Complete DHS Report for
November 9, 2015
Daily Report
Top Stories
• A former JPMorgan
Chase & Co. broker pleaded guilty to securities fraud and embezzlement
November 5 for defrauding 10 of his clients out of more than $20 million by
withdrawing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars from their accounts. –
Bloomberg News See
item 5 below in the Financial Services Sector
• Two men pleaded guilty
November 4 to stealing up to $1.5 million in food stamp benefits at their
Massachusetts bodega by charging customers paying with Electronic Benefit
Transfer for more than the items they purchased. – Boston Herald
15. November
5, Boston Herald – (Massachusetts) Dad, son plead guilty in EBT scam. Two
men pleaded guilty November 4 to stealing between $1 million and $1.5 million
in food stamp benefits at their Lawrence bodega, Bonao Market, by charging
customers paying with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) for more than the items
they purchased. The pair would then pocket a portion of the excess cash. Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/11/dad_son_plead_guilty_in_ebt_scam
• About 200 firefighters
remained on site for about 8 hours November 5 after a fire at the Acorn Design
& Manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania caused approximately $1 million in
damages. – LancasterOnline.com
20. November
6, LancasterOnline.com – (Pennsylvania) Damage from fire that
destroyed Acorn Design & Manufacturing will top $1 million. Approximately
200 firefighters remained on site for about 8 hours November 5 after a fire
began at the Acorn Design & Manufacturing facility that caused approximately
$1 million in damages. All employees were evacuated and no injuries were
reported. Source:
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/blaze-engulfs-acorn-design-manufacturing/article_9cbabcd4-8424-11e5-ae9c-e72187e93549.html
• Newark, New Jersey
officials condemned four housing properties owned by Virginia-based Realty
Management Associates November 5 after determining that the buildings were a
public safety issue and a public health issue. – Newark Star-Ledger
23. November
5, Newark Star-Ledger – (New York) Newark cracks down on
‘slumlords’, condemns rodent, bedbug-infested buildings. Newark officials
condemned 4 housing properties owned by Virginia-based Realty Management
Associates including Aspen Stratford Apartments November 5 after deeming the
buildings were a public safety issue and a public health issue following traces
of rat infestation, mold, collapsed ceilings, and water leakage. Approximately
100 residents were relocated to new housing units. Source: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/11/newark_condemns_4_rodent_bedbug_invested_slums.html
Financial Services Sector
4. November
6, KSWB 69 San Diego – (California) ‘Hipster Bandit’ hits 3rd bank. Authorities
are searching for a suspect known as the ‘Hipster Bandit’ who reportedly robbed
three bank branches in San Diego, with the most recent heist taking place at a Wells
Fargo banking desk inside a Vons store November 2. The suspect allegedly robbed
U.S. Bank branches in Albertsons supermarkets July 2 and September 25, and
usually hands the teller a demand note. Source: http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/05/hipster-bandit-hits-3rd-bank/
5. November
5, Bloomberg News – (National) JPMorgan broker faces up to 50 years for $20
million scam. A former JPMorgan Chase & Co. broker pleaded guilty to
securities fraud and embezzlement November 5 for defrauding 10 of his clients
out of more than $20 million by withdrawing hundreds of thousands or millions
of dollars from their accounts with the promise of investment into low-risk
municipal bonds. The suspect never invested the money and used it for personal
expenses. Source: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20151105/FINANCE/151109924/jpmorgan-broker-faces-up-to-50-years-for-20-million-scam
6. November
4, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York – (New
York) New York attorney and two registered brokers arrested for engaging in
a $300 million market manipulation scheme. Federal and State authorities
reported November 4 that the founder of Ofsink LLC and the managing director of
Halcyon Cabot Partners, Ltd., and a registered broker were arrested for their
roles in a $300 million market manipulation scheme where the trio, along with 7
other co-conspirators took part in the scheme to mislead securities markets and
the public through false and misleading press releases and manipulated trading
activity. Source: https://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2015/new-york-attorney-and-two-registered-brokers-arrested-for-engaging-in-a-300-million-market-manipulation-scheme
Information Technology Sector
16. November
5, Help Net Security – (International) Firefox 42 is out, with many privacy and
security improvements. Mozilla released Firefox 42 addressing several
security patches including a new feature named Tracking Protection that
actively blocks contents like ads, analytics trackers, requests from active
trackers, and social share buttons that may record users’ activity and send
personal information without their knowledge across multiple Web sites. Source: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=19071
17. November
5, Threatpost – (International) Updated Cryptowall encrypts file names, mocks
victims. Researchers from both Bleeping Computer and an independent
researcher discovered that the Cryptowall malware was recently updated to
encrypt data on victims’ machines and file names, making infected files
difficult to recover without paying a ransom. The ransomware infects victims
via email attachments, disguised as Microsoft Word documents, through
JavaScript executable. Source: https://threatpost.com/updated-cryptowall-encrypts-file-names-mocks-victims/115285/
Communications Sector
18. November
6, Bluefield Daily Telegraph – (West Virginia) Cable theft
disrupts Internet for thousands of customers. Frontier Communications
representatives reported November 5 that thieves seeking copper, cut fiber
optic cables that caused 4,000 customers in McDowell County to experience an
Internet and phone service outage that impacted 9-1-1 services. Officials are
investigating the incident and crews restored service.
19. November
6, The Register – (National) Fake IT admin tricked Cox rep into handing over customer
database – cableco fined $600K. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission
fined Cox Communications for $595,000 November 5 for allegations that the
company failed to provide adequate security for its customer database and
failed to notify the Federal government after a 2014 security breach in which a
Lizard Squad hacker accessed customer records and leaked partial information on
8 customers and changed the passwords of 28 others while disguised as an
employee in the Intelligence Technology (IT) department. The hacker had control
over customer billing information including names, addresses, payment data, and
even partial social security numbers and State identification numbers. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/06/fcc_cox_data_breach/