Homeland
Security
Current Nationwide
Threat Level
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 17 August 2009
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories

According to the Associated Press, six people were sent to the hospital suffering from cuts,
burns, and smoke inhalation after a lithium battery exploded at Electrochem Solutions Inc.
in Raynham, Massachusetts on August 13. About 130 employees were evacuated from the
building. (See item 11)

The Associated Press reports that a man suspected of making threats against the White
House was pulled from his car August 13 after an hours-long standoff in the parking lot of
the Federal Building in West Los Angeles. The Federal Building was locked down. (See
item 34)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
• Energy
• Chemical
• Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
• Critical Manufacturing
• Defense Industrial Base
• Dams Sector
SUSTENANCE AND HEALTH
• Agriculture and Food
• Water Sector
• Public Health and Healthcare
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
• Banking and Finance
• Transportation
• Postal and Shipping
• Information and Technology
• Communications
• Commercial Facilities
FEDERAL AND STATE
• Government Facilities
• Emergency Services
• 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. August 14, Reuters – (International) Shell shuts Utorogu gas plant in Nigeria. Royal
Dutch Shell said on August 14 that it had shut down its Utorogu gas plant in Nigeria’s
southern Niger Delta following an incident on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System.
The pipeline system carries gas from the Niger Delta to feed power stations in the
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southern part of Africa’s most populous nation, including the commercial hub of
Lagos.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSLE41004220090814
2. August 13, Bloomberg – (International) Colombian rebels accelerate oil attacks,
agency says. Colombian guerrillas are stepping up attacks on oil pipelines, which are
among the easiest targets for rebels on the run from government military offensives, the
head of the nation’s hydrocarbons agency said. The Transandino pipeline, which carries
oil across southern Colombia to the port of Tumaco on the Pacific coast, has been
attacked a “few times” in the past month, probably by the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia, or FARC, said the director of the National Hydrocarbons Agency. Recent
assaults have halted oil transport, not production, he said. Companies stored crude or
used trucks for transport when the 190-mile Transandino pipeline carrying oil from
fields was attacked on August 13 in the province of Putumayo. Terrorists carrying
explosives blew up equipment used for energy distribution, knocking out power to
27,000 homes and some oil production facilities owned by Ecopetrol, the chief
executive officer at distribution company Empresa de Energia del Bajo Putumayo SA
said in a telephone interview on August 13.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aVMry.GSwldc
3. August 13, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – (Louisiana) Ten Louisiana
companies fined for violating the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has fined ten Louisiana companies for violating federal Spill
Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations outlined under the federal
Clean Water Act. Federal inspections of the bulk oil storage facilities in May 2009
revealed a variety of violations though the violations differed at each facility. SPCC
plans were not certified by a professional engineer, plans had inadequate or no
description of the physical layout of the facility, and plans had inadequate or no
information or procedures for reporting oil spills. Inspections and tests required by
federal regulations were not in accordance with written procedures developed for the
facilities, and personnel working at the sites had no training on the operation of
equipment to prevent discharges, no training on discharge procedure protocols and spill
prevention briefings were not scheduled and conducted periodically. The inspections
also revealed that vehicle traffic was not warned of aboveground piping and oil transfer
operations, containment bypass valves were not closed when not draining rainwater,
and secondary containment was inadequate for mobile or portable storage tanks.
Source:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/A77C57ECDB5D8A368525761100579F9
6
4. August 13, Arkansas City Traveler – (Kansas) Truck explosion cause unknown. The
cause of a spectacular fire that caused minor injuries to two city workers was under
investigation August 13, an Arkansas City Fire Department official said. The blaze
started when a parked oil truck with propane tanks caught fire at the city’s public
services shop at 1407 W. Madison. It sent thick, black smoke high into the air and
caused valves on the propane tank to explode. “We heard at least two explosions,” said
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the public services superintendent at the fire scene. The two city workers sustained
flash burns, and were treated and released from South Central Kansas Regional
Medical Center. Three trucks were destroyed as the fire spread to adjacent parked
vehicles. A fourth truck was damaged. The city manager said a formal investigation
would be conducted.
Source:
http://www.arkcity.net/articles/2009/08/13/news/doc4a843b6c2c09e166827010.txt
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Chemical Industry Sector
5. August 12, Pratt Tribune – (Kansas) Car collides with (empty) anhydrous ammonia
trailer. A Pratt man is in good condition in a Wichita hospital following a two-vehicle
accident the afternoon of August 18. The man was injured when the 1992 Toyota Paseo
he was driving collided with the rear wheels of a Kanza Co-op anhydrous ammonia
semi truck with a 1997 International tractor driven. The driver of the Toyota Paseo was
east bound on U.S. 54 when the southbound semi failed to yield at the stop sign at west
70th Avenue and crossed the highway in front of him, said the Pratt County
undersheriff. The 11,200-gallon anhydrous tank was empty and was not hit in the
accident that happened at 3:23 p.m.
Source: http://www.pratttribune.com/news/x1528792028/Car-collides-with-emptyanhyrdrous-ammonia-trailer-driver-in-good-condition
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Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste Sector
6. August 14, Bloomberg – (International) Chubu finds more damage at nuclear plant
after quake. Chubu Electric Power Co. may burn more fossil fuels to keep lights on
and machinery running in Nagoya, Japan’s third-largest metropolitan area, as the utility
finds more earthquake damage to its Hamaoka nuclear plant. Both functioning reactors
at Hamaoka shut down after a 6.5- magnitude quake on August 11, and as of August 14
Chubu found 39 problems, including neutron monitor and auxiliary transformer
malfunctions. There is no estimate when the reactors will resume operation, a
spokesman said by phone. A monthlong closure at Hamaoka, which generated 16
percent of the Nagoya-based utility’s electric power last year, would increase costs by
about 10 billion yen ($105 million), according to an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ
Securities Co. For a company with annual sales of more than 2 trillion yen, there would
not be any serious affect on Chubu’s share price, he said. “I’d be concerned if the plant
was shut down for several months,” the analyst said. “The impact will be limited if they
get Hamaoka running again within a month.”
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=ac.aWFYocwPk
7. August 12, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – (North Carolina) NRC to present
results of licensee performance review at Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas in
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Wilmington. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officials will meet with
management of Global Nuclear Fuel – Americas, LLC in Wilmington, North Carolina,
on September 1 to discuss the results of a licensee performance review for the
company’s commercial nuclear fuel fabrication plant. The meeting will be open to
members of the public and the news media, and NRC officials will be available during
the meeting to answer questions from those in attendance. The NRC staff assessed
performance at Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas during a period beginning May 22, 2007
and ending May 22, 2009 in the areas of safety operations, safeguards, radiological
controls, facility support and special topics. The NRC staff review determined that
Global continued to conduct its activities safely and securely, protecting public health
and the environment. However, in the area of safety operations, the staff identified that
management attention was warranted to improve the identification and implementation
of safety controls. The NRC will conduct additional inspections in safety operations to
access the effectiveness of Global’s planned corrective actions.
Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2009/09-046.ii.html
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Critical Manufacturing Sector
8. August 14, Wall Street Journal – (International) Boeing halted work at Dreamliner
plant. Boeing Co. has encountered new flaws in the production of its 787 Dreamliner
aircraft that have led it to order work to be halted at a plant in Italy that was making
parts of the fuselage, the company confirmed on August 13. It is unclear how the work
stoppage, ordered almost two months ago, will impact the delivery of the 787, which is
already two years behind schedule. The production flaw found in the Italian factory is
the latest issue to beset the 787. On the same day that the company ordered work to be
stopped at the fuselage plant, Boeing announced in a conference call that it had found a
separate structural flaw where the wings meet the body of the plane. That flaw set back
the Dreamliner’s first test flight. Boeing still has not rescheduled the plane’s maiden
flight or updated its delivery schedule. Though Boeing officials knew about the
problem at the fuselage plant at the same time, they never mentioned it publicly. The
problems with the center barrel of the plane’s body could “lead to significant
degradation of the structure,” according to the report on the Web site. Alenia is one of
hundreds of global subcontractors Boeing is using to build the 787. Boeing downplayed
the significance of the problem. In a statement emailed Thursday night, a Boeing
spokeswoman said “a modification needed to accommodate these findings is already
designed and being installed” on the affected fuselage parts. The affected areas are
located on the fuselage behind the wing and were first introduced on parts for the fifth
Dreamliner, when the Italian factory began using a new tooling machine. “The
stoppage of work has no affect on schedule or cost. This is fairly normal for a new
development program,” a Boeing spokeswoman said. “These issues come up and we
deal with them and move on.”
Source:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125021879263331325.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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9. August 13, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – (National) Homelite, Husky
and Black Max generators recalled due to fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, in cooperation with Homelite Consumer Products Inc., of
Anderson, South Carolina, on August 13 announced a voluntary recall of about 51,750
Homelite, Husky and Black Max Brand generators. Consumers should stop using
recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. The fuel gauge can leak
excessive amounts of gasoline, posing a fire hazard to consumers. This recall involves
Homelite and Husky brand generators sold exclusively at Home Depot stores and Black
Max brand generators sold exclusively at Sam’s Club stores. Affected generators
include Homelite models HG3500, HG3510, HG5700 and HG5700R, Husky models
HU3650, HUCA5700 and HUCA7000 and Black Max models BM10700A,
BM10700B, BM10711A, BM10700DG, BM10700R, BM10700BR&BM10722G.
Generators included in this recall have manufacturing date codes between BML306BMM151, CHL122-CHM151 and CRL153-CRM059. The model number and
manufacturing date code are included on the data label located on the top or side of the
generator engine. Products with a green “dot” on the outside of the package or a “silver
dot” on the fuel gauge face are not included in the recall.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09305.html
10. August 13, WTAE 4 Pittsburgh – (Pennsylvania) 1 million damage done in all-night
plant growers workshop blaze. Firefighters spent Wednesday night battling a major
fire at the Plant Growers Workshop warehouse in Butler County warehouse that stored
commercial lighting fixtures, especially those used in horticulture. The approximately
44,000-square-foot structure also included an office complex and an electrical supply
company. More than 10 fire companies were called to the scene, but firefighters were
not able to safely enter the building to attack the brightly burning fire. “We were
concerned about the effect of fire as it mixed with fertilizer,” the Jackson Township
police chief said. “There was propane inside. There were electrical supplies, boxes.”
Firefighters eventually decided to let the fire burn itself out in the remaining portion of
the building that had collapsed. That process should take a couple of days. The cause of
the fire has not been determined yet. It will be investigated by the state police fire
marshal’s office and township police. One firefighter was taken to UPMC Cranberry
after being overcome with carbon monoxide and is expected to fully recover. No other
injuries have been reported. Damage caused by the fire was estimated at $1 million,
according to a news release from the police chief’s office.
Source: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/butler/20382592/detail.html
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Defense Industrial Base Sector
11. August 14, Associated Press – (Massachusetts) 6 hurt in Mass. when battery
explodes. Six people were sent to the hospital suffering from cuts, burns and smoke
inhalation after a lithium battery exploded at a Raynham, Massachusetts factory. The
fire chief says the explosion at Electrochem Solutions Inc. at about 7:30 p.m. on August
13 occurred as two men were assembling the roughly four-inch long battery inside a
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glass enclosure. The men suffered serious lacerations and facial burns but their injuries
are not considered life-threatening. Four other employees suffered minor injuries.
About 130 employees were evacuated from the building. The cause of the explosion
remains under investigation, but the fire chief thinks it may have been caused by
moisture. There was no threat to the surrounding area.
Source: http://wbztv.com/wireapnewsma/Lithium.battery.explosion.2.1128243.html
12. August 13, Defense News – (National) Vehicles avoid objects, autonomously, in U.S.
test. Two robotic test-bed vehicles showed off their ability to move at unprecedented
speed while avoiding moving obstacles during an August 10 demonstration at Patuxent
River Naval Air Station, Maryland, U.S. Army and General Dynamics Robotic Systems
(GDRS) officials said. Accompanied by a Stryker control vehicle, the T2s hit 50
kilometers per hour while doing a perimeter check of a mock village, then rolled
through the “town,” autonomously detecting and avoiding moving mannequins that
simulated pedestrians. Testers in the Stryker drove one of the robotic vehicles by
remote control, while the other drove autonomously. “What we showed here was not
just the ability to detect static obstacles but actually moving obstacles and predict the
path of where the vehicle thinks the obstacles are going to go,” said the business
development manager with GDRS’s Safe Operations Program. The algorithms that
enable this have reached usability only in the past year, Army and GDRS officials said.
The T2 vehicles also used a next-generation LADAR [a laser and radar scanning
technology] to scan the surrounding area and so-called “image perception modules”
consisting of color cameras, IR sensors and low-light cameras mounted on the front and
back. “The LADAR we are using is a preprototype which does have some limitations,
but it offers you 360-degree scanning and you can get greater distances. We are feeding
information back into FCS (Future Combat Systems) to help them improve their
sensors and build the next-generation ANS hardware,” the development manager said.
Much work is still needed before autonomous robots can fully navigate a complex
urban environment by themselves.
Source: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4232197&c=AME&s=LAN
13. August 13, Associated Press – (National) Boeing settles K-10 whistle-blower
lawsuit. Boeing Co. has agreed to pay the U.S. government $25 million to settle claims
the company did defective work on the Air Force fleet of KC-10 Extenders. The
settlement arose out of a whistle-blower lawsuit filed in Texas by two former Boeing
workers who will now receive $2.6 million for drawing attention to the issue. The
Justice Department had investigated Boeing for allegedly defective work on the KC10s, which are used for in-flight refueling in the Iraq and Afghanistan war theaters. The
work was done while performing maintenance on the planes at the Boeing Aerospace
Support Center in San Antonio, Texas. The government investigation found Boeing
overcharged the government for installing insulation blankets by padding the estimated
hours of work and charging an excessive hourly rate for labor. The company insisted it
did nothing wrong. Under terms of the settlement, Boeing will pay $18.4 million in
cash and do $6.6 million worth of repairs.
Source: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_boeing_081309/
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[Return to top]
Banking and Finance Sector
14. August 14, CNN – (National) Another setback for troubled Colonial Bank. Southern
regional bank Colonial Bank is on the verge of failure, a federal judge said in granting a
request made by Bank of America to freeze Colonial’s assets. A U.S. district judge
ruled on August 13 in favor of Bank of America, which had requested a temporary
restraining order to keep Colonial from liquidating or transferring assets worth $1
billion. Individual depositors are protected through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
A spokesman said the FDIC has no comment on the ruling at this time. “Viewing
Colonial’s contractual breach in conjunction with the fact that Colonial is on the brink
of collapse and is suspected of criminal accounting irregularities, the potential for
immediate substantial injury to Bank of America is clear,” the judge said in his order.
The lawsuit filed by Bank of America involved more than 6,000 mortgages issued by
its subsidiary and held in trust by Colonial. According to the motion, Bank of America
is owed more than $1 billion in assets but Colonial has failed to pay the amount owed.
As of the end of June, Colonial had assets of $25.5 billion and liabilities of at least
$24.2 billion, which includes deposits of $20 billion. Colonial BancGroup says it has
355 branches in five states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/14/news/companies/colonial/index.htm?section=money
_latest
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Transportation Sector
15. August 14, Longview News Journal – (Texas) Officials investigate train
derailment. Union Pacific officials and other authorities continued their investigation
August 13 into a train derailment that sent 14 rail cars off a track in the Greggton
community. A Union Pacific spokeswoman said the cars came off a yard track about
200 yards from Premier Road on August 12. All of the cars were empty except for one,
which contained plastic pellets, she said. Some of the empty cars were “residue cars,”
which contained hazardous material as their previous load. The cars were part of a 50car mixed freight train, she said. No one was injured in the derailment, and no one was
evacuated, according to Longview Fire Department officials. Officials are investigating
what caused the derailment and how fast the train was moving.
Source: http://www.newsjournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/08/14/08142009_derail_folo.html
16. August 13, Myrtle Beach Sun News – (South Carolina) Plane evacuated, searched by
bomb squad at Myrtle Beach International Airport. A plane was evacuated
Thursday morning at Myrtle Beach International Airport after people reported a
passenger having a phone conversation that was “making them uncomfortable,”
according to a sergeant from the Horry County police department. Officials with the
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Horry County bomb squad and State Law Enforcement Division’s bomb K9 team
searched the plane and the passengers’ luggage at 8:10 a.m. and found no explosives.
The passenger making the phone call will not be charged because he did not make any
threats to the aircraft or other passengers, he said. In the passenger’s conversation, he
mentioned a type of accelerant used to set a blaze in an arson, police said.
Source: http://www.thesunnews.com/135/story/1020583.html?storylink=omni_popular
17. August 13, Associated Press – (New York) FAA: 2 employees investigated in mid-air
collision. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it has placed two
employees on administrative leave in connection with last week’s deadly mid-air
collision over New York’s Hudson River. The FAA said Thursday night it has begun
disciplinary proceedings against an air-traffic controller who was handling the small
plane that collided with a tour helicopter and against a supervisor on duty at the time.
The FAA says the controller was involved in “apparently inappropriate conversations”
on the telephone at the time of the accident. The agency says the supervisor was not in
the building at the time as required. However, the FAA says that the employees’
actions do not appear to have contributed to the accident itself.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/08/13/ap6777957.html
18. August 13, Associated Press – (International) Shoot at the pirates? West weighs
arming ships. Challenging a global aversion to guns aboard ships, France has put
troops on tuna boats in the Indian Ocean, and Belgium is offering military units to its
merchant vessels off the Horn of Africa. Now, U.S. lawmakers are weighing similar
action to fight piracy. Opponents fear such moves will escalate the violence and raise a
minefield of legal issues. In June 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an
amendment that would require the Department of Defense to put armed teams on U.S.flagged ships passing through high-risk waters, specifically around the Horn of Africa
where Somali pirates have become a scourge of world shipping. A separate bill
introduced last month would grant immunity from prosecution in American courts to
any “owner, operator, time charterer, master, or mariner who uses force, or authorizes
the use of force, to defend a vessel of the United States against an act of piracy.” Both
measures face tough debate — U.S. military resources are spread thin and onboard
weapons, especially in the hands of civilian crew, are seen as an extreme option. “Work
and watch-keeping take up most of a seafarer’s day,” a spokesperson of the
International Transport Workers’ Federation, which represents hundreds of unions, told
The Associated Press by e-mail. “The practice, handling and use of weapons would be
a duty too far.” Global pirate attacks more than doubled in the first half of 2009 to 240,
from 114 in the same period last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
A surge of raids in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia accounted for
many attacks, though waters off Nigeria are a serious trouble spot. The measure to put
military guards on U.S.-flagged ships passed in the House by a vote of 389-22. But
implementing the measure could be difficult because the U.N. agency discourages
onboard weapons.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqPTozy7cxFEujClVgGklIib0b
AAD9A25GQG0
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19. August 13, Associated Press – (California) 10 million fine agreed to in Bay Area oil
spill. The Hong Kong-based company that operates the cargo ship that caused a 2007
oil spill in San Francisco Bay pleaded guilty Thursday to criminal charges. Fleet
Management Ltd. pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction, making false statements and
negligent discharge of oil, and agreed to pay a $10 million fine under a deal reached
with prosecutors. A federal judge still must approve the deal. The Cosco Busan
sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on a foggy morning on November
7, 2007. The ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the water, killing thousands of birds
and other wildlife and fouling miles of shoreline. The ship’s pilot was sentenced in July
to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges. Court
documents showed the company acknowledging its crew was poorly trained and the
master failed to stop the pilot from leaving port in thick fog. The master admitted he
could “suffer adverse personnel consequences” if he delayed departure, according to
the court filing. The poor training and the master’s failure to delay departure led to the
negligent discharge count. The company was charged with obstruction and making
false statements for creating and presenting to investigators false navigational
documents. The day after the accident, an unidentified Fleet executive ordered the
ship’s second officer to create a “berth-to-berth passage plan” that was supposed to
have been made before the ship left port, according to the court document. Another
Fleet manager was aware of the document’s creation and the ship’s master signed the
false passage plan “because he thought that not doing so would make the
superintendents angry,” according the joint factual statement signed by prosecutors and
lawyers for the company.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32407569/ns/us_news-environment/
20. August 12, Aviation Web – (National) NTSB urges stricter monitoring of sleep apnea
in pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) should require aviation medical examiners to evaluate pilots for
risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea and ask about any previous diagnosis of the
disorder. The recommendation followed the board’s investigation of an incident in
February 2008 in which both crew members on a Go! Airlines flight in Hawaii fell
asleep in the cockpit during the cruise phase of an inter-island flight and overflew their
destination. The NTSB investigation found the captain’s undiagnosed obstructive sleep
apnea was a contributing factor. In its safety recommendation, the NTSB said the FAA
should implement a program to require that those pilots provide evidence of having
been appropriately evaluated and effectively treated, if treatment is deemed necessary,
before being granted unrestricted medical certification. The NTSB investigation of the
incident also named as a contributing factor the flight crew’s recent work schedules,
which included several consecutive days of early-morning start times. This likely
caused the pilots to receive less daily sleep than is needed to sustain optimal alertness
and resulted in increased levels of daytime fatigue, the NTSB said. The board also said
the FAA should conduct research examining how pilot fatigue is affected by the unique
characteristics of short-haul operations and identify methods for reducing those effects,
including research into the interactive effects of shift timing, consecutive days of work,
number of legs flown, and the availability of rest breaks.
Source:
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http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NTSBUrgesStricterMonitoringOfSleepApnea
InPilots_200988-1.html
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Postal and Shipping Sector
21. August 14, Associated Press – (New York) Chemical spill at NY warehouse being
investigated. An investigation is under way into a chemical spill at an upstate New
York warehouse that forced the closure of a nearby highway. Emergency services
officials in Orange County say the spill occurred on the evening of August 13 at the
UPS, Inc. freight warehouse in the town of Montgomery, 60 miles north of New York
City. Employees were evacuated from the building and from the Home Depot
warehouse next door. Firefighters and county hazardous materials crews contained the
spill. No injuries were reported. Interstate 84 was closed in both directions between
exits 4 and 5 for about an hour, reopening around 10 p.m.
Source: http://www.newsday.com/chemical-spill-at-ny-warehouse-being-investigated1.1369399
22. August 14, Associated Press – (District of Columbia) Mailbox explodes in northeast
D.C. Authorities said a U.S. Postal Service mailbox exploded in northeast Washington,
D.C. causing evacuations and street closings. A D.C. fire department spokesman said
the incident occurred on Meade Street shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. The spokesman
says crews had to close several nearby roads as they searched for any other devices.
Some houses in the area were evacuated as a precaution. No one was injured.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081401032.html?hpid=moreheadlines
23. August 14, Austin Post-Bulletin – (Minnesota) Mower deputies find another mail box
bomb. Another homemade bomb was found in an Austin Township, Minnesota
mailbox Thursday evening not far from the site of a similar incident two weeks ago. A
woman called authorities after finding gray liquid, a 20-ounce sports-drink bottle and
tin foil in her mailbox, southeast of Austin, according to a Mower County Sheriff’s
Office report. Inside the mailbox, a deputy found that the bottle had ruptured but there
was no damage on the mailbox, the report says. The liquid in the bottom of the box and
covering the bottle appeared to be a combination of drain cleaner and tin foil. The
deputy, who collected the bottle, had taken a report of an incident July 29 in Windom
Township in which a sports-drink bottle was used to make a similar device. The deputy
reported he believed the two incidents are related because they occurred close to each
other and involved sports-drink bottles.
Source:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=28&a=41
1911
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Agriculture and Food Sector
24. August 14, NewsInferno.com – (New York; Pennsylvania) Cheese company recalls all
products. Peregrina Cheese Corporation of Brooklyn, New York, is recalling all
products manufactured in its Brooklyn plant from March 17, 2009 to the present over
the products’ potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced. Peregrina Cheese prepares and
processes a variety of cheeses, sour cream, flan, and gelatin products and distributes
them to specialty grocery stores in northeastern Pennsylvania and in the New York City
area. Last month we wrote that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the
FDA, filed a complaint seeking injunctive relief against Peregrina Cheese and two of
its officers. The government’s complaint alleged that Peregrina Cheese has an
extensive history of operating under insanitary conditions and producing cheese
contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Source: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/11760
25. August 13, U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service – (California; Arizona) California
firm recalls ground beef products due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contaminationClass I recall. Sterling Pacific Meat Co., a City of Commerce, Calif., establishment, is
recalling approximately 3,516 pounds of ground beef products that may be
contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on August 13. The ground beef products
were produced on May 18, 2009, and were distributed at the wholesale level to food
service companies, who further distributed the product to restaurants in California and
Arizona. FSIS has no reason to believe that these products are available for sale in
commerce. The problem was discovered by FSIS during a review of the
establishment’s records. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with
consumption of these products.
Source:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_042_2009_Release/index.asp
26. August 13, Wall Street Journal – (National) Farmers work to protect pigs from
swine flu. Hogs are not spreading swine flu but they can catch it from people, requiring
farmers to take extra care this fall and winter to prevent humans from sneezing on their
livestock. Because no vaccine has been developed yet to protect hog herds, the
emphasis by producers will be on getting vaccinations for farm workers, veterinarians
and others who come into contact with the animals. Scientists have not been able to
develop a viable pig vaccine for the new swine flu, known as A/H1N1, according to an
agency memo obtained by Dow Jones Newswires, although they are still “evaluating an
experimental vaccine.” The government also has shared samples of the swine-flu virus
with private drug companies in the hopes that they will produce a vaccine.
Development of the vaccine is not expected until well into winter, a USDA spokesman
said. That is bad news say industry and government officials because the hype
surrounding this virus has hurt the pork business since April, and it could do further
damage this fall when the flu season starts. If pigs start getting sick, pork sales could
take a hit even though there is no danger of meat contamination, the USDA chief
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veterinarian said.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125020076926130339.html
27. August 12, Associated Press – (Michigan) Thousands of fish wiped out in 12-mile
stretch of Black River. Thousands of fish have been killed in the Black River in
Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, possibly because of an improper manure discharge from
a farm, state officials said Wednesday. Biologists described the die-off as among the
biggest they had seen, said a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ). Nearly all fish in a 12-mile stretch of the river in Sanilac and St. Clair counties,
along with other aquatic life, were wiped out, he said. “This is a significant loss of a
very diverse fishery in the Black River.” Scientists with the DNR’s fisheries division
were counting and classifying the dead fish. Investigators were focusing on an apparent
manure discharge from a field adjacent to Seymour Creek, an upstream tributary of the
river. But DEQ officials said they needed to review all possible sources of the pollution
before assigning blame.
Source:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090812/METRO/908120410/1361/Thousands-offish-wiped-out-in-12-mile-stretch-of-Black-River
28. August 12, Monterey County Herald – (California) Processor in meat recall fined in
‘08. A beef processor that voluntarily recalled tons of hamburger meat because of
salmonella fears the week of August 3 was slapped with animal handling citations last
year in a government review of meatpacking plants, records show. Inspection records
from March 2008 show U.S. Department of Agriculture auditors found workers at
Fresno-based Beef Packers Inc. were using electric prods to coax skittish cattle through
a narrow chute leading into the slaughterhouse. When three cows refused to budge,
they were stunned and rendered unconscious “so that they could be pulled through the
restrainer to be shackled, hung and bled,” the records state. Dragging unconscious
cattle could increase the risk for E. coli and salmonella contamination because cow
hides can pick up bacteria from feces that sometimes collect in or around the chute,
experts said. At least 28 people in three western states reported salmonella-related
illnesses since August 6.
Source: http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_13043366
29. August 10, Associated Press – (Oregon) Coos Bay police seek bomb suspect. The
Oregon State Police bomb squad disarmed an explosive device August 10 that was
found at the Safeway store in Coos Bay. Coos Bay’s police captain says employees
spotted the bomb inside a cart that had been brought into the store early on Saturday,
August 8. The bomb squad took about 45 minutes to deactivate the device. No arrests
have been made. Those with information about who built or planted the bomb are asked
to contact Coos Bay police.
Source: http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=10879400
[Return to top]
Water Sector
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30. August 14, KFMB 760 San Diego – (California) San Diego must clean up its sewage
plant. The California Coastal Commission has denied San Diego’s request to keep
running the region’s main sewage treatment plant below federal pollution standards.
The commission voted on August 13 at its monthly meeting against the
recommendations of its staff, state water-quality regulators and the Environmental
Protection Agency. The decision could put the city of San Diego on the hook for a $1.5
billion upgrade to its Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city would
probably have to raise sewer rates to pay for fixing the plant that treats sewage from 2.2
million people from San Diego and surrounding cities. San Diego city officials plan to
appeal to the Secretary of Commerce for a third waiver from the Clean Water Act.
Source: http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10930473
31. August 13, Water Technology Online – (National) Flu pandemic guidance issued for
treatment plants. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a
guidance for water and wastewater treatment plants to help them fight the effects of a
potential H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic, the Water Environment Research Foundation
(WERF) reported August 12. It is believed the principal impact of an epidemic on a
public water system would be the absence of sick employees whose work is critical to
the system’s operation. The disease is spread between humans through the air or from
surfaces. According to the sector-specific guideline, part of the DHS’s guide for all
sectors, it “intends to assist water and wastewater utilities in planning for a catastrophic
influenza pandemic. Utilities that fail to prepare for such a prolonged catastrophic event
may find themselves without the staff, equipment, or supplies necessary to continue
providing safe drinking water or treating wastewater for their community.” According
to the 10-page guideline, “Industries in every sector of the American economy will
experience influenza pandemic impacts. The water and wastewater sector will play a
key role in keeping one of America’s most crucial and life-saving services operational.”
Source: http://watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=72405
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
32. August 14, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – (Pennsylvania) FDA ends Mylan review, takes
no action. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said August 13 it had closed its
investigation of Mylan Inc.’s Morgantown, West Virginia generic drug plant and “plans
no additional action.” The investigation was prompted by a July 26 Pittsburgh PostGazette story citing a Mylan internal report that said workers sidestepped computergenerated warnings about potential problems with the medications they were making.
Mylan’s report called the quality control breach “pervasive” and “very serious,”
involving “falsifying information” and “altering product.” The breaches did not affect
the quality of any medications, Mylan’s report stated. The problem outlined in the
report involved computer alarms known as “red screens,” which warn production
workers that medications may fail to meet specifications for weight, thickness or
hardness. If the drug deviates from specifications, patients may not receive the proper
dosage. An FDA spokeswoman said that Mylan “appears to have conducted an
- 13 -
adequate investigation” of the matter and that “audit trails were intact for each instance
where the software was overridden by the operator.” She said Mylan had retrained
operators in the proper procedures and was “working with the software company to
implement a patch” to fix the problem that allowed employees to bypass the warnings.
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09226/990777-28.stm
33. August 13, WEWS 5 Cleveland – (Ohio) Woman finds patient records in recycling
bin. A Solon, Ohio woman discovered “medical write-ups on people and
recommendations by doctors and envelopes that held confidential information” in a
recycling dumpster at the Cleveland Clinic Family Center hospital Wednesday
afternoon. She made the discovery after she followed the invitation on signs posted
outside the clinic to recycle her unwanted paper. She saw patient names and phone
numbers, confidential fax documents sent between doctors and patients. There was also
specific diagnosis information and patient test information.
Source: http://www.newsnet5.com/troubleshooter/20391260/detail.html
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
34. August 14, Associated Press – (California) Police standoff ends at LA federal
building. A man suspected of making threats against the White House was pulled from
his car August 13 after an hours-long standoff in the parking lot of the Federal Building
in West Los Angeles. The man had refused to leave his car and withstood four rounds
of chemical agents tossed inside the car after police broke a rear window. About an
hour later, officers shot out the drivers window with a bean bag gun, used a Taser on
the man and pulled him out. A Secret Service spokesman identified the suspect as a 56
year-old, from Los Angeles. The suspect is suspected of calling a police dispatch
number Wednesday and making threatening statements about the White House. The
Federal Building was locked down and employees were told to stay inside, an FBI
spokeswoman said.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBGYi3GaBRJIXzoociTSirlaJHwD9A2FE980
35. August 14, Army Times – (California) FBI: Man threatened military kids online. The
FBI arrested a transient man with a laptop and wireless access for allegedly making
threats through Craigslist posts that targeted two Coronado, California elementary
schools, including military children, according to court documents. The 40 year-old
suspect is facing charges of communicating threats through several postings he made
on the Craigslist social network July 30. The suspect is being held without bail and is
scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Diego for a preliminary hearing set
for August 25. The suspect “initially agreed that he posted all of the comments to
Craigslist about hurting kids to help with the tones he hears in his head,” an FBI
Special Agent wrote in an affidavit filed in court. Navy officials in San Diego in July
were alerted to the threats, which the Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating. On
July 31, officials issued a warning of the threats but later downplayed them. Coronado
- 14 -
city officials also were alerted to the threats, and one source said authorities had
identified the possible suspect and described him as having “a history of mental
illness.”
Source: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/navy_craigslist_threats_081309w/
36. August 14, Honolulu Adverstiser – (Hawaii) State Office Tower will remain closed
this morning. The Leiopapa o Kamehameha Building, or State Office Tower, in
Honolulu remain closed the morning of August 14 due to a gas leak that also shut down
Beretania Street and snarled morning commuter traffic. A spokesman for the governor,
said the building will be checked for any gas smells. Power must also be restored to the
building. Employees who work in the building were asked not to report to their offices
until they get a go-ahead from their supervisor. About 300 state workers have offices in
the tower. Electricity was out at the tower because state crews were assessing its
wiring. Beretania and several other Downtown streets were closed early Thursday
morning following a gas leak. The leak was found on South Beretania Street across
from the Leiopapa o Kamehameha Building.
Source:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090814/BREAKING01/308140009/State
+Office+Tower+will+remain+closed+this+morning
37. August 13, KPHO 5 Phoenix – (Arizona) Police: Principal targeted in planned
shooting. Surprise police said the 14-year-old eighth-grader planned to use the 9 mm
pistol to shoot the school principal and hold him hostage. It is unclear if the teen knew
the gun was unloaded. Officers said the teen wanted the principal to give him and all of
his friends As in their classes and a “longer recess.” Officers said another student saw
the pistol and reported it to the principal. The weapon was located in the student’s
backpack and police were called. A Dysart Unified School District spokesman said he
does not know of any other incidents where a student has brought a gun to a DUSD
school. He said a letter about the incident will be sent home with Desert Moon students
Thursday. He said it is district policy to expel any student who brings a gun to school.
Source: http://www.kpho.com/news/20379728/detail.html
38. August 12, KLFY 10 Lafayette – (Louisiana) Bomb threat suspect arrested. St.
Landry Parish, Louisiana authorities responded to a bomb threat on the morning of
August 12, evacuating the St. Landry Parish courthouse after they say a man phoned in
a bomb threat. Several streets were shut down in the area. Investigators were able to
trace the call to a pay phone at Opelousas General Hospital. The Opelousas Police
Department has arrested the 40 year-old suspect. He is charged with charge
communicating false information of planned arson.
Source: http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=10894508
39. August 12, USA Today – (National) Ga. man convicted of aiding terrorists
overseas. A 23-year-old Georgia man who videotaped U.S. landmarks he sent overseas
faces up to 60 years in prison after being convicted of aiding terrorist groups. The
suspect was found guilty of conspiracy to provide support to terrorists and attempting
to aid terrorists, particularly the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. He acted as his own
- 15 -
lawyer and stared silently as the verdict was read. Sentencing is scheduled for October
15. The suspect dismissed his talk of “violent jihad” as nothing more than youthful
boasting. “We were immature young guys who had imaginations running wild,” he said
in his closing arguments August 11. “But I was not then, and am not now, a terrorist.”
In June, the suspect’s friend was convicted of one count of conspiring to support
terrorism in the United States and abroad. Prosecutors said that the men videotaped the
Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol and that the suspect later sent them to suspected
terrorists overseas. The suspect also was accused of traveling to Bangladesh to link up
with and help suspected terrorists.
Source: http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/ga-man-convicted-of-aidingterrorists-overseas.html
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
40. August 13, KCBY 11 North Bend – (Oregon) Thieves make off with North Bend
police car. North Bend, Oregon police officers Wednesday night discovered one of
their patrol cars, a model without lights on top, was stolen. North Bend Police say
Wednesday night around 11 p.m. someone entered North Bend City Hall, but police
say they are not sure how. There was no sign of forced entry on any of the city hall
doors, the only evidence of a forced entry was a door to the police squad that had been
kicked in. The police chief said two tazers were stolen out of a locked cabinet and the
keys to a patrol car were taken, along with that unmarked patrol car. Fortunately the car
was recovered Thursday morning in a railroad tunnel in Lakeside but with no sign of
the thief. On Thursday night, with help from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, OSP
and Coos Bay PD, they were able to recover more of the stolen property. In addition to
the car, they have now recovered two tasers, multiple taser cartridges and a portable
police radio.
Source: http://www.kcby.com/news/local/53170182.html
41. August 13, Torrance Daily Breeze – (California) LA opens state-of-the-art
Emergency Operations Center. Los Angeles city officials opened a new $107 million
state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center on August 13, fulfilling part of the
promise of a 2002 bond measure. The two-story, 84,000-square-foot facility, just east
of City Hall, was funded through Proposition Q, a $600 million bond measure that
provided funds for 14 new police and fire facilities that will culminate in October with
a new police headquarters. Until about 1980, emergency operations were considered an
afterthought by local officials. Then the former mayor created the Emergency
Operations Office to begin coordinated planning among police, fire and other city
agencies for emergencies such as earthquakes and fires. Space four levels beneath City
Hall East was set aside as the first emergency response center, basically consisting of a
few television sets, long wooden tables and telephones for city agencies to gather in the
event of an emergency.
Source: http://www.dailybreeze.com/latestnews/ci_13055304
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42. August 13, Firehouse.com – (National) DHS takes multi-band radio pilot to the
field. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is currently working toward
creating a radio that supports all bands used by first responders in a given area. In order
to complete its research, responders from various agencies across the U.S. are being
involved in the process. Last month, the Department’s Science and Technology
Directorate announced the selection of 14 agencies for the final phase of its multi-band
radio project. Each agency will take part in the pilot program for a minimum of 30 days
beginning this fall. “The problem is there are only so many frequency bands available.
As the bands get full, we open new ones. We’ve got a bunch of different frequencies;
some analog, some digital. The various agencies responding can’t necessarily speak
each other,” a DHS spokesman said.
Source: http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/DHS-Takes-Multi-Band-RadioPilot-to-the-Field/46$64935
43. August 13, Hastings Star-Gazette – (Minnesota) Assault rifle stolen from Hastings
police squad car. An AR-15 assault rifle was stolen from the Hastings, Minnesota
police department’s DARE vehicle Tuesday morning while it was parked outside the
home of an officer. Also missing was a duty bag, which typically contains things like
extra handcuffs, ammunition and raingear. The investigation into the stolen gun is
ongoing, according to the police chief. On Thursday afternoon, there were officers
searching the wooded areas near Highway 55 and Pleasant Drive in hopes of recovering
the weapon. The police chief said anytime a gun falls into the wrong hands it is a
concern, but an AR-15 shoots at a higher velocity than a handgun, which makes it even
more dangerous. Every Hastings police squad car is equipped with an AR-15. They are
supposed to be locked into a secure device in the squad behind the driver’s seat, but
because the DARE vehicle is relatively new, about two months old, and is not a typical
squad car design, the police department was still looking into a lock for the rifle.
Source: http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/20594/
44. August 12, Cincinatti Enquirer – (Ohio) Firefighter jailed for equipment theft. A
veteran Cincinnati firefighter and his girlfriend were jailed on August 12 for stealing
firefighting equipment and selling it online. The firefighter stole $60,000 in fire
equipment while working in the Cincinnati Fire Department warehouse. He said was
assigned to the warehouse because during a cruise he mixed drugs and alcohol and that
resulted in brain injuries. He is now receiving disability benefits. Authorities
discovered the theft when a $900 brass hose nozzle made for the Cincinnati Fire
Department turned up in Indiana. Also stolen were medical supplies, special
undergarments used in fighting fires, helmets, boots, gloves and fire axes. Originally,
the theft was estimated at $75,000 in equipment.
Source:
http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20090812/NEWS0107/908130318/Th
ieving+firefighter+sentenced+to+jail
45. August 12, Delta County Independent – (Colorado) Fire destroys two North Fork
ambulances. Paonia, Colorado firefighters were able to get an August 6 fire at the
Paonia Ambulance Barn under control and out within 15 minutes. Three fire trucks
- 17 -
responded, but two ambulances owned by the North Fork Ambulance Association were
totally destroyed. The ambulance barn on Second Street had mild to moderate damage.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. It has been
concluded the fire started by a mechanical malfunction in the 2009 GM ambulance.
There was no evidence of arson. Insurance investigators have visited the fire scene
twice. Their findings had not been released by press time.
Source:
http://www.deltacountyindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article
&id=10139:fire-destroys-two-north-fork-ambulances&catid=77:topstories&Itemid=373
46. August 12, Bellingham Herald – (Washington) Bellingham airport opens new, $2.5M
fire station. An expanded $2.5 million fire station at Bellingham International Airport
got its official opening Tuesday, Aug. 11, as the Port of Bellingham continues to
grapple with the impact of growth in airline traffic. The Port Commission president
noted that the airport set a new record in July 2009, with about 1,000 departing
passengers per day. The port is also moving ahead with plans to improve baggagehandling capacity and strengthen its runway to better accommodate the heavier jets
now using the airport. The Port Aviation director said the bigger, relocated station has
been in the works since 2003, when it began to become apparent that the old fire station
in the International Arrival Building was poorly located. As the airport got busier, it got
more and more likely that fire trucks would have to detour around other aircraft on their
way to a crash scene. The Federal Aviation Administration approved the relocated
station project in 2007 and authorized funding in 2008.
Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/1024211.html
[Return to top]
Information Technology Sector
47. August 14, IDG News Service – (International) Twitter used to manage botnet, says
security expert. A security researcher has found that hackers are using Twitter to
distribute instructions to a network of compromised computers, known as a botnet. The
traditional way of managing botnets is to use IRC, but botnet owners are continuously
looking for new ways to keep their networks up and running, and Twitter seems to be
the latest trick. A now-suspended Twitter account was being used to post tweets that
had links new commands or executables to download and run, which would then be
used by the botnet code on infected machines, wrote a manager of security research at
Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based Arbor Networks Inc., in a blog post on August 13. “I
spotted it because a bot uses the RSS feed to get the status updates,” the manager
wrote. The account, called “Upd4t3”, is under investigation by Twitter’s security team,
according to the manager. But the account is just one of what appear to be a handful of
Twitter command and control accounts, he wrote. The botnet the manger found is “an
infostealer operation,” a type that can be used to steal sensitive information such as login credentials from infected computers.
Source:
- 18 -
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136659/Twitter_used_to_manage_botnet_sa
ys_security_expert?taxonomyId=17
48. August 14, The Register – (International) MS Zero-day security bug was two years in
the making. A flaw in Office Web Components which Microsoft fixed on August 11
was first reported to the software giant over two years ago, it has emerged. The time
taken to release a patch has security vendors speculating that security only got around
to fixing the software flaw at all because hackers have begun exploiting it over recent
weeks. The arrival of the MS09-043 patch addressed a zero-day flaw that had become
the fodder of drive-by download attacks from malicious web pages. The patch
addressed four vulnerabilities in Office ActiveX control in total, including the zer0-day
flaw. Users previously had to rely on workarounds published by Microsoft in a July
advisory. The 0day security bug was discovered by a researcher and first reported to
Microsoft in March 2007 via the Tipping Point Zero Day initiative scheme, which pays
researchers for security exploits. Tipping Point uses this information to add signature
detection against exploits based on the bug to its intrusion protection products. It also
passes along the information to the relevant software developers, in this case Microsoft.
Responding to question on the long delay, a ZDI manager told heise Security, “they
[Microsoft] kept finding the need for more time to ensure the issue was completely
addressed.”
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/14/ms_zero_day_long_gestation/
49. August 13, Internetnews.com – (International) Craiglist, AutoCAD threats show
virus variety. Malware authors continue showing their creativity, with new viruses
making the rounds by targeting Craigslist fans and AutoCAD users. One of the new
attacks is being spread by malicious links in spam purporting to be a message from
Craiglist about a car sale, the product marketing manager at antivirus firm Red Condor,
told InternetNews.com. The virus also escaped detection by a number of AV outfits,
she added. “When we detected it, only 13 of 41 antivirus companies had detected it as a
virus,” she said. “It takes companies a while to update their patterns. We’re more able
to quickly update patterns.” Other viruses are attacking AutoCAD, raising eyebrows
simply because there are so few viruses written for the software. One such virus
surfaced last month, followed by a second last week. That could spell trouble,
considering that AutoCAD security is not always in the headlines. “The last time
Sophos wrote about AutoCAD malware was over two years ago,” a Sophos security
expert wrote in his blog. “The typical AutoCAD user doesn’t place much importance in
considering the security implications of what they’re doing and the script they’re
running — which could lead to an unfortunate infection if you were unlucky enough to
be in the firing line.”
Source: http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3834476
50. August 12, SCMagazine – (International) DNS changing Trojan hits Apple Macs
when disguised as a MacCinema installer. A domain naming system changing Trojan
that targets Apple Macs is spreading disguised as a MacCinema Installer. A technical
communications spokesperson at Trend Micro claimed that this is the latest variant of
OSX_JAHLAV.C, which was identified in June. It is supposedly a QuickTime Player
- 19 -
update with the file name QuickTimeUpdate.dmg, and as with earlier variants, users are
prompted to download the malware when trying to view certain online videos from
.com domains with the IP address 91.214.45.73. Once infected, a victim’s web traffic
can then be diverted to the website of the attacker’s choosing. The spokesman said:
“The Trojan contains component files detected as UNIX_JAHLAV.D and obfuscated
scripts detected as PERL_JAHLAV.F. The Perl script then downloads a file from a
malicious site and stores it as /tmp/{random 3 numbers}, detected as
UNIX_DNSCHAN.AA, which allows a malicious user to monitor the affected user’s
activities. This may also cause the user to be redirected to phishing sites or sites where
other malware may be downloaded from.” A Trend Micro advanced threats researcher
claimed that the domain names have been set up such that when the main IP goes or is
taken down, cybercriminals can easily move the backend to another IP address without
the need to change code or scripts. The company warned Mac users to be wary of
prompts to download software updates that do not come from Apple’s legitimate
website.
Source: http://www.scmagazineuk.com/DNS-changing-Trojan-hits-Apple-Macs-whendisguised-as-a-MacCinema-Installer/article/141503/
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at sos@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
51. August 14, Billings Gazette – (National) Bresnan working to fix Internet, phone
outage. Bresnan engineers have been working through the night to fix a problem that
disrupted Internet and telephone service in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.
The regional vice president of Bresnan Communications in Billings, said on August 14
there is no firm time on when full service will be restored but that many of the
company’s markets are back up. “We’ve got every engineer we have working on it,’’
he said. The outage began at 7:10 p.m. on August 13, and it affected many of Bresnan’s
markets in the four states, he said. The Billings area was one of the hardest hit. The
vice president said he did not yet know what caused the outage.
Source: http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_ee57128a-88e6-11de-880b001cc4c03286.html
52. August 13, Washington Post – (Virginia) Damaged cable disrupts Pr. William 911
center. A damaged phone cable line is creating problems at Prince William County’s
911 center, with dispatchers reporting a number of dropped emergency calls. Since
about 10:15 a.m. on August 13, emergency and non-emergency calls to the county’s
- 20 -
Public Safety Communications Office in Woodbridge have been cut off and the
county’s phone system has made “phantom calls” to randomly-generated numbers, said
a Prince William County spokeswoman. “People are calling in but for some people,
once they are on the call they are getting cut off,” she said. Dispatchers also reported
receiving phone calls from confused residents who saw on their caller ID that they had
received a “phantom,” or automatically-dialed, phone call from 911. The disruption is
affecting both landline and cellphones, the spokeswoman said. It was unclear how
many residents had been affected. The outages started at about 10 a.m. on August 13,
when a Verizon contractor accidentally cut a fiber-optic cable near the intersection of
Prince William Parkway and Telegraph Road, said a company spokesman.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/08/13/AR2009081302726.html?hpid=moreheadlines
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
53. August 13, Press Trust of India – (International) Mock drill at temple in Delhi. A
mock drill was conducted on August 13 at a temple in India’s capital to check
preparedness of security agencies in the wake of any terrorist threat. A “mock blast”
was carried out at a temple in S-B Block of Ashok Vihar, a senior official said. Security
drills are being conducted in the national capital in the run up to Independence Day.
Four drills were conducted including one at New Delhi Railway Station.
Source: http://www.ptinews.com/news/227784_Mock-drill-at-temple-in-Delhi
54. August 12, Associated Press – (International) Indonesia: Florist plotted bombings. A
florist went missing after the twin suicide attacks at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton
hotels on July 17. Within days it emerged he had resigned his job the morning of the
bombings. Police on Wednesday disclosed that the florist had smuggled in the
explosives used in the bombings and showed security camera footage which showed
him smuggling explosives in through a basement cargo dock on a day before the blasts.
Other security camera footage was said to show the florist leading the suicide bombers
through the hotels on July 8, apparently in a rehearsal for the attacks. Police also
showed footage from July 16, with the florist leading one of the bombers to room 1808
of the Marriott, rented two days before the bombings and used as a command center.
He allegedly orchestrated the attacks with Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorism
suspect. Indonesian counterterrorism forces thought they killed him during a 16-hour
siege early this month, but DNA results released Wednesday found that the body was
not that of the most wanted terrorism suspect, but of the florist, a national police
spokesman said. Police allege that the florist was recruited in 2000 by the regional
terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, in which he is a key player. While investigations into
the recent bombings are ongoing and it remains unclear when plotting began, the
spokesman said that the florist began scouting the targets in April. The Malaysian terror
suspect remains at large.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32383558/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
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55. August 12, WDRB 41 Louisville – (Indiana) Fire destroys two Brownstown, IN
businesses. Firefighters in Brownstown, Indiana had to battle exploding ammunition in
fighting a fire that destroyed two businesses in the town square. Lightning is believed
to have started the fire late afternoon on August 10 that leveled a flower shop and a
swap shop. Seventy firefighters from seven southern Indiana fire departments battled
the blaze for hours that night. Their job was made more dangerous by exploding
ammunition inside the swap shop. Two firefighters were slightly injured in the fire.
One was treated for heat exhaustion, and the other for smoke inhalation.
Source: http://www.fox41.com/Global/story.asp?S=10880930&nav=menu1404_2
56. August 11, Las Vegas Sun – (Nevada) LVCVA OKs $480,285 for Metro
intelligence analyst. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will pay for a
tourism intelligence analyst for Metro police within the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Fusion Center. The board voted to spend up to $480,285 in a three-year
commitment for the position, which would be overseen by Metro. Although the vote
was unanimous, some board members expressed reluctance to commit to paying for a
position that is not overseen by authority administrators. But in the end, the board was
persuaded that the new position could be used as a marketing tool to assure conventiongoers that they would be safer in Las Vegas than any other place when they attend a
show. “We have the only convention center in the country, maybe the world, that has
its own police substation,” said the Las Vegas mayor, who heads the authority’s board.
“We have the only convention center in the country, maybe the world, that has its own
fire station.” The intelligence analyst, who would be recruited by Metro and appointed
by the Clark County Sheriff, would be a liaison to the authority on criminal and
terrorist activities. Metro officials say that while no major terrorism threats have been
uncovered in Las Vegas, the city is an acknowledged potential target.
Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/aug/11/lvcva-oks-480285-metrointelligence-analyst/
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National Monuments and Icons Sector
57. August 13, Environment News Service – (National) Obama Administration takes
legal action to uphold roadless rule. The Presidential Administration appealed a
Wyoming federal district court ruling on Thursday that struck down the national
roadless rule. The appeal will go to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. The
2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, issued just a few days before the end of the
Clinton Administration, protected 58.5 million acres of America’s pristine roadless
national forest lands from new road building and timber harvesting. The appeal filed on
Thursday is a response to the 2008 ruling by a federal district court judge in Wyoming,
who invalidated the roadless rule nationwide. The 58.5 million acres originally
protected under the roadless rule have now shrunk to 40 million acres. The presiding
judge issued a permanent injunction against the rule, saying it violated the National
Environmental Policy Act and the Wilderness Act. The injunction order has been
appealed by environmental groups. Now, the federal government, a defendant in the
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case brought by the State of Wyoming, is also appealing it.
Source: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2009/2009-08-13-092.asp
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Dams Sector
58. August 14, Associated Press – (Nebraska) Lake Maloney will be drained to plan for
repairs. Concerns about Lake Maloney’s dam mean that the lake south of North Platte
will have to be drained. Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) officials recently
discovered some gaps between the lake’s earthen dam and the bottom of the concrete
barrier that separates the dam from the water. But the lake will not be drained until
October — after the end of this year’s irrigation and boating seasons. The NPPD
spokesman said Friday that the dam on the 1,650-acre lake remains safe. He says the
repairs will be done either this fall or next, depending upon how much time will be
required. If the repairs must wait until next year, the lake will be refilled. Residents are
being asked to remove their boats from the lake after Labor Day.
Source: http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10930755
59. August 13, Times-Picayune – (Louisiana) Boat evacuation rules for canals to allow
for exceptions. All vessels might not have to be evacuated from the Harvey and
Algiers canals in advance of tropical storm-force winds as stated in a new Coast Guard
order that has drawn stiff opposition from West Bank marine interests. At a two-hour
closed-door meeting Thursday, Coast Guard leaders and marine executives hammered
out guidelines for granting exceptions to the evacuation order, which would affect up to
300 vessels in the two canals. Ship and barge owners who can demonstrate to the Coast
Guard and Army Corps of Engineers that they have adequate mooring to withstand a
10-foot storm surge and 135 mph winds from a 100-year storm can receive exemptions.
The commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans said the order requiring vessels to
vacate the canals 24 hours before the onset of sustained winds greater than 39 mph is
intended to prevent a repeat of the near-disaster during Hurricane Gustav last year,
when 70 loose vessels threatened to bash holes in floodwalls lining the Industrial
Canal. Business owners have countered that vacating the canals would be a logistical
nightmare and should be based on more factors than wind speed, such as the storm’s
projected path and surge magnitude. He said the evacuation order for the West Bank
canals might be rendered unnecessary in a few years when the Corps of Engineers is
expected to complete a floodgate to block storm surge from entering the Harvey and
Algiers canals, which could then be deemed safe harbors.
Source:
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/boat_evacuation_rules_for_cana.html
60. August 12, Roanoke Times – (Virginia) Work progresses on dangerous Franklin
County dam. Rocky Mount officials hope stones will break up the deadly hydraulic
cycle at a Blackwater River low-head dam. Now that the facing is done, work will
continue on an area in which people can enter and exit the river to avoid the dam.
Tuesday, a crew from Shively Construction finished dropping stones in front of the
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dam, a process called “facing.” The stones are used to break up the troublesome
hydraulic cycle created below the dam that can trap swimmers and boaters and cause
them to drown. Two Franklin County residents have died at the dam this summer.
Work will continue this week on a new portage area — where boaters can exit and
enter the river to avoid the dam, the town manager said. The work cost about $23,000
and will be shared with the county.
Source: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/215015
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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]
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