Department of Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Complete DHS Daily Report for December 23, 2008

Daily Report

Headlines

 According to an online report in the Wall Street Journal, braking problems may be to blame for a Continental Airlines flight running off a runway in Denver on Saturday, leaving many of those on board with injuries. (See item 17)

17. December 22, Reuters – (Colorado) Brakes looked at in Continental runway incident: report. Braking problems may be to blame for a Continental Airlines flight running off a runway in Denver this weekend, according to an online report in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday. On Saturday, a Continental-operated Boeing 737 failed to take off from Denver en route to Houston. The airplane subsequently ran off the runway, dramatically catching on fire, and leaving many of those on board with injuries. The Journal, citing people familiar with early data gathered by investigators, said preliminary indications point to a braking malfunction. No safety officials have officially commented, according to the report. “We can not speculate on the cause of the accident,” said a Continental spokeswoman, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the accident investigation. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2146567620081222

 USA Today reports that communities nationwide have repaired fewer than half of the 122 levees identified by the government almost two years ago as too poorly maintained to be reliable in major floods, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. (See item 35)

35. December 22, USA Today – (National) Most levee repairs lagging. Communities nationwide have repaired fewer than half of the 122 levees identified by the government almost two years ago as too poorly maintained to be reliable in major floods, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. State and local governments were given a year to fix levees cited by the Corps for “unacceptable” maintenance deficiencies in a February 2007 review that was part of a post-Hurricane Katrina crackdown. Only 45 have had necessary repairs, according to data provided in response to a USA Today request. The remaining unrepaired levees are spread across 18 states and Puerto Rico — most in California and Washington. In an effort to put pressure on state and local governments, the Corps has removed many of the unacceptable levees from the Corps’ inspection program, making them ineligible for federal rehabilitation funding if they are damaged by floodwaters. Property owners behind those levees also could be required to buy flood insurance if the Federal Emergency Management Agency finds that the maintenance problems leave them unprotected against a 100-year flood. If communities with unrepaired levees are in the process of fixing them, they can apply for readmission to the Corps’ inspection program once the work is done. Only a fraction of the nation’s levees are inspected by the Corps. Levees in the inspection program typically were built by the Corps and turned over to local governments for maintenance. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-21-levees_N.htm

Details

Banking and Finance Sector


13. December 22, Bloomberg – (National) FBI uses triage to shift from terror to Madoff, subprime probes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has engaged in “triage,” taking agents off terror and other crimes to respond to a cascade of financial frauds, the head of the bureau’s New York criminal division said. The FBI was forced to reallocate its manpower in New York to deal with recent frauds involving subprime mortgages, auction-rate securities, and a well-known stock broker, who prosecutors said confessed this month to bilking investors out of $50 billion. “We have to work those cases which we think pose the greatest threat,” he said. “In this case, it is a threat to the financial system and Wall Street.” Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVHDu98R3s6s&refer=home


14. December 22, Nashville Business Journal – (National) Survey: Workers facing layoffs could be security threat. Fifty-eight percent of Wall Street office workers surveyed say they would take valuable company data with them if faced with a layoff, if they knew they could get away with it. The survey on the recession and its effects on work ethics were conducted among 226 office workers on New York City’s Wall Street by IT security firm Cyber-Ark. The survey found that many office workers are downloading sensitive company secrets right now under their bosses’ noses in anticipation they could lose their jobs. Among the survey’s findings were more than half the workers surveyed who admitted to already downloading competitive corporate data said they would use it as a negotiating tool to secure their next post because they know the information will be useful to future employers. The top-of-list of desirable information being extracted from employers is customer and contact databases. Plans and proposals, product information, and access and password codes are also popular choices. HR records and legal documents were the least favored data employees were interested in taking. Finally, 62 percent of workers admitted it was easy to sneak company information out of the office.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2008/12/22/daily3.html

15. December 22, KRNV 4 Reno – (Nevada) Reno residents contacted in apparent credit scam. The Reno Police Department is now investigating an alleged credit card scam. Reno residents say they received a phone call with a recorded message saying there was concern about their credit card account activity. The recording then asks them to key in a 14 digit credit card number. The Reno Police Department says subscribers of T-Mobile and Sprint cell services have also reported getting text messages saying their services would be disconnected if they did not respond with private information such as their social security number and street address. The fraud crimes unit of the Reno Police Department is now looking into all of the complaints. Source: http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9563092&nav=8faO

Information Technology


32. December 20, PC World – (International) Opera plugs ‘severe’ browser hole. Opera has released a security fix for seven flaws in its Web browser, Opera 9.6. Opera says the fix, which only applies to machines running Windows, covers two flaws categorized as “extremely severe” and three listed as “highly severe.” The “extremely severe” flaws could allow a hacker to take control of a PC, while those rated as “highly severe” leave PCs open to attack if users open Web sites hosting malicious software. In an advisory, Opera said the patch was a “recommended security upgrade.” Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/155854/opera_plugs_severe_browser_hole.html


33. December 19, Reuters – (National) U.S. not ready for cyber attack. The United States is unprepared for a major hostile attack against vital computer networks, government and industry officials said on December 18 after participating in a two-day “cyberwar” simulation. The game involved 230 representatives of government defense and security agencies, private companies, and civil groups. It revealed flaws in leadership, planning, communications, and other issues, participants said. “There isn’t a response or a game plan,” said senior vice president of the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting service, which ran the simulation. “There isn’t really anybody in charge,” he told reporters afterward. Officials cited attacks by Russia sympathizers on Estonia and Georgia as examples of modern cyberwarfare, and said U.S. businesses and government offices have faced intrusions and attacks. Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNewsMolt/idUKTRE4BI00520081219?sp=true


Communications Sector


34. December 22, Media Line – (International) Plan for $400m undersea Mideast Internet cable. Several telecom companies in the Middle East are planning to invest in a joint undersea cable to prevent cable cuts, such as the one that disrupted Internet services last week. Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Lebanon’s Ogero, and the United Arab Emirates’ Etisalat will spend $400 million over the next two years on a link between India and Europe. The project will also involve Indian and European operators and is intended to avoid Internet disruptions when cables are severed, the Middle East economic magazine MEED reported. Lines running under the Mediterranean Sea were damaged on Friday, causing Internet and telephone disruptions throughout the region. The exact cause of the damage was unclear. A French repair crew has begun repairing the damaged lines. Source: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013490230

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