals with running a ‘pump
and dump’ penny stocks scheme that defrauded investors around the world of more
than $140 million. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57598360/feds-9-sold-worthless-stocks-in-massive-scheme/
Information Technology Sector
24. August
14, The Register – (International) Philips’ smart lights left in the dark by
dumb security. A researcher published a paper showing how the Philips Hue
“smart lighting” system can be easily compromised and controlled by an attacker
within wireless network range due to poor authentication methods. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/14/switch_off_your_neighbours_lights_with_an_app/
25. August
14, Help Net Security – (Texas) Hacker hijacks baby monitor
camera, terrorizes family. A couple in Houston reported that an attacker
hijacked an Internet-connected baby monitor, yelling through its speakers and
controlling its camera. Source: https://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=15406
26. August
14, Softpedia – (International) Hackers abuse Google Cloud Messaging service
in Android malware attacks. Researchers at Kaspersky found that
cybercriminals are using a loophole in Google Cloud Messaging to use the
service as a command and control server for their Android malware. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hackers-Abuse-Google-Cloud-Messaging-Service-to-Distribute-Android-Malware-375327.shtml
27. August
14, Softpedia – (International) Facebook and Twitter accounts of the New York
Post hacked by Syrian Electronic Army. Hacktivists from the Syrian
Electronic Army compromised several Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to
the New York Post after gaining access by breaching the systems of social media
optimization service SocialFlow through phishing. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Facebook-and-Twitter-Accounts-of-the-New-York-Post-Hacked-by-Syrian-Electronic-Army-375292.shtml
28. August
13, Krebs on Security – (International) Microsoft patches plug
23 security holes. Microsoft released its monthly Patch Tuesday bundle of
updates for several of its products, closing 23 security vulnerabilities, 3 of
which were rated “critical.” Source: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/08/microsoft-patches-plug-23-security-holes/
29. August
13, IDG News Service – (International) Impact of Xerox character-substitution bug
wider than thought. Xerox found that a character-substitution bug that
incorrectly replaced numbers on documents printed under certain setting affects
document printed under additional settings. Xerox advised users to reset
settings to default and apply a patch scheduled for release in the next few
weeks. Source: https://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/081313-impact-of-xerox-character-substitution-bug-272816.html
Communications Sector
Nothing to
report