Complete DHS Report for March 7, 2014
Daily Report
Details
• Alpha Natural Resources Inc., agreed to pay
$227.5 million in penalties March 5 to settle federal allegations that it
illegally discharged large amounts of toxins into waterways in Pennsylvania and
4 other States for 7 years. – Associated Press; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
1. March 6, Associated Press; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – (National) Alpha
Natural Resources to pay record $227.5M in water pollution settlement. Alpha
Natural Resources Inc., agreed to $227.5 million in penalties March 5 to settle
federal allegations that it illegally discharged large amounts of toxins into
waterways in Pennsylvania and 4 other States for 7 years. The company will
spend $200 million upgrading its wastewater treatment systems and pay the
remaining in penalties in the settlement, which is the largest fine assessed
under federal clean water rules. Source: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/5710782-74/alpha-coal-federal#axzz2v7GCW4BV
• A federal jury found two men guilty March 5
of stealing DuPont Co.,’s secret recipe for making titanium dioxide, a chemical
used to whiten various products, and selling it to a competitor controlled by
the Chinese government. – Associated Press
2.
March 5, Associated Press – (International) 2 men guilty in sale of
trade secrets to China. A federal jury found two men guilty March 5 of
stealing DuPont Co.,’s secret recipe for making titanium dioxide, a chemical
used to whiten various products, and selling it to a competitor controlled by
the Chinese government, by means of a small company aimed at winning Chinese
contracts. Source: http://www.kswo.com/story/24894649/2-men-guilty-in-sale-of-trade-secrets-to-china
• Officials from the North Dakota University
System reported March 5 that a server belonging to the university was hacked in
February, potentially impacting more than 290,000 former students and faculty.
– Forum of Fargo-Moorhead
22.
March 5, Forum of Fargo-Moorhead – (North Dakota) ND University
System reports server breach; personal information for ex-students, faculty
potentially accessed. Officials from North Dakota University System
reported March 5 that a server, run by Core Technology Services, the University
System’s information technology support arm, was hacked in February. The
University System is notifying more than 290,000 former students and faculty
who were potentially impacted by the breach. Source: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/428420
• Three Illinois residents were charged March
5 in connection to a $7.1 million shoplifting scheme that involved stealing
toys, baby supplies, and household items from retail stores in several States
and selling them online. – Reuters
30.
March 5, Reuters – (National) Illinois family charged with
shoplifting, selling goods online for millions. Three Illinois residents
were charged March 5 in connection to a $7.1 million shoplifting scheme that
involved stealing toys, baby supplies, and household items from retail stores
in several States and selling them online. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/usa-shoplifting-illinois-idUSL1N0M229E20140305
Financial Services Sector
6. March 6, Softpedia – (National) Sally Beauty responds
to rumors about credit card data being stolen by hackers. Beauty products
retailer and distributor Sally Beauty stated March 5 that it had detected an
attempted intrusion into its systems and was continuing to investigate but did
not believe that customers’ payment card information was compromised. The
statement followed a story by a security researcher that over 280,000 payment
card records were found for sale in an underweb marketplace and appeared to be
connected to the company. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sally-Beauty-Responds-to-Rumors-About-Credit-Card-Data-Being-Stolen-by-Hackers-430900.shtml
7. March 6, Softpedia – (International) Bitstamp warns
of phishing emails after being hit by hackers. Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp
reported having its systems compromised by attackers who stole customers’ email
addresses. Bitstamp stated that no virtual currency was stolen but the email
addresses were being used in phishing attacks. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bitstamp-Warns-of-Phishing-Emails-After-Being-Hit-by-Hackers-430807.shtml
8. March 5, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission –
(International) SEC halts international pyramid scheme being promoted
through Facebook and Twitter. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
obtained a court order to freeze accounts belonging to MWF Financial and Fleet
Mutual Wealth Limited due to the companies allegedly operating a pyramid scheme
being promoted through social media networks. The companies operate
internationally and around 150 U.S. investor have invested around $300,000 in
the alleged scheme. Source: http://www.sec.gov/News/PressRelease/Detail/PressRelease/1370540883619
9. March 5, New York Times –
(New York) Two arrested at Brooklyn bank with A.T.M. fraud device. Police
arrested two Romanian nationals as they attempted to place a skimming device on
an ATM in New York City March 5. Police believe that the two men may be
involved in a larger skimming and fraudulent payment card conspiracy and were
continuing to investigate. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/nyregion/two-arrested-in-brooklyn-with-bank-card-skimmer-near-atm.html
Information Technology Sector
27.
March 6, IDG News Service – (International) Cisco patches flaws in
routers, wireless LAN controllers. Cisco Systems released firmware updates
for several models of small business routers and wireless LAN controllers,
addressing vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to compromise devices or
perform denial of service (DoS) attacks. Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246799/Cisco_patches_flaws_in_routers_wireless_LAN_controllers
28.
March 5, V3.co.uk – (International) ChewBacca and Zeus malware found
on Tor. A researcher at Kaspersky Lab reported that an average of 900
hidden criminal services are operating through the The Onion Router (TOR)
anonymity network, including malicious infrastructure, money laundering, and
the sale of malware toolkits and stolen information. Source: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2332407/chewbacca-and-zeus-malware-found-on-tor
Communications Sector
Nothing to report