Thursday, August 15, 2013



  
Complete DHS Daily Report for August 15, 2013

Daily Report

Top Stories

 • A Charlotte loan officer pleaded guilty to his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that manipulated and fraudulently approved more than $158 million in government-backed loans. – Charlotte Observer See item 4 below in the Banking and Finance Sector

 • Federal authorities charged nine individuals with running a ‘pump and dump’ penny stocks scheme that defrauded investors of more than $140 million. – Associated Press See item 5 below in the Banking and Finance Sector

 • Approximately 539 Cyclospora infection cases have been reported in 19 states, including one in California. – Food Safety News

15. August 14, Food Safety News – (National) Cyclospora cases reach 539, including one in California. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximately 539 Cyclospora infection cases have been reported in 19 states, including one in California. The California case was likely acquired out of State and it is not yet clear whether the cases from all of the States are part of the same outbreak. Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/cyclospora-infections-from-sea-to-shining-sea/#.Ugts6pKko0c

 • Authorities ordered hundreds of residents to evacuate as the Elk Complex Fire in Idaho burned 99,000 acres and destroyed over a dozen homes. – Reuters

19. August 14, Reuters – (Idaho; Utah) Wildfire threatens two Idaho mountain towns; evacuations ordered. Officials ordered hundreds of residents to evacuate as Idaho’s Elk Complex Fire burned 99,000 acres and destroyed over a dozen homes. Crews reached less than 5 percent containment August 13 as they battled a 400-acre wildfire that erupted in Utah and prompted the evacuation of 400 homes near Park City. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-usa-fires-idaho-idUSBRE97C10J20130814

Details

Banking and Finance Sector

2. August 14, CNN – (Louisiana) Hostage standoff inside rural Louisiana bank ends with gunman dead. An armed gunman was killed by police after he took hostages at a Tensas State Bank branch in St. Joseph August 13. The gunman shot and critically wounded two hostages during the incident. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/us/louisiana-bank-hostages/index.html

3. August 14, Glendale News-Press – (California) Sting nabs seven in Los Angeles-area card-skimming scheme. Police arrested seven people in Glendale, the San Fernando Valley, and the Los Angeles area for allegedly running a payment card skimming and fraudulent card manufacturing scheme. The suspects would then use the cards to purchase large amounts of gasoline and resell the fuel. Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-me-sting-nabs-seven-in-los-area-card-skimming-scheme-20130814,0,1690840.story

4. August 13, Charlotte Observer – (North Carolina; South Carolina) Feds: Fraud ring targeted rural homebuyers. A Charlotte loan officer pleaded guilty to his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that manipulated and fraudulently approved more than $158 million in government-backed loans for properties in North Carolina and South Carolina. Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/08/13/4234625/feds-fraud-ring-targeted-rural.html

5. August 13, Associated Press – (International) Feds: 9 sold worthless stocks in massive scheme. Federal authorities charged nine individuals with running a ‘pump and dump’ penny stocks scheme that defrauded investors around the world of more than $140 million. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57598360/feds-9-sold-worthless-stocks-in-massive-scheme/

Information Technology Sector

24. August 14, The Register – (International) Philips’ smart lights left in the dark by dumb security. A researcher published a paper showing how the Philips Hue “smart lighting” system can be easily compromised and controlled by an attacker within wireless network range due to poor authentication methods. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/14/switch_off_your_neighbours_lights_with_an_app/

25. August 14, Help Net Security – (Texas) Hacker hijacks baby monitor camera, terrorizes family. A couple in Houston reported that an attacker hijacked an Internet-connected baby monitor, yelling through its speakers and controlling its camera. Source: https://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=15406

26. August 14, Softpedia – (International) Hackers abuse Google Cloud Messaging service in Android malware attacks. Researchers at Kaspersky found that cybercriminals are using a loophole in Google Cloud Messaging to use the service as a command and control server for their Android malware. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hackers-Abuse-Google-Cloud-Messaging-Service-to-Distribute-Android-Malware-375327.shtml

27. August 14, Softpedia – (International) Facebook and Twitter accounts of the New York Post hacked by Syrian Electronic Army. Hacktivists from the Syrian Electronic Army compromised several Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to the New York Post after gaining access by breaching the systems of social media optimization service SocialFlow through phishing. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Facebook-and-Twitter-Accounts-of-the-New-York-Post-Hacked-by-Syrian-Electronic-Army-375292.shtml

28. August 13, Krebs on Security – (International) Microsoft patches plug 23 security holes. Microsoft released its monthly Patch Tuesday bundle of updates for several of its products, closing 23 security vulnerabilities, 3 of which were rated “critical.” Source: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/08/microsoft-patches-plug-23-security-holes/

29. August 13, IDG News Service – (International) Impact of Xerox character-substitution bug wider than thought. Xerox found that a character-substitution bug that incorrectly replaced numbers on documents printed under certain setting affects document printed under additional settings. Xerox advised users to reset settings to default and apply a patch scheduled for release in the next few weeks. Source: https://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/081313-impact-of-xerox-character-substitution-bug-272816.html

Communications Sector

Nothing to report