Friday, March 20, 2015



Complete DHS Report for  March 20, 2015

Daily Report

My apologies but DHS did not notify me until Fri, 20 Mar 2015 15:15:34 -0500 and I simply noticed a few minutes ago.

Top Stories

 · A 7-mile stretch of Highway 74 near Beaver, Minnesota, was closed indefinitely March 18 due to poor road conditions caused by spring thaw and rising waterways. – WCCO 4 Minneapolis

10. March 18, WCCO 4 Minneapolis – (Minnesota) Spring thaw causes Highway 74 near Beaver to close. A 7-mile stretch of Highway 74 from Winona County Road 30 in Beaver, to Wabasha County Road 26 in Weaver, was closed indefinitely March 18 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation due to poor road conditions caused by spring thaw and rising waterways. The road will remain closed until conditions improve. Source: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/03/18/spring-thaw-causes-highway-74-near-beaver-to-close/

 · Paulsboro High School in New Jersey reopened March 19 after at least 16 students and 2 teachers were transported to an area hospital March 18 following a reported chemical leak at PBF Refinery. – South Jersey Times

17. March 19, South Jersey Times – (New Jersey) Officials make decision on Paulsboro High School opening after chemical leak at PBF Refinery. Classes at Paulsboro High School in New Jersey resumed March 19 after at least 16 students and 2 teachers were transported to an area hospital March 18 following a reported chemical leak of Naphtha at PBF Refinery that permeated fumes throughout the borough. The refinery continued work to pump out the remaining product in order to repair the leaking seal. Source: http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2015/03/officials_make_decision_on_paulsboro_high_school_o.html

 · A New York City Police Department officer was charged March 17 for allegedly hacking into restricted law enforcement computer systems to obtain the personal information of thousands of citizens in order to commit fraud. – U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York

25. March 17, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York – (New York) New York City Police Department auxiliary officer charged with hacking into NYPD computer and FBI database. An auxiliary officer with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was arrested and charged March 17 for allegedly using his position to hack into a restricted NYPD computer and other sensitive law enforcement computer systems by installing multiple electronic devices in the Traffic Safety Office of an NYPD precinct to obtain the personal information of thousands of citizens in order to commit fraud. The auxiliary officer ran over 6,400 queries and contacted individuals involved in traffic accidents falsely claiming to be affiliated with a law firm in order to encourage the victims to hire his services. Source: http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2015/new-york-city-police-department-auxiliary-officer-charged-with-hacking-into-nypd-computer-and-fbi-database

 · Verizon Communications Inc., agreed to pay a $3.4 million fine March 18 following an April 2014 incident that affected 750,000 California subscribers who could not reach emergency operators during a 6-hour, multi-state 9-1-1 outage. – Reuters See item 28 below in the Communications Sector
 
Financial Services Sector

7. March 18, Killeen Daily Herald – (Texas) Suspicious package found near Killeen banks. A USAA Financial Center and Broadway Bank in Killeen were closed March 18 while authorities investigated a vehicle in the financial center’s parking lot that contained a suspicious package. Police detailed the driver and the contents of the package were deemed to be “not mechanical” while the incident remains under investigation. Source: http://kdhnews.com/news/crime/police-respond-to-killeen-banks-after-suspicous-package-found/article_196817c0-cd75-11e4-94bd-03827bc9eae8.html

Information Technology Sector

26. March 18, Softpedia – (International) Ransomware uses GnuPG encryption program to lock down files. Researchers from Bleeping Computer and Emsisoft discovered that cybercriminals are using open source GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG) code and Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBS) to power VaultCrypt ransomware that uses a 1024-bit RSA key pair to encrypt information and Microsoft’s sDelete application to remove data used in the process. The ransomware sends user log-in credentials for Web sites to a command and control (C&C) server hidden in the Tor anonymous network. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ransomware-Uses-GnuPG-Encryption-Program-To-Lock-Down-Files-476144.shtml

27. March 18, Softpedia – (International) Repackaged Android apps filling third-party stores. Security researchers at Trend Micro discovered an increase of the number of Android apps that are either localized or repackaged containing malware being released for free on unofficial app stores, including spyware that can intercept payment notices or collect the user’s phone model and location, and list of installed apps. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Repackaged-Android-Apps-Filling-Third-Party-Stores-476132.shtml

For another story, see item 25 below from the Government Facilities Sector

Communications Sector

28. March 18, Reuters – (National) Verizon to pay $3.4 mln to settle U.S. 911 outage investigation. Verizon Communications Inc., agreed to pay a $3.4 million fine March 18 to settle a U.S. Federal Communications Commission investigation into an April 2014 incident that affected 750,000 California subscribers who could not reach emergency operators during a 6-hour, multi-state 9-1-1 outage that impacted a total of 11 million people and dozens of emergency call centers in 7 States. Verizon also agreed to adopt a special compliance plan and improve its subcontractor oversight and coordination with emergency call centers. Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/usa-verizon-commn-idINL2N0WK11U20150318