Tuesday, October 20, 2015



Complete DHS Report for October 20, 2015

Daily Report                                            

Top Stories

 • Twelve banks agreed to pay over $1.86 billion October 16 to settle allegations that they forced investors to pay unfair prices on credit default swap contracts. – Reuters See item 8 below in the Financial Services Sector

 • About 20 miles of Highway 58 in California remained closed October 19 while crews worked to clear mud and standing water following heavy rains that triggered a massive landslide in Antelope Valley October 15. – Los Angeles Times

10. October 19, Los Angeles Times – (California) Remaining cars cleared from Highway 58 after massive mud flow. About 20 miles of Highway 58 between State Routes 14 and 202 remained closed October 19 while crews worked to clear mud and standing water following heavy rain in the Antelope Valley October 15 which triggered a massive mudslide, causing nearly 200 vehicles to be trapped. Officials estimated Highway 58 may be fully cleared and reopened by October 22.

 • An ammonia leak at Diversified Foods and Seasoning Inc., in Louisiana October 16 prompted the closure of eastbound lanes of Interstate 12 for over 5 hours while westbound lanes remained closed. – New Orleans Times-Picayune

12. October 16, New Orleans Times-Picayune – (Louisiana) Interstate 12 eastbound reopens in St. Tammany/Tangipahoa after closure due to ammonia leak. Eastbound Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish reopened after being closed for more than 5 hours October 16, while westbound lanes remained closed due to an ammonia leak at Diversified Foods and Seasoning Inc., which prompted the facility to evacuate and firefighters to spray water between the highway and the plant to dissipate the ammonia. Source: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/10/interstate_12_reopens_in_st_ta.html

 • Officials from South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control issued emergency orders on 63 dams October 16 following rainfall and flooding which caused 36 dams to fail. – Greenville News (See item 27)

27. October 17, Greenville News – (South Carolina) DHEC issues emergency orders on 63 dams. Officials from South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control issued emergency orders on 63 dams October 16 following historic amounts of rainfall and flooding that caused 36 dams to fail, while damaging many others. The order asks owners to provide inspection documentation and may mandate lowering of water levels and other actions to reduce the possibility of dam failure.  Source: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2015/10/17/dhec-issues-emergency-orders-63-dams/74125270/

Financial Services Sector

7. October 19, Associated Press – (National) Woman pleads guilty to $435K counterfeit credit card scheme. A Guyana citizen pleaded guilty October 16 to charges alleging that she and co-conspirators used hundreds of counterfeit credit cards to purchase $435,000 worth of gift cards from 47 Price Chopper supermarkets in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut from February 2012 – January 2013. Source: http://www.wktv.com/news/crime/Woman_pleads_guilty_to_435K_counterfeit_credit_card_scheme.html

8. October 19, Reuters – (International) JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley pay most in $1.9 bln swaps price-fixing settlement. Twelve banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley, and Barclays Plc, agreed to pay over $1.86 billion October 16 to settle allegations that the banks forced investors to pay unfair prices on credit default swap contracts from 2008 – 2013. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/19/swapssettlement-jpmorgan-idUSL1N12J0KU20151019

9. October 16, Southern California City News Service – (California) ‘Windy City Bandit’ caught in bank heists? Teller gets bomb threat. Authorities arrested a suspect believed to be the “Windy City Bandit” October 17 after he allegedly robbed a Chase bank in Santa Fe Springs October 15 via a bomb threat. FBI officials linked the suspect to October robberies at two other Chase banks in Orange and Anaheim. Source: http://mynewsla.com/orange-county/2015/10/16/windy-city-bandit-caught-in-bank-heists-teller-gets-bomb-threat/

Information Technology Sector

25. October 19, Securityweek – (International) Adobe patches Flash zero-day exploited by Pawn Storm. Adobe released Flash Player updates addressing a zero-day type confusion vulnerability discovered by security researchers from Trend Micro, which the Pawn Storm threat group was exploiting in attacks targeting Foreign Affairs Ministries worldwide via spear-phishing emails leading to a variant of the Sednit malware. Source: http://www.securityweek.com/adobe-patches-flash-zero-day-exploited-pawn-storm

For another story, see item 5 below from the Energy Sector

5. October 16, CNN – (National) ISIS is attacking the U.S. energy grid (and failing). U.S. law enforcement and government officials reported that ISIS is beginning to perform cyberattacks on energy firms in the U.S., and that the attacks have been unsuccessful. Officials stated that hacking software for sale on black markets could contribute to attacks against industrial control systems at energy companies, including pumps and engines.

Communications Sector

Nothing to report