Department of Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Complete DHS Daily Report for December 2, 2008

Daily Report

Headlines

 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday released a report on its implementation of the Food Protection Plan that was launched a year ago to protect both domestic and imported food from accidental and intentional contamination. (See item 7)

7. December 1, U.S. Food and Drug Administration – (National) FDA reports significant progress in protecting the food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday released a report on its implementation of the Food Protection Plan that was launched a year ago to protect both domestic and imported food from accidental and intentional contamination. The plan, which outlines strategies for prevention, intervention, and response, is designed to address food safety and food defense for both domestic and imported products and covers the full lifecycle of food, by encouraging the building of safety into every step of the food supply chain. Among the highlights of the agency’s accomplishments is establishing offices in five regions that export food and other FDA-regulated products to the United States: China, India, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The FDA has already hired staff for its offices in China and India. Source: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01917.html

 According to the Associated Press, a smoke bomb that detonated inside a Phoenix, Arizona, hotel Sunday night forced the evacuation of 60 guests and employees at the Hilton Garden Inn. (See item 21)

21. December 1, Associated Press – (Arizona) Smoke bomb forces Phoenix hotel evacuation. A smoke bomb detonated inside a Phoenix hotel Sunday night forced the evacuation of 60 guests and employees at the Hilton Garden Inn. A Phoenix Fire Dept. deputy chief of public affairs said officials found other weapons in the room where the bomb detonated, including guns and bullets. Officials were still investigating who if anyone was in the room. The hotel evacuated about 35 rooms. Source: http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9434732&nav=menu216_14_3

Details

Banking and Finance Sector


3. November 29, News Telegram – (Texas) Guaranty Bond Bank issues scam warning. Guaranty Bond Bank on Friday issued a warning to its customers of a fraud attempt designed to get people to provide con artists with their personal banking information. In the notice sent Friday afternoon, bank officials stated that individuals identifying themselves as “Guaranty Securities” or “Guaranty Bank” are randomly calling customers and non-customers alike, stating their bank cards have been compromised and requesting their 16-digit bank card numbers and security codes. “Please be aware that this is a fraudulent call, and do not under any circumstance release any information,” the bank advisory cautioned. Bank officials also reminded their customers that their debit cards are “safe and secure.” But criminals and con artists who obtain their account and security information, such as passwords and access codes, run the risk of having someone attempt to invade their accounts. Source: http://www.ssnewstelegram.com/news-telegram/news/566-guaranty-bond-bank-issues-scam-warning.html


4. November 28, Associated Press – (National) Fed loans to banks increase in latest week. The Federal Reserve boosted its lending to commercial banks and investment firms over the past week, indicating that a severe credit crisis was still squeezing the financial system. The Fed released a report Friday saying commercial banks averaged $93.6 billion in daily borrowing for the week ending Wednesday. That was up from an average of $91.6 billion for the week ending November 19. The report also said investment firms borrowed an average of $52.4 billion from the Fed’s emergency loan program over the week ending Wednesday, up from an average of $50.2 billion the previous week. The Fed said its net holdings of business loans known as commercial paper over the week ended Wednesday averaged $282.2 billion, an increase of $16.5 billion from the previous week. The report said insurance giant American International Group’s loan from the Fed averaged $79.6 billion for the week ended Wednesday. That was down by $5.6 billion from the average the previous week. Source: http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/28/news/economy/bc.fed.creditcrisis.ap/index.htm


Information Technology


19. December 1, USA Today – (National) Cyber Monday deals could open door to spam, scams. Monday will be one of the biggest online shopping days of the year, and also one of the most treacherous. On Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving, consumers are expected to spend $821 million this year, up 12 percent from 2007, says the CEO of Conversive, a customer-service software company for online merchants. Monday may be the biggest day in a $44 billion online holiday shopping season, predicts Forrester Research. But a wobbly economy, combined with a consumer thirst for too-good-to-be-true bargains, has motivated cybercrooks to unleash a torrent of spam, phishing scams, and malicious software. “The downturn will prompt more attempts by cybercrooks, because consumers — in their haste to save costs — may be more susceptible to scams,” says the founder of 41st Parameter, an Internet fraud detection and prevention service. Threats are everywhere, PC security experts say, and Monday will bring a plague of them. Last year, phishing attacks soared 300 percent on Thanksgiving, compared with the previous few days, and this year is expected to be worse, computer-security firm Cyveillance says. They predict cybercriminals this year will launch even more sophisticated phishing attacks on bargain-hunters, as well as on small businesses and credit unions that lack strong anti-virus software and firewalls. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2008-11-30-cyber-monday-scams_N.htm


Communications Sector


20. December 1, Government Executive – (National) A GPS satellite gap? Government Executive reported that the U.S. may potentially face a GPS satellite gap next year. Of the 31 GPS satellites currently in orbit, 20 are past their design life and 19 lack redundancy in either their navigation or satellite systems or both, according to the biennial report on the Global Positioning System, submitted by the Defense Chief Information Officer to Congress in October. Defense has enough new GPS satellites in the pipeline to maintain an operational constellation (a minimum of 24 satellites are needed to ensure positioning accuracy), but if launches of the GPS IIF model birds are delayed, “sustainment of the GPS constellation will be difficult,” the report noted. Source: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?filepath=/dailyfed/1208/120108wb.htm