Tuesday, February 24, 2015



Complete DHS Report for February 24, 2015

Daily Report

Top Stories

 · Duke Energy Corp., agreed February 20 to pay about $102 million in fines addressing Clean Water Act violations at 2 steam stations and 3 electricity-generating plants in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice related to a 2014 coal ash spill into a North Carolina river. – Reuters

1. February 20, Reuters – (North Carolina) Duke Energy fined over $100 million for environmental violations. Duke Energy Corp., agreed February 20 to pay about $102 million in fines addressing 5 Clean Water Act violations at its Dan River and Riverbend steam stations and 4 Clean Water Act violations at its H.F. Lee Steam, Cape Fear, and Asheville electricity-generating plants in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice related to a power plant’s 2014 coal ash spill into a North Carolina river. The company will also enter into a 5-year probationary period, among other terms in the settlement. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/21/us-usa-duke-energy-environment-idUSKBN0LP00P20150221

 · Over 1,350 flights were canceled and 700 were delayed February 23 due to a severe winter storm that stretched across the U.S., bringing the total number of canceled flights since February 21 to more than 4,000. – USA Today

6. February 23, USA Today – (National) Airlines cancel 1,300 flights as yet another storm hits. Over 1,350 flights were canceled and 700 were delayed February 23, for the third consecutive day due to a severe winter storm that stretched across the U.S. Combined, more than 4,000 flights have been canceled since February 21. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/02/23/airlines-cancel-1250-flights-as-yet-another-storm-hits-dfw-dallas-texas/23873767/

 · The Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported a total of 18 cases of the carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria in 2015, which included one death from the superbug. – WBTV 3 Charlotte

18. February 23, WBTV 3 Charlotte – (North Carolina) Superbug presents challenge to health care systems. The Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte reported a total of 18 cases of the carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria in 2015, which included one death from the superbug. Health officials have stated that the bacteria, which is spread through contaminated equipment and human contact, is now in 42 States in the U.S. Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/28172853/superbug-presents-challenge-to-health-care-systems

 · About 2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other institutions following a February 20 disturbance which caused the inmates to seize control of part of the Willacy County Correctional Center in Texas. – Associated Press

24. February 21, Associated Press – (Texas) Official: South Texas prison ‘uninhabitable’ after uprising. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons reported February 21 that about 2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other institutions after complying with authorities following a February 20 disturbance which caused the inmates to seize control of part of the Willacy County Correctional Center in Texas. The inmates became disruptive over poor medical services and refused to perform work duties, prompting them to breach their housing units and cause extensive damage that rendered the facility uninhabitable. Source: http://kxan.com/2015/02/21/official-south-texas-prison-uninhabitable-after-uprising/

Financial Services Sector

5. February 20, Reuters – (New York; Oklahoma) Ex-Oppenheimer executive pleads guilty in loan fraud scheme. A former Oppenheimer & Co executive pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court February 20 for his role in a fraud scheme that deceived Oklahoma regulators and the company by collaborating with three individuals to process a $30 million loan through the investment bank for the fraudulent purchase of Providence P&C while illegally using the insurance company’s assets as collateral. The case originated with a related investigation into Park Avenue Bank, which went under in March 2010. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/20/usa-crime-oppenheimer-idUSL1N0VU1N220150220

For another story, see item 29 below from the Commercial Facilities Sector

29. February 23, WCAU 10 Philadelphia – (New Jersey) 'Domestic situation' provoked gunman to shoot co-worker, self: Police. A security worker at the Shields Business Solutions office located at a business park in Moorestown died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after entering the business February 23 and opening fire on a colleague who was left in critical condition. Source: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/breaking/Moorestown-Shooting-293643911.html

Information Technology Sector

26. February 23, The Register – (International) Cisco IPv6 processing bug can cause DoS attacks. Cisco announced that its NCS 6000 and Carrier Routing System (CRS-X) contain an IPv6 software bug that attackers could repeatedly exploit by sending a malformed IPv6 packet, carrying extension headers, through an affected Cisco IOS XR device line card to cause an extended denial of service (DoS) condition. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/23/cisco_ipv6_processing_bug_can_cause_dos/

27. February 23, Securityweek – (International) Superfish SSL interception library found in several applications: Researchers. Security researchers discovered that the Komodia Redirector and SSL Digestor, originally used by the Superfish software preinstalled on Lenovo laptops can be found in several products and at least 12 Facebook applications using the SSL interception library. The researchers stated that Komodia’s proxy software does not properly implement SSL or validate certificates, enabling attackers to potentially hijack affected users’ connections. Source: http://www.securityweek.com/superfish-ssl-interception-library-found-several-applications-researchers

Communications Sector

28. February 23, KRNV 4 Reno – (Nevada; California) Frontier Internet outage continues; cause under investigation. Frontier Communications reported February 23 that technicians are working to determine the cause of a widespread Internet outage that began February 21 and continued to affect service in Douglas, Alpine, Mono, and Lyon counties. Officials stated that there is no estimated time on when service will be restored. Source: http://www.ktvn.com/story/28170955/frontier-internet-outage-continues-cause-under-investigation