Complete DHS Report for February 24, 2015
Daily Report
Top Stories
· Duke
Energy Corp., agreed February 20 to pay about $102 million in fines addressing
Clean Water Act violations at 2 steam stations and 3 electricity-generating
plants in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice related to a 2014
coal ash spill into a North Carolina river. – Reuters
1. February
20, Reuters – (North Carolina) Duke Energy fined over $100
million for environmental violations. Duke Energy Corp., agreed February 20
to pay about $102 million in fines addressing 5 Clean Water Act violations at
its Dan River and Riverbend steam stations and 4 Clean Water Act violations at
its H.F. Lee Steam, Cape Fear, and Asheville electricity-generating plants in a
settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice related to a power plant’s 2014
coal ash spill into a North Carolina river. The company will also enter into a
5-year probationary period, among other terms in the settlement. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/21/us-usa-duke-energy-environment-idUSKBN0LP00P20150221
· Over
1,350 flights were canceled and 700 were delayed February 23 due to a severe
winter storm that stretched across the U.S., bringing the total number of
canceled flights since February 21 to more than 4,000. – USA Today
6. February
23, USA Today – (National) Airlines cancel 1,300 flights as yet
another storm hits. Over 1,350 flights were canceled and 700 were delayed
February 23, for the third consecutive day due to a severe winter storm that
stretched across the U.S. Combined, more than 4,000 flights have been canceled
since February 21. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/02/23/airlines-cancel-1250-flights-as-yet-another-storm-hits-dfw-dallas-texas/23873767/
· The Carolinas
Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported a total of 18 cases of
the carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria in 2015, which
included one death from the superbug. – WBTV 3 Charlotte
18. February
23, WBTV 3 Charlotte – (North Carolina) Superbug presents
challenge to health care systems. The Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte
reported a total of 18 cases of the carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae
(CRE) bacteria in 2015, which included one death from the superbug. Health
officials have stated that the bacteria, which is spread through contaminated
equipment and human contact, is now in 42 States in the U.S. Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/28172853/superbug-presents-challenge-to-health-care-systems
· About
2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other institutions following a
February 20 disturbance which caused the inmates to seize control of part of
the Willacy County Correctional Center in Texas. – Associated Press
24. February
21, Associated Press – (Texas) Official: South Texas prison
‘uninhabitable’ after uprising. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons reported
February 21 that about 2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other
institutions after complying with authorities following a February 20
disturbance which caused the inmates to seize control of part of the Willacy
County Correctional Center in Texas. The inmates became disruptive over poor
medical services and refused to perform work duties, prompting them to breach
their housing units and cause extensive damage that rendered the facility uninhabitable.
Source: http://kxan.com/2015/02/21/official-south-texas-prison-uninhabitable-after-uprising/
Financial Services Sector
5. February
20, Reuters – (New York; Oklahoma) Ex-Oppenheimer executive
pleads guilty in loan fraud scheme. A former Oppenheimer & Co executive
pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court February 20 for his role in a fraud
scheme that deceived Oklahoma regulators and the company by collaborating with
three individuals to process a $30 million loan through the investment bank for
the fraudulent purchase of Providence P&C while illegally using the
insurance company’s assets as collateral. The case originated with a related
investigation into Park Avenue Bank, which went under in March 2010. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/20/usa-crime-oppenheimer-idUSL1N0VU1N220150220
For another story, see item 29 below
from the Commercial Facilities Sector
29. February
23, WCAU 10 Philadelphia – (New Jersey) 'Domestic situation'
provoked gunman to shoot co-worker, self: Police. A security worker at the
Shields Business Solutions office located at a business park in Moorestown died
from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after entering the business February 23 and
opening fire on a colleague who was left in critical condition. Source: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/breaking/Moorestown-Shooting-293643911.html
Information Technology Sector
26. February 23, The Register – (International) Cisco
IPv6 processing bug can cause DoS attacks. Cisco announced that its NCS
6000 and Carrier Routing System (CRS-X) contain an IPv6 software bug that
attackers could repeatedly exploit by sending a malformed IPv6 packet, carrying
extension headers, through an affected Cisco IOS XR device line card to cause
an extended denial of service (DoS) condition. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/23/cisco_ipv6_processing_bug_can_cause_dos/
27. February 23, Securityweek – (International) Superfish
SSL interception library found in several applications: Researchers. Security
researchers discovered that the Komodia Redirector and SSL Digestor, originally
used by the Superfish software preinstalled on Lenovo laptops can be found in
several products and at least 12 Facebook applications using the SSL
interception library. The researchers stated that Komodia’s proxy software does
not properly implement SSL or validate certificates, enabling attackers to
potentially hijack affected users’ connections. Source: http://www.securityweek.com/superfish-ssl-interception-library-found-several-applications-researchers
Communications Sector
28. February 23, KRNV 4 Reno –
(Nevada; California) Frontier Internet outage continues; cause under
investigation. Frontier Communications reported February 23 that
technicians are working to determine the cause of a widespread Internet outage
that began February 21 and continued to affect service in Douglas, Alpine,
Mono, and Lyon counties. Officials stated that there is no estimated time on
when service will be restored. Source: http://www.ktvn.com/story/28170955/frontier-internet-outage-continues-cause-under-investigation