Tuesday, November 24, 2015



Complete DHS Report for November 24, 2015

Daily Report                                            

Top Stories

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported November 20 that an additional 75,000 Volkswagen AG luxury cars and sport-utility vehicles were found outfitted with technology designed to cheat emissions standards. – Reuters

4. November 21, Reuters – (National) VW adds 75,000 vehicles to emissions cheat scandal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported November 20 that an additional 75,000 Volkswagen AG luxury cars and sport-utility vehicles, dating back to 2009, were found outfitted with technology designed to cheat emissions standards. The admission is a continuation of a wide-reaching investigation that has affected 482,000 Volkswagen vehicles. Source: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/9483044-74/emissions-vehicles-diesel

• Tesla Motors Inc., recalled November 20 for all 90,000 of its Model S vehicles and all its variant models after receiving a report that the vehicle’s front seat belt was not properly connected and would pose a safety risk in a crash. – Bloomberg News

6. November 20, Bloomberg News – (International) Tesla recalls all 90,000 Model S cars to check seat belts. Tesla Motors Inc., announced a recall November 20 for all 90,000 of its Model S vehicles and all its variant models after receiving a report that the vehicle’s front seat belt was not properly connected to the outboard lap pretensioner and would pose a safety risk in a crash. The company found no other issues after an inspection of 3,000 vehicles and its assembly process. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-20/tesla-to-recall-90-000-model-s-cars-to-check-front-seat-belts

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved November 19 Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies to farm genetically engineered Atlantic salmon for human consumption. – Reuters

16. November 19, Reuters – (National) U.S. clears genetically modified salmon for human consumption. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved November 19 Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies to farm genetically engineered Atlantic salmon for human consumption, and stated that the product will not require special labeling due to its nutritionally equivalence to conventional farm-raised Atlantic salmon. The salmon will be raised in hatcheries in Canada and Panama. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/20/us-aquabounty-technologies-fda-idUSKCN0T826T20151120#jIDCgkDAsMdrJXj7.97

• Connecticut-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., reported November 22 that its payment systems were compromised at 54 of its hotel restaurants, gift shops, and other retail areas after malware was found in its systems that allowed attackers access to debit and credit card information. – Associated Press

26. November 22, Associated Press – (National) Starwood warns of data breach at 54 of its hotels. Connecticut-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., reported November 22 that its payment systems were compromised at 54 of its hotel restaurants, gift shops, and other retail areas after malware was found in its systems that allowed attackers access to debit and credit card information including names, card numbers, security codes, and expiration dates of customers. The malware infected computer systems as early as November 2014 and has been removed. Source: http://wwlp.com/2015/11/22/starwood-warns-of-data-breach-at-54-of-its-hotels/

Financial Services Sector

See item 26 above in Top Stories

Information Technology Sector

21. November 23, The Register – (International) Data breach at biz that manages Cisco, F5, Microsoft certifications. The certification management provider, Pearson VUE reported that its Credential Manager (PCM) system was breached, allowing attackers to access Cisco certification users’ information including their names, mailing address, email address, and phone numbers. Pearson reportedly believes Social Security numbers were not disclosed and other PCM systems were not compromised. Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/23/pearson_vue_data_breach_pcm/

22. November 20, Securityweek – (International) Nmap 7 brings faster scans, other improvements. Network Mapper (Nmap) released its Nmap Security Scanner 7.0.0 addressing significant improvements including the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) that allows users to construct script designed to automate networking tasks, an improved Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) support, faster and improved Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS)-related scans, and an updated version of its Ncat utility. Source: http://www.securityweek.com/nmap-7-brings-faster-scans-other-improvements

For additional stories, see item 7 below from the Transportation Systems Sector and 26 above in Top Stories

Communications Sector

Nothing to report