Current Nationwide
Threat Level
Homeland
Security
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 2 July 2009
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories

The Dallas Business Journal reports that a man was arrested on June 26 by federal
authorities who accuse him of using his contract security guard post at the Carrell Clinic in
Dallas, Texas to hack into the clinic’s computers, compromising various hospital systems
while planning a larger attack on the system’s computers. (See item 28)

According to Knight Ridder, U.S. Navy ships at Mina Salman in Bahrain were the target of
an alleged terror attack, prosecutors claimed in a Bahrain court on Tuesday. Two Bahrainis
were arrested on April 26 when police allegedly seized machine guns, weapons, computer
discs, and other evidence from their homes in East Riffa. (See item 30)
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 1, Deutsche Presse-Agentur – (International) Death toll rises in Italy train
explosion. Two child victims of Italy’s freight train crash died on July 1, bringing the
death toll for the accident to 16. The incident occurred when the train derailed, crashed
-1-
and exploded in the Tuscan port city Viareggio just after midnight on June 29. First
investigations suggest that one of the train’s 14 tanker-wagons veered off the rails after
breaking a wheel axle, dragging four other wagons with it, officials said. The liquid
petroleum gas which poured out of one or more wagons then ignited, triggering a blast
which destroyed several residential buildings near Viareggio’s railway station. Hundreds
of people evacuated from the area spent the evening of July 1 in tents in the yard of a
local school.
Source:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1487006.php/Death_toll_
rises_in_Italy_train_explosion_
2. June 30, Associated Press – (New Jersey) Transformer explosion causes
underground fire, power outage in New Jersey. Police say a transformer explosion
has caused an underground fire and power outage in a section of New Jersey’s largest
city. Newark police say Public Service Electric & Gas was working on the transformer
when it caught fire and exploded around 11:30 a.m. on June 26. Workers in the IDT
building say they heard a loud boom and everyone evacuated the building. EMS says
two workers were injured. Their conditions are not yet known. Black plumes of smoke
are coming from the ground as firefighters try to extinguish debris that ignited. Many
buildings in downtown Newark are without electricity. Police have closed Broad Street
between Bridge Street and Central Avenue. PSE&G says it is trying to determine extent
of damage.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529574,00.html
3. June 29, Fresno Bee – (California) Fire chars brush near Avenal. A fire during the
afternoon on June 29 near Avenal scorched about 60 acres of brush, Kings County Fire
Department officials said. There were no injuries in the 4 p.m. fire along Highway 269,
northwest of Avenal. But the fire did lead to closure of one lane of traffic, said a
battalion chief. No structures were threatened but the fire did burn near oil and natural
gas pipelines, as well as several propane tanks owned by Chevron. The fire was
contained about 5:45 p.m. and firefighters were expected to monitor the area throughout
the night, the chief said. The fire may have been sparked by downed power lines, the
chief said.
Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/1505065.html
[Return to top]
Chemical Industry Sector
4. July 1, WOLO 25 Columbia – (South Carolina) Chemical leak contained. What was
thought to be a chemical spill had emergency crews on high alert on June 30. A
lieutenant with Cayce Public Safety says what was originally thought to be a spill was
actually condensation runoff from one of the tankers at the Cayce Rail Yard. For
safety’s sake though, he says they blocked off a two hundred foot radius around the
tanker while a hazmat crew from the Columbia Fire Department worked to determine
what the chemical was.
Source:
-2-
http://www.wolo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4855:chemical
-leak-in-cayce&catid=43:local-news&Itemid=50
5. July 1, Albany Times Union – (New York) Momentive plant is searched. While federal
and state officials who swept into the Momentive Performance Materials chemical plant
on June 30 remained tight-lipped, the company claimed their search warrant involved
something it had already admitted to the state. Officials from the state Department of
Environmental Conservation’s Bureau of Environmental Crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s
Office and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent much of the day inside the
plant off Route 32, where several DEC police vehicles and a mobile command post were
parked outside. The Assistant U.S. Attorney, who handles environmental crimes,
confirmed the investigation into Momentive, which manufactures silcone-based
products. He said the search warrant would not immediately be made public. He also
said there would be no court filings on the matter in the near future, and declined further
comment. A Momentive spokesman would not say what was being sought under the
warrant. “The agents indicated the investigation involves an issue we self-disclosed to
the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation last year,” the
spokesman said. “Because we are not certain of this, we cannot comment further on the
investigation at this time. We are continuing to cooperate with the agencies.” In 2003,
concerned over the history of chemical spills into the nearby Hudson River from the
plant, DEC ordered GE, which then owned the plant, to build a remote-controlled
pollution sampling station so state officials could better track spills. In October 2006,
GE agreed to pay up to $250,000 in state fines for spills since 2003 and delays in the
sensor project. And it promised to finish the sampling station plans within six months.
Source:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=815319&category=BUSINE
SS
For another story, see item 23
[Return to top]
Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
6. July 1, Associated Press – (California) Calif. nuclear reactor shut down for blown
fuse. Operators have shut down one of two nuclear reactors at the Diablo Canyon power
plant because a blown fuse caused a loss of power. Pacific Gas & Electric, which
operates the plant on California’s Central Coast, says in a news release that the plant’s
Unit 2 was shut down Tuesday. PG&E says the shutdown does not pose any public
safety hazard and the plant’s other reactor is operating at full power. Power plant
officials say they were still trying to determine the cause of the blown fuse, and there
was no immediate word on when the reactor would be operating again.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12730364
7. June 30, Reuters – (Pennsylvania) Three Mile Island reactor renewal has NRC safety
okay. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff completed the safety part of the
license renewal proceeding for Exelon Corp’s 786-megawatt Unit 1 at the Three Mile
-3-
Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania, the NRC said in a release Tuesday. Last
week, the NRC completed the environmental part of the license renewal proceeding.
The NRC said Exelon has identified actions the company has or will take to manage the
effects of aging safety systems during an additional 20 years of operation. The current
license for Three Mile Island 1 expires April 19, 2014. A new license would extend the
reactor’s operating life until 2034.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN30458047200
90630
[Return to top]
Critical Manufacturing Sector
8. July 1, U.S. News and World Report – (National) Recall alert: Saturn Vue. General
Motors has issued a recall notice for about 45,000 2008 Saturn Vue SUVs to correct a
problem with the door handle that could contribute to an injury. The problem affects
only those vehicles with door handles painted to match the body of the car. Chromehandled Vues are unaffected. In a defect notice filed with the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, GM explains, “The outside door handles may stick or bind. If
this were to occur, the door may not latch when closed.” Since the door would appear
closed, “driving with an unlatched door could result in an unbelted occupant falling out
of the vehicle.” Saturn dealers will replace the body-color door handles with chrome
handles, which do not experience the same problem. Dealers should begin contacting
owners through the mail on August 18.
Source: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/090701-RecallAlert-Saturn-Vue/
9. July 1, U.S. News and World Report – (National) Recall alert: Ford Expedition,
Lincoln Navigator. Ford has issued a recall notice for certain 2009 Ford Expedition and
Lincoln Navigator SUVs, in order to correct a brake lamp defect that could lead to an
accident. In a defect notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Ford explains that, in affected vehicles, “The brake stop lamp switch
may be improperly adjusted. This may result in a delay in brake stop lamp illumination
when the brake pedal is depressed.” If a driver presses lightly on the brakes to stop
gradually, “the brake stop lamps may not illuminate.” Dealers will adjust the switch free
of charge in an attempt to correct the problem. Owners should receive a notice in the
mail beginning July 6.
Source: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/090701-RecallAlert-Ford-Expedition-Lincoln-Navigator/
[Return to top]
Defense Industrial Base Sector
10. June 30, Bloomberg – (National) Lockheed $6 billion missile program may be killed,
U.S. says. A $6 billion Lockheed Martin Corp. cruise missile program may be
-4-
terminated if its testing record does not improve, according to the U.S. Air Force. The
weapon was declared combat-ready five years ago and has been deployed even though it
has a history of failure in testing. Four of 10 missiles tested during November, January
and February did not detonate on impact or hit the target — a reliability rate of 60
percent. The Air Force demands a rate of at least 80 percent and the program is expected
to reach 90 percent within four years. Lockheed was told that failure in the next round of
testing could have a potentially “significant” impact on funding and the program may be
terminated. At risk is $4 billion in future orders for as many as 3,847 of the so-called
Joint Air-to-Surface-Standoff Missile, an Air Force spokeswoman said. Lockheed
currently has 1,053 missiles on contract. A decision to kill the program would be up to
the Pentagon’s weapons-buying office and likely would be deferred until after the next
round of testing, which is expected to begin “in late summer or early fall.” Sixteen
Lockheed Martin missiles will be retested so “nominally, 13 out of 16 shots or better”
reaching their targets and detonating “or just over 80 percent, will be considered a
success,” the spokeswoman said.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aaH6VKOIUXUs
[Return to top]
Banking and Finance Sector
11. June 30, eWeek – (National) Hacker Max Ray Butler pleads guilty. A notorious
hacker pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges June 29, acknowledging his involvement in
the theft of credit card and identity data. The guilty party, of San Francisco, was a
former security consultant turned hacker who had been on the radar of law enforcement
under his various hacker aliases for years. Convicted in 2001 of hacking into the
Department of Defense, he served 18 months in prison. In 2004, he was part of a group
of individuals investigated by the FBI and the Secret Service for compromising code in
the “Half-Life” video game. Between 2005 until 2007, the guilty party operated a
Website called CardersMarket.com he set up with a partner-in-crime from Los Angeles,
and used it to buy and sell stolen credit card data. The partner would then manufacture
credit cards with the stolen card information. Other thieves would use the cards to
illegally purchase merchandise that would later be resold on eBay. The ring was linked
by investigators to the theft of nearly 2 million credit card numbers and $86 million in
fraudulent purchases.
Source: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Hacker-Max-Ray-Butler-Pleads-Guilty522493/
12. June 30, Associated Press – (New Jersey) 6 in NJ indicted on mortgage fraud
charges. Six people have been indicted on various mortgage fraud-related charges in
three separate cases in New Jersey. Among those charged are two women who
authorities say used loan application information to obtain more than $1 million in
unauthorized mortgages, lines of credit and credit cards. Banks in New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and New York were defrauded in the schemes. The New Jersey Attorney
General had already filed three civil lawsuits against companies and people it claims
were cashing in on the ongoing mortgage crisis. The allegations included charging high
fees to homeowners trying to stave off foreclosure.
-5-
Source:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090630_ap_6innjindict
edonmortgagefraudcharges.html
13. June 30, Associated Press – (Indiana) Ex-pastor sought in Ind. multimillion-dollar
fraud. A former pastor and his sons were charged with securities fraud in Indiana on
June 30 in what officials said was a multimillion-dollar scheme aimed at church
members who thought they were helping build churches but were actually buying the
men planes and sports cars. The secretary of state’s office said arrest warrants issued for
the ex-pastor and three of his sons charged each with 10 felony counts. The men are
accused of duping about 11,000 church members into buying bonds worth $120 million
by urging them to support church construction projects, according to a probable cause
affidavit. The men said the bonds would be handled by their brokerage firm, Alanar Inc.
Prosecutors said the men pocketed about $6 million, bought two airplanes, sports cars
and vacations. The ex-pastor also bought Porsches for family members, a spokesman for
the Indiana secretary of state said. Most of the men’s victims lived in Indiana.
Investigators believe that the men assembled teams of church members to sell bonds to
other church members. As the scheme progressed over about five years, the suspects
shuffled incoming money between various accounts to hide defaults by churches and
their own thefts so they could make scheduled interest payments to investors.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIXDXb7Xz4hkbJiQUgbspA_2_
QNwD9957T800
14. June 30, Searchsecurity.com – (National) Juniper pulls ATM hacking presentation
from Black Hat. A Juniper Networks Inc. security researcher who planned to
demonstrate a way to hack the software of an ATM at the Black Hat Briefings in Las
Vegas had his presentation pulled at the request of the ATM vendor. The demonstrator’s
“Jackpotting Automated Teller Machines,” presentation, which was to take place on July
30, was pulled from the schedule on June 29. Juniper Networks confirmed the
cancellation. In a statement, the vendor said it received a request to pull the presentation
from an ATM vendor. “Juniper believes that the demonstrator’s research is important to
be presented in a public forum in order to advance the state of security. However, the
affected ATM vendor has expressed to us concern about publicly disclosing the research
findings before its constituents were fully protected,” Juniper said. “Considering the
scope and possible exposure of this issue on other vendors, Juniper decided to postpone
the researcher’s presentation until all affected vendors have sufficiently addressed the
issues found in his research.” The demonstrator would have demonstrated a way to
attack the underlying software of a line of popular new model ATMs. The presentation
would have addressed local and remote attack vectors and finished with a live
demonstration on an unmodified stock ATM. The hacking technique is unique.
Traditional methods to bilk ATMs involve card skimmers or the physical theft of the
ATM.
Source:
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid14_gci1360597,00.html
[Return to top]
-6-
Transportation Sector
15. June 30, Associated Press – (New York) Flight lands safely at LaGuardia after bird
strike. The Federal Aviation Administration says an American Airlines flight landed
safely at New York’s LaGuardia Airport after reporting a bird strike. An FAA
spokeswoman says a bird strike was reported by Flight 1256 at an altitude of 900 feet
shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday. After landing safely, the inbound Boeing 737 was
taxiing when it reported trouble with the nose gear and had to be towed to the gate. The
spokeswoman says FAA inspectors are looking at the aircraft. They do not yet know
where the birds struck it.
Source: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nybird0701,0,4852057.story
16. June 30, Salt Lake Tribune – (Utah) SLC jet evacuated after pilot smells smoke. A
flight from Salt Lake City International Airport to Chicago was cancelled Tuesday
morning. As United Airlines Flight 6184 backed out to head to the airport’s taxiway, the
pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit. He reported the problem and returned to the gate,
said an airport spokeswoman. The plane’s 60 passengers and six crew members were
evacuated, and the plane was analyzed by mechanics, she said.
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12721415
17. June 30, Associated Press – (Florida) Smoke in cabin causes emergency landing in
Fla. A commercial airliner with 128 passengers and crew has made an emergency
landing in Florida because smoke was detected in the cabin. The Spirit Airlines plane
landed safely Tuesday afternoon at Daytona Beach International Airport, about 150
miles away from its intended destination of Fort Lauderdale. The Airbus plane took off
from Chicago. The airport’s director of business development said three passengers
were taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. No other injuries were
reported. A Spirit Airlines spokeswoman said the smoke dissipated once the plane’s
engines were turned off.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5juLtA2_pCzT4_i8Dza1EpIVdac
cQD995788G0
18. June 30, CNN – (Ohio) Student twice puts planes on runway collision course. A
student controller was directing planes during two runway mishaps in the past month at
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, apparently giving instructions that placed
planes on possible collision courses, federal investigators say. Federal transportation
safety investigators say the exact causes of the mishaps are still unknown. But in both
cases, potential accidents were averted only after pilots recognized that mistakes had
been made, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. In one instance, two
commercial jetliners came within 500 feet of each other, the NTSB said. Both incidents
involved a “developmental” controller–a controller who is not certified in every position
in the control tower. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday the
developmental controller was under the supervision of different trainers during the two
incidents, and that it is the controller/trainers — not students — who are held
accountable for mistakes. The student had completed about 30 percent of his training
-7-
hours at the position, said a controllers’ union representative. “He has plenty of time to
not only learn from the present situation, but to continue learning and develop into a fine
controller in that position,” said the spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers
Association. He said staffing shortages are partly to blame, contending there are not
enough certified controllers to train the uncertified ones. “Forty-six percent of our
workforce is trainees, which is insane,” he said, saying the FAA target is to have only 25
percent of the workforce in training. Consequently, certified controllers are stretched
and students get inconsistent training, frequently during periods with heavy workloads,
he said.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/30/ohio.runway.mishaps/
19. June 29, Salem News – (Massachusetts) Detonated blasting cap found on tracks near
train station. Kids looking for rocks along the train tracks on June 28 discovered a
detonated blasting cap on the tracks near the commuter rail station in Wenham. The
discovery temporarily shut down a section of the parking lot near the Shoppes at
Hamilton Crossing and police made a passing train continue to the Ipswich station
without stopping. A police sergeant said there was no evidence of any explosive
material on the tracks or else they would have shut down the Newburyport line. He said
the two kids brought their discovery to the Hamilton police station down the road.
Hamilton police contacted MBTA police who are now working with the FBI on an
investigation, the police sergeant said. “Something had exploded,” he said. “When the T
police bomb squad got there, they were pretty comfortable it wasn’t an issue. Nothing
else was located but they will continue to look at it.” He said he does not know how
long the blasting cap had been there. He added the department will step up their patrol of
the railroad tracks in response to the find. Along with Wenham, Hamilton, and T police,
a Wenham ladder truck responded.
Source: http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_180004014.html
20. June 24, Minot Daily News – (North Dakota) Minot Police continue search for
information. The Minot Police Department continues to seek information regarding two
serious incidences of criminal mischief that occurred in Minot in recent months. In one
incident, 28 headstones were knocked over at Rosehill Cemetery, resulting in more than
$10,000 in damage. The other incident involved a pair of Canadian Pacific Railway
locomotives that were moved onto the main tracks, resulting in a near-collision that was
only averted when the engineer of an oncoming freight train saw the locomotives and
executed an emergency stop. The freight train was carrying hazardous materials,
including anhydrous ammonia, and could have resulted in a disastrous derailment had
the trains collided. Another incident was also reported to Minot Police a short time later
involving tampering with railroad tracks. The Minot Police Department is offering a
reward of up to $1,000 for information in each of these cases.
Source: http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/529410.html?nav=5010
For more stories, see items 1, 4, 22, 32, 37, and 44
[Return to top]
-8-
Postal and Shipping Sector
21. June 30, Green Bay Press Gazette – (Wisconsin) Suspicious substance sent to Judge
Tim Hinkfuss identified as calcium sulfate. A letter containing a suspicious white
powder that led to evacuation of the third floor of the Brown County, Wisconsin,
Courthouse Tuesday afternoon was determined to be calcium sulfate, a mineral used in
drywall. The letter was addressed to a Circuit Court Judge from an inmate of the state
prison system, according to a Brown County Sheriff’s Department captain. The judge,
his judicial assistant and another person who also came in contact with the powder were
quarantined and underwent decontamination procedures Tuesday afternoon. The captain
did not elaborate on what type of threat was made. Several members of the Brown
County Hazardous Materials Response Team were called to the scene on the third floor
of the courthouse.
Source:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090630/GPG0101/90630103/1207/GPG
01/Update--Suspicious-substance-sent-to-Judge-Tim-Hinkfuss-identified-as-calciumsulfate
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
22. July 1, Lexington Herald-Leader – (Kentucky) More than 18 tons of chicken fritters
spilled in wreck on I-75. More than 18 tons of frozen chicken fritters were spilled on
Interstate 75 early on June 30 after a northbound food-transport truck overturned in
Fayette County. Police said the tractor-trailer collided with an unoccupied vehicle that
was parked on the shoulder at 12:43 a.m. A Lexington police spokesman said that the
driver was hurt, but that his injuries were not life-threatening. No one else was injured.
The police spokesman said crews had not determined the cause of the crash. The
environmental health branch of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department
responded at 3 a.m. to help remove the 18.3 tons of fritters from the interstate. Much of
the chicken was contaminated by dirt, fuel or water, and all of it was spoiled by
exposure to warm temperatures. The chicken was taken to Stanford for disposal. Crews
from environmental health were to follow the disposal trucks to verify that the chicken
was destroyed.
Source: http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/848009.html
23. June 29, iSurfHopkinsCo.com – (Kentucky) HazMat unit of Madisonville Fire
Department dispatched to anhydrous ammonia leak. The Nebo Volunteer Fire
Department requested assistance from the fire department Saturday. There was an
anhydrous ammonia leak reported on Nebo Road. The Madisonville Fire Department
responded with the HazMat Unit. The area was sealed-off at the intersection of Nebo
Road and Happy Lane. Hanson and St. Charles Volunteer Fire Departments were also
called to assist with their all terrain vehicles for support. The State Emergency
Management Agency was dispatched for logistics. A Crop Production Services
employee shut off the valve to the tank which stopped the leak. The cause of the leak
-9-
was believed to have been caused by a theft attempt. Police are investigating.
Source:
http://isurfhopkinsco.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3178&Itemi
d=120
24. June 28, Billings Gazette – (Montana) Firefighters handle grain bin cautiously. The
Billings Fire Department helped defuse a potentially explosive situation during the
afternoon of June 27 at the Westfeeds Bulk Plant. Just before 5 p.m., firefighters
responded to the agricultural feed plant after a passing vehicle spotted smoke coming
from one of the upper floors, said a battalion chief. Three engine companies, a truck
company and the chief responded to the scene. Once inside, the firefighters determined
that the building contained several bins that hold different products. Smoke was coming
out of a bin that was determined to contain 25,000 tons of a substance used to make
cattle feed, the chief said. A thermal imager revealed that the bin contained some hot
spots. The chief evacuated the building until plant personnel could come and help
identify the material. In the meantime, Billings police officers blocked First Avenue
South between South 36th and South 40th streets. Law enforcement officials also went
door-to-door in the area, telling people who live within a block of the plant to leave their
homes. “The big risk is a dust explosion, where you have a heat source like that,” the
chief said afterward. “If you have the right combination of oxygen, heat and dust from
the product, you can have a fairly devastating explosion that could wipe out a city
block.” Even pouring water on the material could stir up enough dust to cause an
explosion, he said. Once firefighters determined what the smoldering bin contained, they
decided on the best course of action. They moved about 15 tons of the product outside,
where a fire hose was set up, until the hot embers were spotted. Then plant workers were
able to scrape the hot areas away inside the bin and use a garden hose to cool off those
spots. Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours, the chief said.
Source: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/06/28/news/local/35-firefighters.txt
For another story, see item 42
[Return to top]
Water Sector
25. June 30, West Volusia Beacon – (Florida) Chlorine leak, house fire make busy
morning for DeLand firefighters. Just hours after responding to a house fire the
morning of June 29, DeLand firefighters were called to a chlorine leak at the corner of
Minnesota and Kansas avenues, at the City of DeLand’s big water tank. Countywide
HAZMAT team members, EVAC, and other emergency-medical personnel also
responded to the call. Public Works staff was injecting a 150-pound bottle of chlorine
into the water system, at the station beneath the tower, when the bottle-valve broke — a
potentially deadly situation. The crew did what they were supposed to do, the fire chief
said, and called in emergency responders. They blocked Minnesota Avenue as a safety
precaution while they worked. The team capped the leak and made repairs. No one was
injured.
Source: http://www.beacononlinenews.com/news/daily/1895
- 10 -
26. June 29, Houston Chronicle – (Texas) Add broken pipes to heat woes. Houston’s
relentless hot weather is exacting a toll on, among other things, the city’s water pipes.
The City of Houston is dealing with a spate of water-line breaks caused by dry, shifting
soil — the result of weeks of exceptionally hot temperatures and an absence of
significant rainfall. The total number of recorded leaks currently tops 200, more than
twice as many dealt with on a normal day. “The breaks that are determined to be major
are ones where water is shooting up and potentially causing structural flooding and
street flooding,” said a senior staff analyst with the Public Works Department. “Those
are the top priority. We ask the public to be patient as we address the other ones.” The
repair workload has increased to the point where the city is calling in contractors to help
with 10 percent to 15 percent of the calls. Typically, an investigator reports to the scene
of a reported break within 24 to 48 hours, the analyst said. “Repairs can take from a
couple of hours to a couple of days,” he said. “We have 30 to 40 crews out every day.”
These city and private repair crews are in addition to those working on scheduled waterline replacement, he said. The city replaces about 3 percent of its pipe infrastructure per
year. He said the newer heavy PVC material used in both the 44-inch main water lines
as well as the smaller lateral lines that service a business or home accommodates the dry
soil better than some of the older pipe.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6503767.html
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
27. June 30, KOVR 13 Sacramento – (California) Modesto Hospital being evacuated due
to acid spill. An acid spill in a special treatment facility behind Memorial Hospital in
Modesto, California, forced a partial evacuation of the hospital, according to Modesto
fire. Fire fighters say peracetic acid spilled which is used as a cleaner. Two people were
taken to a safe section of the hospital to be treated. One complained of a headache and
the other had difficulty breathing.
Source: http://cbs13.com/local/modesto.hospital.evacuation.2.1066201.html
28. June 30, Dallas Business Journal – (Texas) Carrell Clinic computer hacker arrested.
An Arlington, Texas, man has been arrested by federal authorities who accuse him of
using his contract security guard post at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas to hack into the
clinic’s computers, compromising various hospital systems while planning a larger
attack on the system’s computers. The defendant, who is also known as the hacker
“GhostExodus” and “PhantomExodizzmo” was arrested by the FBI Friday, according to
a statement released by the acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. He
is charged in the indictment with computer intrusion, but could be facing additional
charges depending on the outcome of a grand jury’s investigation, a spokeswoman for
the U.S. Attorney’s office said Tuesday.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/06/29/daily21.html
29. June 30, Washington Post – (District of Columbia) D.C. area health officials see rise
in summertime flu cases. Hospital emergency rooms and doctor’s offices across the
- 11 -
Washington region are reporting a higher-than-normal number of flu cases during a time
of year when such infections are rare, a signal that the H1N1 virus continues to spread.
Officials at Washington Adventist Hospital said they have seen 68 flu cases in June
compared with 11 in May. Officials at Inova Health systems say they have treated more
flu cases during a single week this month than during the peak week of flu season in
February. Many of those being treated are school-age children, officials said. Medical
experts say the unusually high number of cases might be due in part to increased
vigilance among the public and health officials because of the attention given to H1N1.
The new strain has perplexed medical researchers who are studying its potential longterm effects. They theorize that younger patients may be getting infected at higher rates
because they may not have developed immunity to the strain. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s most recent surveillance report for June 14-20 said there had
been a higher than normal number of flu cases nationally for this time of year. The
federal authorities said it is too early to tell whether those who contract H1N1 now will
be immune in the fall when the flu season kicks into high gear.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062903925.html
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
30. July 1, Knight Ridder – (International) Bahrain says two targeted U.S. ships. U.S.
Navy ships in Bahrain were the target of an alleged terror attack, prosecutors claimed in
court Tuesday. Two Bahrainis, accused of smuggling weapons into the country, planned
to attack U.S. ships and personnel at Mina Salman, say prosecutors. The two men, aged
22 and 21, were arrested on April 26 when police allegedly seized machine guns,
weapons, computer discs and other evidence from their homes in East Riffa. Both
appeared for the first time Tuesday before the High Criminal Court, where they denied
plotting terror attacks and smuggling weapons and ammunition into the country. Police
believe the pair had met abroad with members of a terrorist cell, al-Qaeda. Their arrest
came after National Security Agency received information that the 22-year-old
unemployed man, of Jordanian origin, had intensified contacts with the cell in Iran.
Officers obtained a search warrant and found tapes, CDs, computers, bank statements
and exchange company documents in his house. He then led police to the other — a 21year-old junior customs officer — who possessed the smuggled weapons.
Source: http://www.military.com/news/article/bahrain-says-two-targeted-usships.html?col=1186032310810&ESRC=topstories.RSS
31. June 30, Victoria Advocate – (Texas) Calhoun County bomb threat false alarm. A
bomb threat made mid-morning Tuesday to the Calhoun County, Texas, Courthouse
turned out to be just a scare, said the county sheriff. At noon, the FBI and bomb squad
entered the evacuated courthouse with three bomb-sniffing dogs. After the search, they
determined there was no bomb in or around the facility, the county said. The county and
federal law enforcement have several leads on the caller, but no arrests have been made
and the incident is still under investigation. The person who made the call could face
felony federal charges, he said.
- 12 -
Source:
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/jun/30/jo_bomb_threat_070109_56579/?c
ounties
32. June 30, Salt Lake Tribune – (Utah) Wasatch bomb-scare caller found guilty in 2008
threat. A 47 year-old Louisiana native was found guilty of second-degree felony
“terroristic threat” stemming from a March 27, 2008 bomb scare that forced the
evacuation of 4,200 students from Wasatch County, Utah, schools. Because the convict
did not specify where the bomb was planted, authorities evacuated seven schools. No
bomb was found. The conviction carries an indeterminate penalty of one to 15 years in
prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The suspect is slated to be sentenced August 13 in
Provo’s 4th District Court.
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12724750
33. June 30, KRDO 13 Colorado Springs – (Colorado) Train, truck collide near Pueblo
chemical depot. Two people are recovering in the hospital after a delivery truck ran into
a train at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colorado. “About 8:30 this morning a
delivery car was exiting the post,” said a spokesperson with the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
At the same time, a set of empty railcars were being moved along a nearby railroad
crossing. “She did not see the vehicle and they collided,” explained the spokesperson.
The wreck closed down the on-ramps from Hwy 50 to the Chemical Depot for several
hours Tuesday morning, but officials say the public was never in any danger. The rail
cars were empty and not carrying any chemicals. “No transportation of chemical
weapons, no transportation of hazardous materials and no transportation of anything that
would be a risk to the public,” explained the spokesperson.
Source: http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=10618916
For another story, see item 21
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
34. July 1, Erie Times News – (Pennsylvania) Issues found at Erie County 911 center. The
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) is satisfied with the training
Erie County’s emergency dispatchers and call-takers get. But PEMA officials, in a
report released Tuesday, said county dispatch center managers are not following state
standards for how quickly and frequently incident and employee performance reviews
are conducted. PEMA’s three-page report summarizes the agency’s review of
emergency dispatch operations at the county’s public safety building in Summit
Township. The report states that PEMA investigators found that 640 hours of training
for “telecommunicators” at the center exceeds the 184 hours the state requires for 911
center employees. Telecommunicators at the center both answer calls and dispatch
responders. But PEMA also found the county’s quality-assurance procedures — steps
that dispatch center managers take to make sure the center meets statewide operating
requirements — in some cases “are not aligned’’ with Act 78, the law that governs 911
- 13 -
operations in Pennsylvania.
Source:
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090701/NEWS02/306309910/1/NEWS02
35. July 1, Vallejo Times-Herald – (California) Vallejo closes another fire station; more
job, service cuts ahead. Vallejo, California, has closed its third of eight fire stations.
The Mare Island station’s closure, considered by Vallejo officials as separate from the
city’s year-old Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing, is one of many coming changes, that include
layoffs and employee wage and benefit cuts. Fire officials estimate closing the fire
station will add significant minutes to paramedics’ and firefighters’ emergency response
times on the island. The station had the smallest call volume of six stations a year —
about 200 to 300, the fire chief said. Fire engines likely will remain stored at the station
as reserve equipment.
Source: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_12729815
36. July 1, East Valley Tribune – (Arizona) Planned race riot spurs jail lockdown. Ten
thousand inmates in Maricopa County, Arizona, jails were placed on lockdown after
authorities got word of a planned race riot. The lockdown means visitation, phone calls
and nonessential movement will be restricted and SWAT teams will be on standby,
according to a sheriff’s spokesman. Inmates will be allowed out of their cells for court
appearances only. The spokesman said in a press release that the planned riot was
spurred by the inmates’ dislike of sharing cells with people of other races. The lockdown
will continue until tensions subside.
Source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/141108
37. June 29, WKYC 3 Cleveland – (Ohio) Cleveland police chopper forced to make
emergency landing. A Cleveland Police Department helicopter being flown to
Columbus for routine maintenance had to make an emergency landing Monday morning
due to engine failure. The police helicopter’s pilot managed to safely land the chopper in
between two houses in rural Chesterville in central Ohio’s Morrow County. The pilot
landed the $1 million helicopter about 20 miles outside Mansfield. A crew from the
Cleveland Police Aviation Unit has been sent to Morrow County to pick up the
helicopter and take it on to Columbus where mechanics will look for the cause of the
engine failure.
Source: http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=116794&catid=3
[Return to top]
Information Technology
38. June 30, InformationWeek – (International) Zeus Trojan variant steals FTP login
details. A new Trojan malware has been detected harvesting FTP account information
from compromised computers. The number of affected accounts identified by Prevx, a
maker of computer security software, rose from 66,000 on June 24 to 74,000 two days
later. According to the director of research at Prevx, the Trojan is highly infectious. “We
rate this infection as critical,” he said in a blog post on June 28. “The infection has a
- 14 -
‘China Syndrome’ potential. It includes a cyclic infection which leverages infected PCs
to programmatically modify hi-volume Web sites to infect additional users who become
part of the cycle. More users leads to more discovery of Web site admin credentials
which in turn leads to more Web sites being modified to serve the infection which leads
to more infected users.” The malware infects visitors to compromised Web sites using
malicious JavaScript code. The malicious script redirects visitors to Web sites hosting
exploit kits, which test visitors’ computers to find vulnerabilities in installed operating
systems and applications to exploit. If a vulnerability is found and successfully
exploited, malware is installed, a variant of the Zeus family. It scans compromised
machines for FTP credentials and then posts those credentials to a Web server in the
Cayman Islands. It also enlists the victim’s computer to further spread the infection.
Source:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articl
eID=218102149
For another story, see item 40
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/.
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
39. June 30, Agence France-Presse – (International) Russia launches U.S. radio satellite:
report. Russia successfully launched a U.S. radio satellite from Russia’s Baikonur
cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian news agencies reported on June 30. The Proton-M
rocket carrying the Sirius-FM5 satellite “successfully blasted off and shortly after placed
it on the sub-orbital trajectory,” space officials quoted by Interfax said. The satellite will
fully detach from the rocket’s engine block nine hours after, officials added.
Source: http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/090630202232.kjreqslx.html
40. June 29, The Register – (International) Mitnick site targeted in DNS attack on Web
host. A Web site belonging to a security expert was compromised after hackers
managed to access a domain name server maintained by the site’s Web host and redirect
visitors to pages that displayed pornographic images. It was the second time in the past
few years that a security lapse at hostedhere.net has allowed hackers to redirect the site,
the security expert told The Register. At time of writing, domain name system records
for Mitnick Security have been restored, but some users continue to see the fraudulent
Web site because many DNS caches still show the incorrect information. The security
expert said, “My site was redirected and now this webhosting provider has to rebuild all
their customer boxes.” The attackers never gained access to the server hosting the
security expert’s site, and in any event, the site did not contain customer lists or other
- 15 -
sensitive information, said the security expert.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/29/mitnick_website_targeted/
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
41. July 1, New York Daily News – (New York) Finest anti-terror tips for high-risk
buildings. The NYPD is offering building owners across New York City security tactics
to protect high-risk targets from car bombs and other terror attacks, the Daily News has
learned. The new program, outlined in a 100-page study to be released to building
owners July 1, is based on months of research to identify the most vulnerable structures,
police officials said. Those targets, dubbed “High Tier” buildings, should adopt the
tightest security possible, say officers from the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau, whose
advice to building owners will include: Securing the perimeter of the structures and
determining the threats posed by car bombs; Controlling access to entrances and
screening entrants for possible weapons; and sealing off air-conditioning and ventilation
systems from possible chemical or biological attack. Police officials said there were
“dozens” of High Tier buildings, but declined to identify them for fear of providing a
“road map” to terrorists. Law enforcement sources said landmarks like the Empire State
Building and Grand Central Terminal are considered prime targets. The study, dubbed
“Engineering Security,” placed the vast majority of the five boroughs’ buildings into the
Medium or Low Tier categories, which face little or no chance of attack, police officials
said.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/07/01/2009-0701_finest_antiterror_tips_for_highrisk_buildings.html
42. June 30, KNOP 1450 Port Angeles – (Washington) PA man accused of bomb threat
Prosecutors have until Wednesday afternoon to file criminal information against a Port
Angeles, Washington, man accused of threatening to bomb some local retail stores. The
man is being held on $5,000 bail in the County Jail for investigation of a Threat to
Bomb or Injure Property. The man allegedly claimed to be an Aryan extremist who had
planted six explosive devices in the Safeway stores and Wal-Mart in Port Angeles seven
days earlier. His statement also claimed that the explosives were set to go off in one
hour, or if they were tampered with. The man also stated that if the explosives were
discovered, his friends would set them off remotely.
Source: http://www.konp.com/local/4880
43. June 29, WFMY 2 Greensboro – (North Carolina) Burlington hotel evacuated after
remnants of meth lab found. Burlington, North Carolina, police evacuated the Royal
Inn & Suites hotel after an employee cleaning a room found evidence of a possible meth
lab. The employee found a damaged room. The room showed evidence of a fire and had
a strong chemical odor. The assistant police chief says the evidence is an indication of a
possible portable meth lab because it is not in the room anymore. If so, this will be the
first confirmed portable meth lab in Burlington, he said, though other surrounding
agencies have investigated them.
Source: http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=126467&catid=57
- 16 -
For more stories, see items 2 and 19
[Return to top]
National Monuments & Icons Sector
Nothing to report
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
44. July 1, WPXI 11 Pittsburg – (Pennsylvania) Emsworth lock and dam repairs to delay
Ohio River boaters. Boaters on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh will face long delays
when the Army Corps of Engineers begins repairs on two sets of locks July 6. The
repairs will close the main locks at Emsworth, about six miles west of the city and at
Dashields, about 13 miles away. Normally, the locks can handle up to nine freight
barges at a time. But until the repairs are finished July 24, boaters will have to use
auxiliary locks, which have room for just one barge at a time. That means a tow boat
pushing 15 barges, which is the maximum load allowable, will take 15 hours to pass
through a lock instead of the normal 1.5 hours. Those delays will affect other river
traffic, including recreational boats, which are advised to avoid the locks during the
repairs.
Source: http://www.wpxi.com/news/19913807/detail.html
[Return to top]
- 17 -
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
Report Team at (202) 312-3421
Subscribe to the Distribution List:
Visit the DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report and follow
instructions to Get e-mail updates when this information changes.
Removal from Distribution List:
Send mail to support@govdelivery.com.
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.
- 18 -