Monday, August 27, 2012

Complete DHS Daily Report for August 27, 2012

Daily Report

Top Stories

• The majority of the States of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, as well as major portions of Nebraska and Missouri are now under exceptional drought conditions, the most severe classification on the U.S. Drought Monitor. – Agriculture.com

15. August 23, Agriculture.com – (National) Central U.S. drought intensifies. The majority of the States of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, as well as major portions of Nebraska and Missouri are under exceptional drought conditions, the most severe classification on the U.S. Drought Monitor, stated the August 23 update of the Monitor. Though cooler temperatures were a common feature of the weather recently, it did not stop the drought‟s growth; in addition to those areas under the most severe drought conditions, the majority of an area from western Nebraska to Indiana is under extreme drought. “More widespread rains in the Midwest alleviated some moderate to exceptional drought as well as abnormal dryness through southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and into western Kentucky again this week. Lingering drought impacts remain in many areas, leaving devastated agriculture in its wake,” stated a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Climate Data Center specialist. Source: http://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/central-us-drought-intensifies_2-ar25970

• Maricopa, Arizona, was in a state of emergency after rain backed up the sewage system, flooding roads and threatening water storage areas. – InMaricopa.com

19. August 22, InMaricopa.com – (Arizona) State of emergency declared for Tortosa flooding. Maricopa, Arizona, was in a state of emergency after 5 hours of heavy rainfall August 21 caused a backup of the sewage system, overwhelming the Global Water sewer pumping station, according to a media advisory from the city. The mayor declared the emergency in the event of additional rain and for financial and resources assistance. Public works crews were dispatched to various locations throughout the city and several roads were closed because of flash flooding. Road crews reported a large amount of water in the Tortosa area after discovering water, which travels through the Casa Blanca drainage channel as runoff from the Sacaton Mountains, had begun to flow down Dalli Lane towards a large water retention area August 22. Source: http://www.inmaricopa.com/Article/2012/08/22/mayor-price-state-of-emergency-tortosa-flooding

• A parolee was arrested in connection with an explosion that shattered glass doors at the Bass Lake, California courthouse. – Associated Press

24. August 21, Associated Press – (California) Man held in connection with Bass Lake explosion. A parolee is under arrest in connection with an explosion that shattered glass doors at the Bass Lake, California courthouse. The Madera County sheriff said August 21 that the suspect of Oakhurst was in possession of methamphetamine and standing next to a stolen truck with a flat tire when he was caught. Detectives identified him as a suspect in the August 14 explosion after two bomb threats were phoned into two news agencies. The building targeted by the explosives served as the primary satellite courthouse for a remote mountainous region of Madera County. The suspect, who has a “White Pride” tattoo, was being held without bail. Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/21/4745941/man-held-in-connection-with-bass.html

• A disgruntled former worker sparked chaos in front of the Empire State Building when he shot and killed a co-worker and engaged in a gun battle with police that left at least eight others wounded. – CNN

33. August 24, CNN – (New York) Empire State Building shootings kill 2 and wound 8, police say. A disgruntled former worker sparked chaos in front of the Empire State Building in New York City August 24 when he shot and killed a co-worker and engaged in a gun battle with police that left at least eight others wounded, authorities said. The shooter was killed in an exchange of gunfire with two police officers just as visitors began to queue up to ascend the famous skyscraper. The officers fired 14 rounds after the suspect apparently turned his gun on them, said the New York police commissioner. Some of the wounded people may have been hit in the crossfire or by ricocheting bullets, he said. The suspect was apparently laid off from his job as a designer of women‟s accessories at Hazan Imports in 2011. Dressed in a business suit and carrying a briefcase, he apparently had a longstanding dispute with the victim over allegations of harassment in the workplace, police said. Both men had filed prior complaints. A construction worker followed the gunman after the initial gunshots and alerted officers. Two police officers were being treated at a hospital, though no injuries are considered life-threatening, the New York mayor said. The suspect used a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and was carrying extra ammunition in his briefcase, stated police. Local and federal authorities who converged on the building around 9 a.m. closed several streets around 5th Avenue and 34th Street, snarling traffic in the heart of Manhattan. Shortly after the incident, a medical center reported it was treating six victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All the injuries were not life threatening, stated a hospital spokeswoman. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/24/justice/new-york-empire-state/index.html

• A levee system protecting Sacramento, California, and 15 other cities from floods does not meet federal maintenance requirements, threatening eligibility for federal rebuilding dollars if the system should fail. – Associated Press

44. August 23, Associated Press – (California) Sacramento levees fail federal maintenance rules. A levee system protecting Sacramento, California, and 15 other Central Valley cities from floods does not meet federal maintenance requirements, threatening eligibility for federal rebuilding dollars if the system should fail. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said August 23 it determined the State‟s levee improvement plan does not provide enough detail to ensure maintenance problems get fixed. “Though these levee systems are currently ineligible for rehabilitation assistance, we are still here to help,” the Corps‟ Sacramento District colonel said. The levees affected include 40 miles on the American and Sacramento rivers surrounding the city of Sacramento. One problem highlighted by the Corps was homes built too close to the levees, leaving less than the 15-foot-wide maintenance corridor required. Source: http://www.news10.net/news/article/206384/2/Sacramento-levees-fail-federal-maintenance-rules

Details

Banking and Finance Sector

9. August 23, Ogden Standard-Examiner – (National) Bucket List Bandit hits again in Illinois. The „Bucket List Bandit‟ robbed another bank, this time in Bloomington, Illinois, the Ogden Standard-Examiner reported August 23. The robber, nicknamed because he passed a threatening note to a teller at a Wells Fargo Bank in Roy, Utah, July 6 claiming he only had 4 months to live, is now a suspect in an August 17 robbery at a PNC Bank in Bloomington. In addition to the Roy and Bloomington robberies, the man is suspected of bank heists in Arvada, Colorado; Flagstaff, Arizona; Pocatello, Idaho; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, since early July. Source: http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/08/23/bucket-list-bandit-hits-again-illinois

10. August 23, Bloomberg News – (National) FTC wins $478 million award in ‘easy money’ scam case. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said the operators of three “get-rich-quick” systems were ordered to pay $478 million for deceiving almost 1 million consumers with phony money-making claims, Bloomberg News reported August 23. The court order represents the largest litigated judgment ever obtained by the agency and is part of its effort to stop scams that prey on financially distressed consumers, the FTC said. One system was sold with the promise that customers could “quickly and easily earn substantial amounts of money by purchasing homes at tax sales in their area „free and clear‟ for just „pennies on the dollar,‟ and then turning around and selling these homes for full market value or renting them out for a profit,” the FTC said in its June 2009 complaint. John Beck Amazing Profits LLC, John Alexander LLC, and Jeff Paul LLC were among the defendants. The court found that despite the marketers‟ claims, almost all of the consumers who bought the $39.95 systems lost money. Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-23/ftc-wins-478-million-award-in-easy-money-scam-case

Information Technology Sector

28. August 24, Tech2 – (International) WebSense Security Labs discusses malware targeting BlackBerry users. WebSense Security Labs researchers have intercepted a malware campaign aimed at BlackBerry users. The campaign runs through fake emails stating the recipient has successfully created a BlackBerry ID. The email says that to enjoy the full benefits of the BlackBerry ID, the recipient should follow the instructions given in the attached file. This is done to trick the user into running the malicious file. The fake email is a copy of a genuine email from BlackBerry. Websense researchers found that once the attachment is set running, it drops other executable files and modifies the system registry. The malware programs automatically start, once the system restarts. Source: http://tech2.in.com/news/general/websense-security-labs-discusses-malware-targeting-blackberry-users/390882

29. August 23, Computer Reseller News – (International) Trend Micro security expert: Malware attack against VMware limited in scope. Security researchers determined that some new variants of a new malware family called “Crisis,” aka “Morcut,” can infect VMware virtual machines and Windows Mobile devices. But, a security expert at Trend Micro points to current evidence that says the majority of VMware‟s most widely deployed products are not currently under attack. “VMware has a family of test development and productivity products called Workstation and Player,” said the director of datacenter products at Trend Micro, in an interview with CRN. “This malware only affects these types of hypervisors. The data center products are not under attack at this point. But, it‟s important to be aware that some malware writer in the future can try to leverage this same technique against the data center products. So, it‟s important to make sure that your anti-malware products are up to date and that you have effectively locked down access to key directories and repositories.” He said at this point, it appears that the malware in question is aimed at spying upon the users, most likely Web behavior and communications. The rate of incidence in the wild appears to be very low, at this point, with fewer than 100 systems impacted, according to Trend Micro. Source: http://www.crn.com/news/security/240006175/trend-micro-security-expert-malware-attack-against-vmware-limited-in-scope.htm

Communications Sector

Nothing to report