Friday, March 7, 2014




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