Complete DHS Report for
May 28, 2015
Daily Report
Top Stories
· Amtrak
reported May 26 that inward-facing video cameras will be installed on the
majority of its Northeast Corridor trains by the end of 2015 to allow railroad
officials to monitor the actions of engineers while on the job. – Washington
Post
13. May
26, Washington Post – (National) Amtrak will install
inward-facing cameras on trains. Amtrak officials reported May 26 that
inward-facing video cameras will be installed on majority of its Northeast
Corridor trains by the end of 2015 to allow railroad officials to monitor the
actions of engineers while on the job, as a series of safety measures taken
following the fatal May 12 derailment that killed 8 and injured more than 200.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/amtrak-will-install-inward-facing-cameras-on-trains/2015/05/26/a6d210fa-03b9-11e5-a428-c984eb077d4e_story.html
· Officials
reported May 27 that heavy rains in Texas caused more than 100,000 gallons of
untreated wastewater to spill from a treatment plant and caused a potential dam
breach at Padera Lake near Midlothian, Texas. – Associated Press; KERA 13
Dallas
18. May
27, Associated Press; KERA 13 Dallas – (Texas) Untreated
wastewater has spilled into Houston; eyes on possible dam break in Midlothian. Houston’s
Department of Public Works and Engineering reported May 27 that heavy rains
caused more than 100,000 gallons of untreated wastewater to spill from a
wastewater treatment plant and threatened a dam breach at Padera Lake near
Midlothian that could potentially flood 25 homes. Fear of the dam breach has
dissipated but the National Weather Service says more rain is expected. Source:
http://keranews.org/post/untreated-wastewater-has-spilled-houston-eyes-possible-dam-break-midlothian
· Officials
issued new rules May 27 that clarified which smaller waterways fall under
Federal protection in the Clean Water Act, stating that a tributary must show
evidence of flowing water to be protected. – Associated Press
19. May
27, Associated Press – (National) EPA issues final rule
protecting drinking water, streams. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued new rules May 27 that will
protect drinking water for 117 million Americans by clarifying which smaller
waterways fall under Federal protection in the Clean Water Act, stating that a
tributary must show evidence of flowing water to be protected. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/epa-rules-protect-drinking-water-regulate-small-streams-31332848?page=2
· The
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported May 26 that criminals accessed personal
tax information from more than 100,000 tax payers through an IRS-run online
system called “Get Transcript”, from February – May 2015. – Associated Press
20. May 26,
Associated Press– (National) IRS says thieves stole tax info from 100,000. The
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported May 26 that criminals accessed personal
tax information from more than 100,000 tax payers through an IRS-run online
system called “Get Transcript”, where taxpayers get returns and other filings
from previous years, as part of a scheme to steal identities and claim
fraudulent tax refunds from February – May 2015. The service has been
temporarily shut down and officials are determining how many fraudulent tax
refunds were claimed this year using information from the stolen transcripts
with an estimate of less than $50 million. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/apnewsbreak-irs-thieves-stole-tax-info-100000-31317464
Financial Services Sector
7. May 26,
MLive.com – (Michigan) Orchard Lake attorney charged with conducting
mortgage fraud scheme. An Orchard Lake attorney and his company, Home Legal
Group PLLC, were charged May 22 for allegedly defrauding over 114 victims by
falsely promising mortgage modifications to clients seeking to avoid
foreclosure and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from the
victims. Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2015/05/orchard_lake_attorney_charged.
For another
story, see item 20 above in Top Stories
Information Technology Sector
21. May 26, Securityweek – (International) New
Linux-based router worm used in social network scheme. Security researchers
at ESET discovered a new piece of malware, known as Moose, that primarily
spreads by compromising unsecure Linux-based consumer routers and can eavesdrop
on communications. Compromised devices steal unencrypted network traffic,
mostly from social network sites, and act as a proxy service for botnet
operators. Source: http://www.securityweek.com/new-linux-based-router-worm-used-social-network-scheme
For another story, see
item 20 above in Top Stories
Communications Sector
Nothing to report