Current Nationwide
Threat Level
Homeland
Security
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 8 July 2009
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories

Environment News Service reports that a tanker truck carrying about 10,000 gallons of
gasoline crashed, overturned, and ruptured on Interstate 95, near Newburyport,
Massachusetts. About 8,000 gallons of gasoline spilled into the environment half a mile
south of the Merrimack River, and 12 homes were evacuated. (See item 3)

According to the BBC News, Tunisian police have charged nine men with plotting to kill
U.S. servicemen during joint military exercises. A lawyer for the accused said they were
charged with attempting to steal weapons and launch terrorist attacks. (See item 24)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
● Energy
● Chemical
● Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
● Critical Manufacturing
● Defense Industrial Base
● Dams Sector
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
● Banking and Finance
● Transportation
● Postal and Shipping
● Information Technology
● Communications
● Commercial Facilities
SUSTENANCE AND HEALTH
● Agriculture and Food
FEDERAL AND STATE
● Government Facilities
●
Water Sector
●
Emergency Services
●
Public Health and Healthcare
●
National Monuments and Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES−ISAC) −
[http://www.esisac.com]
1. July 7, Reuters – (Oklahoma) Valero says Ardmore naphtha hydrotreater shut. Top
U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp said July 7 that a naphtha hydrotreater remained shut at
its 87,400 barrel-per-day Ardmore, Oklahoma refinery after an evening fire in the unit
on July 4. “There was a small fire in a naphtha hydrotreater, it happened on Saturday
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[July 4] night at about 11:30 p.m. local time; no injuries were reported in the fire which
was quickly extinguished,” said a company spokesman. He said there was no estimate
on the duration of the repair to naphtha hydrotreater, which has a capacity of 26,000
bpd. The refinery’s crude unit and gasoline-producing fluid catalytic cracker (FCC)
were “on circulation” but not producing, the spokesman noted.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSN0734324720090707
2. July 7, WCAX 3 Burlington – (Vermont) Essex gas leak, power outage nearly fixed.
Residents in Essex Junction, Vermont lost power the evening of July 6. A thunderstorm
knocked a transformer off a utility pole on Route 15 just before 5 p.m. The transformer
burst into flames, and its impact to the ground caused an underground gas line to burst.
Neighborhoods in a quarter mile radius were evacuated and were allowed back into their
homes around 10 p.m. Power was fully restored early on July 7 and traffic is once again
moving normally. Vermont Gas is calling this a major repair project, but the gas line has
been restored.
Source: http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=10653073
3. July 6, Environment News Service – (Massachusetts) Massachusetts gasoline spill
contaminates Merrimack River. Federal and state personnel are responding to a large
gasoline spill from an overturned fuel tanker that is leaking gasoline into the Merrimack
River in Newburyport, Massachusetts. At 9:17 on July 6, the tanker truck carrying about
10,000 gallons of gasoline crashed, overturned and ruptured on Interstate 95, near the
northern Massachusetts town of Newburyport. Other cars were involved in the crash,
which closed both sides of the highway. A medical evacuation helicopter was requested
for accident victims, including the driver of the tanker. State police have not released the
victims’ names or information about their condition. The truck suffered structural
damage, resulting in the release of 8,000 to 9,000 gallons of gasoline into the
environment half a mile south of the Merrimack River. Gasoline flowed from the scene
into the storm drains and into the Merrimack River, which empties into the Atlantic
Ocean at Newburyport. There is currently a 500-foot security zone in effect around the
scene of the incident. Coast Guard Station Merrimack River responded with a 25-foot
response boat crew. The Town of Newburyport has shut down one private drinking
water well and a small sewage lift station. The tanker has been up righted and remaining
gasoline is being pumped out of the damaged vehicle. EPA has deployed monitoring
equipment to check for volatile organics in a nearby neighborhood where 12 homes have
been evacuated. The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will also conduct
assessment of any impacts to shellfish resources.
Source: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2009/2009-07-06-094.asp
4. July 6, St. Louis Business Journal – (Missouri) Missouri gets $1.4M to repair power
lines. The State of Missouri will receive $1.4 million in federal grant money to help
repair power line damage resulting from the severe ice storm that swept through
Southeast Missouri in January 2009, a U.S. Senator announced on July 6. The funding
will come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). The State of Missouri is responsible for distributing the
money to the Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., which sustained significant damage
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to its electrical transmission system during the storms.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/07/06/daily11.html
5. July 6, South Korea News.Net – (International) Al-Qaeda cell was preparing to attack
pipeline. An international Al-Qaeda cell, based in the northern Sinai Peninsula, is
suspected of being involved in plans to attack gas pipelines running between Israel and
Egypt. According to Egyptian media, the plan was to strike Israeli ships passing through
the Suez Canal. Ten people, allegedly behind a February bomb attack at Cairo’s famous
Khan el-Khalili market, have been under suspicion since a police raid uncovered arms
and information from a hideout used by the group. The cache of explosives included
anti-tank weapons, car bombs and personal explosive belts. Two Palestinians, five
Egyptians, a Belgian, a Briton and a French citizen are among the suspected cell
members. It is believed the European members probably entered Egypt through
underground tunnels near Rafah into the Gaza Strip. They allegedly received money for
their mission and moved back to Egypt through the tunnels, at which time they allegedly
carried out the Cairo attack. It has been suggested the cell was controlled by a
Palestinian-based commander of an al-Qaeda group. He has lived in the Gaza Strip since
fleeing Egypt three years ago.
Source: http://www.southkoreanews.net/story/515743
For more stories, see items 6 and 7
[Return to top]
Chemical Industry Sector
6. July 7, Agence France-Presse – (International) Russians, Ukrainian on tanker seized
in Nigeria: report. Two Russians and a Ukrainian are among six foreign crew members
on a vessel seized by militants in southern Nigeria, the Russian ambassador to Nigeria
said Tuesday. “I can confirm that six people are being held by militants including two
Russians, who are the captain of the vessel and a mechanic,” the ambassador told the
Interfax news agency. There was also a Ukrainian among the hostages, he added.
Nigerian rebel group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)
said they had seized the chemical tanker Siehem Peace on Sunday in the restive oilproducing south. The group identified the crew members as three Russians, two
Filipinos, and an Indian. A statement from MEND said the hostages were captured for
having disregarded their earlier warning to industry tankers to stay away from Niger
Delta waters. The armed group said the kidnapping was a warning that “root issues” had
to be resolved with the Nigerian government before a return to normal business.
Source:
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=09070716230
8.qnvkx4v1.php
7. July 6, WPVI 6 Philadelphia – (Pennsylvania) Sunoco won’t repair plant that
exploded. Sunoco said that it will shut down an ethylene plant at the Marcus Hook
refinery following a fire and explosion back in May. In a statement released July 6, a
Sunoco spokesman said the company has decided there is not enough demand for the
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products made there to justify the repairs. Operations at the complex had been
suspended since the fire. The blast happened the night of May 17 at a facility on the
Claymont, Delaware side of the refinery. Sunoco says preliminary findings are that a
pipe failure resulted in the release of gas, leading to the explosion. However, the
investigation into what caused that pipe to fail continues.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6900985
[Return to top]
Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
8. July 7, Associated Press – (South Carolina) SC nuclear plant testing 100 emergency
sirens. South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. is testing the 106 sirens located within 10
miles of its nuclear power plant near Columbia. The power company says all sirens
surrounding the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station are going to be tested Tuesday at around
1 p.m. The sirens will sound at full volume for three minutes as part of the plant’s
annual emergency response testing. The company is reminding residents in Fairfield,
Newberry, and Richland counties that the blasts are only tests. In an actual emergency,
the sirens would sound for three minutes and alert residents to tune to an Emergency
Alert System radio or television station for further instructions.
Source: http://www.thestate.com/regionwire/story/854994.html
9. July 7, Edie.net – (National) U.S. spends millions on clean up of radioactive Native
American lands. The U.S. government is spending millions of dollars demolishing and
rebuilding Cold War era uranium contaminated buildings on Native American land. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Navajo Nation Environmental
Protection Agency will assess 500 structures at around 100 a year as part of a federal
Five-Year Plan to tackle uranium contamination on Navajo lands. Total spending on
demolition and rebuilding uranium-contaminated structures may be up to $3 million a
year, it is understood. The agency said: “Although the legacy of uranium mining is
widespread and will take many years to address completely, the collaborative effort of
EPA, other federal agencies and the Navajo Nation will bring an unprecedented level of
support and protection for the people at risk from these sites. Much work remains to be
done, and EPA is committed to working with the Navajo Nation to remove the most
immediate contamination risks and to find permanent solutions to the remaining
contamination on Navajo lands.” The Navajo Nation lands include 27,000 square miles
spanning the three states of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Rich in uranium, almost 4
million tons of the radioactive ore was mined from the lands between 1944 and 1986.
Source: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=16670
[Return to top]
Critical Manufacturing Sector
10. July 6, Car Recalls Blog – (National) Ford E-250 recall. Handicapped driver services is
recalling three model year 2004 and 2005 ford E-250 rental vans built on ford chassis
and equipped with Ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply
-4-
with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, “Platform lift
installations in motor vehicles.” the threshold warning system may not detect the
presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined
threshold area. The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
Handicapped Driver Services is working with Ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts.
Source: http://carrecalls.blogspot.com/2009/07/ford-e-250-recall.html
[Return to top]
Defense Industrial Base Sector
11. July 6, Aviation Week – (Florida) Vibration analysis delays Ares I-X stacking. Crews
at Kennedy Space Center will wait to start stacking the Ares I-X test vehicle so
engineers will have more time to analyze three vibration-loads issues that could threaten
range safety during its suborbital test flight, which probably will slip into October.
Stacking is expected to begin the week of July 6. The Constellation Program Manager,
who oversees development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, said July 2 that the extra
analysis may give test managers more confidence that they will not have to destack the
vehicle later to correct one of three potential problems. If it does not, more work may be
necessary before stacking can begin. One of the issues involves concerns by some
engineers that the shaking of the four-segment space shuttle solid-rocket booster that
forms the active portion of the Ares I-X stack will overwhelm the hydraulic mechanism
that drives the thrust vector control system that helps guide the vehicle during powered
flight. Engineers also want more calculations on whether the vibrations would disable
the avionics box linking the flight termination system on the vehicle with the range
safety officers who would destroy it if it veers off course. And they want extra analysis
on whether any of the secondary structures inside the steel boilerplate simulating the
Ares I upper stage, ladders, railings and the like, could shake loose during launch and
damage instrumentation or other hardware. Shaking from the Ares I-X first stage is not
the same as that which is driving the design of the final Ares I vehicle. In both cases,
thrust oscillation seen as the solid-fuel motor nears burnout sets up the vibration, but on
the Ares I the frequency is lower and the harmonics into the crew compartment at the
top of the stack is the main concern. Ultimately, though, the biggest hurdle in getting
Ares I-X off the ground probably will be the integrated systems test, an electronics
launch simulation to be held in the VAB. While NASA is still officially holding August
30 as the earliest launch date for Ares I-X, the most optimistic timeline for the integrated
systems test, three weeks, would not allow a launch until “late September.”
Source:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/Stack070609.xml&headlin
e=Vibration%20Analysis%20Delays%20Ares%20I-X%20Stacking&channel=space
[Return to top]
Banking and Finance Sector
12. July 6, Real Estate Channel – (North Carolina) Beazer Homes agrees to pay $53m to
settle mortgage fraud charges. In the most blatant case of mortgage fraud disclosed to
-5-
date, Atlanta-based Beazer Homes USA Inc. has agreed to pay a total $53 million to
settle a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit. The suit could have triggered criminal
prosecution against the 41-year-old homebuilder and possibly put it out of business,
sources in a position to know tell Real Estate Channel. The Justice Department
says Beazer will pay $5 million to the Federal Government and up to $48 million to
victimized homeowners. The company closed its mortgage unit in February 2008.
The federal fraud investigation has been going on since 2007. The settlement is tied to
an agreement with federal prosecutors in North Carolina that will allow the company to
avoid criminal prosecution on the mortgage-fraud charges, and on other accountingfraud charges related to the manipulation of company earnings. The New York Times
and the Washington Post report separately that prosecutors said Beazer ignored income
requirements in making loans to unqualified buyers, and sought to hide from the Federal
Housing Administration that some company branches had excessive default rates on
their loans. Prosecutors in North Carolina also said Beazer charged home buyers interest
“discount points” at closing but kept the money and did not reduce interest rates on the
loans, the newspapers report.
Source: http://www.realestatechannel.com/us-markets/residential-real-estate-1/beaserhomes-usa-inc-mortgage-fraud-sec-ian-j-mccarthy-michael-t-rand-us-dept-of-justicealex-finkelstein-1041.php
13. July 6, Dallas Morning News – (National) Dallas bank, 6 others forced to close. Seven
banks were closed by regulators on July 2, one in Dallas and six in Illinois, bringing the
total for 2009 to 52 as the U.S. banking system remains under pressure from rising
unemployment and record foreclosures. Dallas-based Millennium State Bank was closed
by the Texas Department of Banking, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp. as receiver. Irving-based State Bank of Texas has agreed to assume the failed
bank’s deposits. As of June 30, Millennium had $118 million in assets and $115 million
in deposits. According to the FDIC, Millennium will reopen on July 6 as a branch of
State Bank of Texas. Depositors of Millennium will automatically become depositors of
State Bank of Texas. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC. In Illinois,
regulators shut down John Warner Bank in Clinton; First State Bank of Winchester;
Rock River Bank in the city of Oregon; Elizabeth State Bank in Elizabeth; First National
Bank in Danville; and Founders Bank in Worth. Bank failures on such a scale will
deplete some of the money the FDIC has stored to pay depositors. The FDIC estimated
that the seven bank failures will cost its deposit-insurance fund roughly $314.3 million.
Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DNfdic_03bus.State.Edition1.e5ecbc.html
[Return to top]
Transportation Sector
14. July 7, Associated Press – (Texas) Train derailment shuts E. Texas junction. No
injuries were reported as two rail cars hauling rocks derailed Monday night in far
southeast Texas, near Bon Wier. The Newton County Sheriff’s Department said early
Tuesday that a major highway intersection remained closed. Crews were expected to
have the line cleared by Tuesday afternoon. The derailment involved an eastbound train
-6-
operated by Timber Rock Railroad.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/breaking/6516954.html
15. July 6, Seattle Post Intelligencer – (Washington) State to get $24 million for road
repairs. Washington State will get $24 million in federal reimbursements for repairs to
roads and highways damaged by severe rain storms last January, the U.S. Department of
Transportation announced Monday. Heavy rains washed out roads in the Puget Sound
region and flooded Interstate 5 between Olympia and Chehalis, closing the stretch for
four days. The money is part of $201 million announced Monday to 15 states for bridge
and road repair under the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program.
Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/transportation/407889_Highways7.html
16. July 6, Associated Press – (Michigan) FAA: Regional jet makes emergency landing
in Mich. The Federal Aviation Administration says a regional jet has made a safe
emergency landing at MBS International Airport. An FAA spokeswoman says an
emergency was declared aboard Northwest Flight 2902 flying from Detroit Metropolitan
Airport to MBS shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. She says the plane landed without
incident about 20 minutes later. Thirty-two passengers and three crew members were on
board. MBS International serves the Saginaw-Midland-Bay City area.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-planeemergencyla,0,7423042.story
[Return to top]
Postal and Shipping Sector
17. July 7, Marshall Democrat-News – (Missouri) Waverly teen accused of using pipe
bombs to destroy mailboxes. A Waverly, Missouri, teen was arrested Saturday, July 4,
and charged with three felonies in connection with a string of mailbox explosions in
northern Saline County. Sheriff’s deputies received a report Saturday from rural Malta
Bend residents who said their mailbox had been destroyed. They told deputies they had
heard an explosion that rattled the windows of their home. Deputies discovered the
remains of a homemade pipe bomb made of PVC tubing and fireworks, according to the
report. During the investigation another report came in from a Grand Pass resident who
also reported a mailbox destroyed by an explosive device. While driving in the area, a
deputy encountered three trucks, one of which was driven by the suspect. The deputy
said he observed empty fireworks boxes in the bed of the truck. After questioning, the
suspect allegedly showed the deputy an unexploded device made of PVC tubing and
fireworks.
Source: http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1552563.html
18. July 6, Louisville Courier Journal – (Kentucky) 4 Ky. Congressman get suspicious
letters. The U.S. Capitol Police are investigating suspicious letters received Monday by
the district offices of four Kentucky congressmen. At least three of the letters claimed —
falsely — to contain anthrax, spokesmen for the congressmen said. A Capitol Police
spokeswoman confirmed that her agency was investigating but declined to provide
details. There were no reports of other members of Congress receiving similar letters. A
-7-
spokesman for one congressman said that the Bowling Green district office received a
letter that claimed to contain anthrax. Office employees immediately alerted the Capitol
Hill police and the Bowling Green police and fire department, the spokesman said. A
spokesman for the FBI in Louisville said his agency was coordinating the investigation
of the letters.
Source: http://www.courierjournal.com/article/20090706/NEWS01/907060336/3+Ky.+congressmen+get+suspiciou
s+letters
19. July 6, Associated Press and WYMT 57 Hazard – (Kentucky) Federal courthouse in
Pikeville shut down after unknown substance found. Officials were at the federal
courthouse in Pikeville, Kentucky, on Monday afternoon after reports were received that
an unknown substance had been found inside. Witnesses said the substance was a white
powder. Haz-mat crews arrived on the scene. Several people were decontaminated
outside the courthouse before nine were taken to Pikeville Medical Center. No serious
injuries were reported. The FBI is investigating, but officials are not releasing much
information. As of 3:00 p.m. July 6, officials deemed the area safe. The U.S. Marshals
Office has just confirmed that other letters were sent to the London and Frankfort
Federal Courthouses.
Source: http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/50046222.html
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
20. July 7, Wisconsin Ag Connection – (Wisconsin) Major fire at Patrick Cudahy meat
plant near Milwaukee. Shifting winds continued to fuel a devastating fire at the Patrick
Cudahy Inc. plant in Cudahy during most of the day on July 6, prompting the city’s
mayor to urge all residential property owners to completely curb water usage. The
Cudahy mayor also urged all businesses in the city to reduce water usage and called on
residents of the neighboring community of St. Francis to conserve water. According to
the Milwaukee Business Journal, more than 8.5 million gallons of water had been used
in an attempt to douse a fire in one of the buildings that make up the Patrick Cudahy
meat processing complex. The city of Milwaukee also has allowed Cudahy to tap into its
water supply to aid in fighting the stubborn blaze, the mayor said. The fire fighting
effort has been expanded to include 130 firefighters from 27 departments. Another 75
law enforcement officers were on patrol in the city. The mayor declared a state of
emergency earlier in the day and indicated at that time that the National Guard could be
called in to patrol city streets.
Source: http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=805&yr=2009
21. July 6, Associated Press – (Nebraska) Bovine tuberculosis tests in Neb. come back
clean. Another round of tests for tuberculosis in Nebraska cattle has come back clean,
buoying hopes in the nation’s top beef-producing state that the disease will remain more
of a worry than an imminent threat to livelihoods. The state Department of Agriculture
announced on July 6 that 3,300 cattle tested negative for the bovine form of the disease
between June 22 and June 28. An additional 1,700 cattle tested negative earlier. Results
-8-
are pending on about 1,200 cattle tested from June 29 through July 6. All testing is
expected to be done by the end of October.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSxVmOoFEp2dlVkCPD4vSeg
NDTzAD99985HG1
For another story, see item 3
[Return to top]
Water Sector
22. July 6, WXXA 23 Albany – (New York) Raw sewage spills into Lake George. A
sewage break closed a popular Lake George beach. It happened on one of the busiest
weekends for the village, when a broken pipe sent thousands of gallons into the
Adirondack Lake. The Lake George Department of Public Works (DPW) say the pipe
burst in a building near Shepard Park Beach, dumping 10,000 gallons of raw sewage
across the beach and into the lake. Public Works quickly put up orange fencing to keep
tourists out of the water on the busy holiday weekend and even canceled an event the
evening of July 6. The DPW says, “There was no sign that the pipe was going to fail.”
The orange fencing was the only sign to some tourists that something might be wrong
with the beach. Others had no idea what happened on July 5. The Department of Health
has already tested the water in several locations around the lake and all came back with
low readings. Samples will be taken again before the beach is reopened. The beach clean
up is scheduled to start on July 7, when some of the sand will be removed. DPW says
the beach will be reopened as soon as possible.
Source: http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Raw-Sewage-Spills-Into-LakeGeorge/mPE3y6Hcd0mxAuHf1fNlpQ.cspx
For another story, see item 3
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
23. July 4, Denver Post – (Colorado) Patient asks why Hep C risk took so long to reveal.
5,700 patients at Rose Medical Center may have been exposed to hepatitis C by an
operating room technician. The technician is charged with swapping her used, dirty
syringes refilled with saline solution for ones containing the painkiller fentanyl. The
woman worked at Rose from October 21 to April 13, putting more than 4,700 patients at
risk of exposure. Nine people who underwent surgery at Rose during that time have
tested positive for hepatitis C. On May 4, she started work at the Audubon Surgery
Center in Colorado Springs, where she remained until the week of June 22. About 1,000
patients may have been exposed there. Both facilities are sending letters to all patients
who may have been exposed to the virus, advising them to come in and get tested for
free.
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12751387
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[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
24. July 7, BBC News – (International) Nine held in Tunisia terror plot. Tunisian police
have charged nine men — including two air force officers — with plotting to kill U.S.
servicemen during joint military exercises. A lawyer for the accused said they were
charged with attempting to steal weapons and launch terrorist attacks. Tunisia, a staunch
U.S. ally, backed the previous U.S. Presidential Administration’s war on terror. It has
battled Islamist militancy in recent years and jailed around 1,000 people suspected of
planning to help fight U.S.-led forces in Iraq. The nine men arrested will probably face
trial next month, their defense lawyer told Reuters news agency. He said two of the
suspects are officers from a Tunisian military base in the coastal town of Bizerte, 37
miles north-west of the capital Tunis. Government officials were not available for
comment.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8137442.stm
For more stories, see items 18 and 19
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
25. July 7, Government Technology – (National) Pilot organizations announced for DHS’
multi-band radio project. On July 2, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s
(DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced the organizations that will
participate in the pilot phase of the Multi-Band Radio Project. The project’s goal is to
address the challenges of interoperability and produce a radio that enables emergency
responders to communicate regardless of the radio band they operate on. In 2008, the
directorate awarded Thales Communication Inc. a $6.2 million contract to demonstrate a
portable multiband radio. “The fundamental issue in interoperability is the inability of
agencies from different jurisdictions arriving on scene at a major emergency to
communicate with each other,” said the director of the DHS’ Science and Technology
Directorate’s Command, Control and Interoperability Division. He said at least several
hundred organizations were interested in participating in the project’s pilot phase. The
organizations will each conduct at least a 30-day pilot beginning in fall 2009, and the
results are expected to be published in early 2010.
Source: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/699470
26. July 6, GovernmentExecutive.com – (National) FEMA takes open approach to social
media. As federal agencies figure out how best to use social media, they are
encountering challenges about how to control and interpret information. In this evolving
environment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is focusing less on message
control and more on the most effective tools for disseminating information. “There was
a social media gold rush in D.C. Everyone started going out and starting sites, but they
didn’t have content,” the public information officer at FEMA’s Office of External
- 10 -
Affairs said at a June conference in Las Vegas sponsored by two Federal Executive
Boards. “It was mostly repurposing press releases, and that doesn’t really get the job
done.” The information officer said it is important for agencies to be flexible using
social media so they can provide high-quality information to citizens efficiently. “A lot
of these tools, Twitter, Facebook, they may not be around in five years,” he said. “They
may be entirely different. Don’t get stuck on tools. Get stuck on process.”
Source: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0709/070609ar1.htm
27. July 5, Associated Press – (Indiana) Unmanned firetruck injures 3 at S. Ind.
fireworks. A rolling, unmanned fire truck injured two pedestrians and a motorist inside
a parked vehicle at a southeastern Indiana Fourth of July fireworks display. The Decatur
County Sheriff’s Department says volunteer firefighters were responding to another
emergency about 10 p.m. Saturday when the injuries occurred at Lake Santee, about 50
miles southeast of Indianapolis. The sheriff’s department says no one was inside the
Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department truck when it began moving and struck the two
pedestrians and the parked vehicle. It is not clear why it began moving.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-infiretruckaccident,0,6801077.story
28. July 5, ANI – (New York) NYPD gets radiation detectors to search for bombs. The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security has given three state-of-the-art radiation
detectors to the New York Police Department to patrol city streets in search of dirty
bombs and other nuclear threats. The 450,000-dollar worth Advanced Spectroscopic
Portal Monitors will be placed in three SUVs on Wednesday at entrances to tunnels,
bridges and tollbooths, the Daily News reports. The detectors had been purchased by
DHS’ National Nuclear Detection Office for use at the nation’s ports, but officials
concluded they were not strong enough to penetrate ship containers, police sources said.
Source: http://www.policeone.com/police-technology/articles/1852913-NYPD-getsradiation-detectors-to-search-for-bombs/
[Return to top]
Information Technology
29. July 6, CNET News – (International) Microsoft warns of hole in Video ActiveX
control. Microsoft on July 6 warned of a vulnerability in its Video ActiveX Control that
could allow an attacker to take control of a PC if the user visits a malicious Web site.
There have been limited attacks exploiting the hole, which affects Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003, Microsoft said on its Security Response Center blog. This is the
second DirectShow security hole Microsoft has announced in the past few months. The
company has yet to provide a security update for a vulnerability announced in May that
involves the way DirectX handles QuickTime files. Since there are no by-design uses
for the ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer, Microsoft is recommending that users
implement a workaround outlined in the security advisory. Customers can automatically
implement the workaround by following the instructions under “Fix It For Me” in the
Knowledge Base article for advisory number 972890 on the Microsoft support site.
Even though Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are not affected by the
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vulnerability, Microsoft is recommending that users of those products also use the
workaround. Microsoft is working on a security update and will release it when the
quality is at the appropriate level for broad distribution, the company said.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-1028014183.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Security
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov or visit their
Website: http://www.us-cert.gov.
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center)
Website: https://www.it-isac.org/.
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Communications Sector
Nothing to report
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Commercial Facilities Sector
30. July 7, Reuters – (International) Police step up surveillance of far-right groups. Police
chiefs and Muslim groups in London are worried about a rise in attacks by far-right
groups, with one senior officer warning extremists are plotting a “spectacular” incident
to fuel racial hatred. A commander from London’s counter-terrorism unit told a meeting
of the Muslim Safety Forum that senior officers had increased surveillance of suspects
to monitor their ability to stage attacks. The commander told the meeting that more of
his officers needed to be deployed to try and thwart neo-Nazi inspired violence but that
the threat posed by al Qaeda remained the unit’s priority. A spokesman for the Muslim
Safety Forum, which works with police to ensure the security of Muslims, said they
were very concerned about the rise in far-right extremism and a number of recent attacks
on mosques and Islamic centers. “We are receiving many, many calls from communities
who feel they are vulnerable, especially those in areas where Muslims are a very small
minority who feel lonely and isolated,” he said.
Source:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5662WJ20090707?pageNumber=1&virtualBrand
Channel=0
31. July 7, WGRZ 2 Buffalo – (New York) Pipe-bomb thrown inside Buffalo church. A
Buffalo church is on alert after a device, believed to be a pipe-bomb, was thrown inside
the night of July 7. No one was hurt, but the pastor of Redeemer Fire Fellowship Church
said it could have been deadly. The pastor said he got a call from someone that night
that his church was on fire. “So, when I arrived here, it wasn’t necessarily on fire.
Someone had broken the side door and thrown a pipe-bomb in,” he said. He added that
the flame-resistant carpet prevented the fuse from igniting the bomb and catching the
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church on fire. Buffalo Police investigators told the pastor if the device would have
ignited inside, the damage could have been substantial. The church plans to buy
surveillance cameras. The Erie County bomb squad is reviewing the device. The pastor
said investigators told him they recovered a part of the bomb that could have
fingerprints.
Source: http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=68325
32. July 7, Examiner – (International) Japanese casino fire kills four, murder suspect
captured, in yet another random killing. In broad daylight on July 5, a man walked
into a casino facility in Osaka, Japan, sprayed a flammable liquid believed to have been
gasoline, lit it on fire, and ran away, according to Japanese media sources. The resulting
blaze killed 4 and injured another 19 people. The victims of the inferno have been
identified as one staff member and three customers. The assailant reportedly turned
himself in the following evening to police in Yamaguchi prefecture, around 200 miles
west of Osaka. According to recent reports, the suspect was not targeting any person in
particular in the attack, but rather just wanted to kill. “Anyone was okay, I just wanted to
kill,” he allegedly told police. He is said to have likely chosen the casino because it was
near his residence and was a crowded place.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-16352-Japan-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m7d7Japanese-casino-fire-kills-four-murder-suspect-captured-in-yet-another-random-killing
For another story, see item 22
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National Monuments & Icons Sector
33. July 6, WHP 21 Harrisburg – (Pennsylvania) Veterans’ Monument vandalized over
the holiday weekend. A Lancaster County War Memorial was vandalized over the
Fourth of July holiday. It happened at the New Holland Community Park on East
Jackson Street in New Holland Borough, Pennsylvania. Police officers said a suspect
spray painted words on the Veterans’ Monument at the park using stencils.
Source: http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Veterans-monument-vandalized-overthe-holiday/0UObz3LT2Ei-jAvHOHb3VA.cspx
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
Nothing to report
[Return to top]
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DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
About the reports − The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a daily [Monday through
Friday] summary of open−source published information concerning significant critical infrastructure
issues. The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is archived for ten days on the Department of
Homeland Security Website: http://www.dhs.gov/iaipdailyreport
Contact Information
Content and Suggestions:
Send mail to NICCReports@dhs.gov or contact the DHS Daily
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Contact DHS
To report physical infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact the National Infrastructure
Coordinating Center at nicc@dhs.gov or (202) 282−9201.
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov
or visit their Web page at www.us-cert.gov.
Department of Homeland Security Disclaimer
The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a non−commercial publication intended to educate and
inform personnel engaged in infrastructure protection. Further reproduction or redistribution is subject to original
copyright restrictions. DHS provides no warranty of ownership of the copyright, or accuracy with respect to the
original source material.
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