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Woman Fires Gun in Hospital
Brunswick News (11/17/11) Brogdon, Louie
According to the head of Southeast Georgia Health System security, a female patient at the hospital fired a gun while in her hospital room on Nov. 16. Safety and Security Director Charlie Wolverton said a woman shot a .22 caliber handgun while in an inpatient care room, summoning both hospital security officers and Brunswick police to the Cardiac Care Unit. While it was unclear why the woman fired the weapon, the vice president of patient care services for the health system, Elizabeth Gunn, said the woman was in a confused state. Security officials said nobody was injured in the shooting, but the gun was confiscated by police. The woman was not immediately arrested, but Wolverton said the hospital's security would file arrest warrants through the local Magistrate Court for reckless endangerment, firing a weapon in a public place and criminal damage to property.
Workplace Violence Prevention Bill Introduced in the Pennsylvania House
HealthCanal.com (11/16/2011)
The Pennsylvania state House is considering a bill that aims to reduce the number of violent incidents in hospitals and other health care facilities. Under the bill, hospitals would be required to assess their security risks. This would include looking at the number of security personnel being used, the design and lighting of buildings, staffing levels, and whether or not a culture of safety is in place. Hospitals would also be required to come up with ways to improve workplace safety and to help victims report violent incidents. The introduction of the bill comes amid an uptick in the frequency and severity of violent incidents against healthcare workers.
Security 'Chaos' Leaves Utility Grids Vulnerable, Report Says
Government Computer News (11/15/11) Jackson, William
A recent paper from Pike Research reveals that the lack of standards, inadequate spending and an aging infrastructure are making vital utility grids increasing vulnerable to cyber attack. Though the report says that this vulnerability is a global problem, it also notes that there are multitudes of differing region infrastructures and security technologies, requiring region-specific definitions of threats as well as region-specific decisions regarding investments in security. Annual spending for this type of security is expected to climb to near $750 billion by 2018 in North America alone. Spending is currently constricted by a lack of enforceable standards for security, though numerous guidelines exist. There are five trends in grid cyber security that the reports notes are promising: multi-factor authentication, application whitelisting, data encryption, control network isolation and security event logging and correlation.
French Aid Workers Released in Yemen
Associated Press (11/14/11)
Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has freed three French aid workers six months after their capture. The kidnappers demanded a $12 million ransom for the hostages. It is unclear if all or part of that ransom was paid. A senior Yemeni tribal mediator reported that the Omani government and a Yemeni businessman negotiated a ransom, but no figure was given and those reports could not be confirmed. Authorities in Oman would not confirm their role in the transaction. Regardless of whether the money was paid, Yemeni tribesmen and Oman worked together to negotiate the release. French officials, on the other hand, said that it is their country's position not to pay ransom to terrorists. Yemeni tribes often use kidnapping as a strategy to force concessions from the government, such as the release of their comrades in prison.
Major Leaguer is Rescued in Venezuela
Associated Press (11/13/11)
Venezuelan officials have announced that kidnapped Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been rescued. Ramos was taken captive on Nov. 9 by armed men outside of his home in Valencia, Venezuela. Two days later, Venezuelan authorities launched an operation to rescue Ramos, who was being held captive in a mountainous area of the country. Ramos was not harmed during the ordeal. It remains unclear whether he was being protected by bodyguards at the time of his kidnapping. Venezuelan Major League Baseball players typically use bodyguards once they return home, as the relatives of players are often targets for kidnappers.
Protesters Clash With Police
Wall Street Journal (11/18/11) Firger, Jessica; Fox, Alison; Shallwani, Pervaiz
Hundreds of people were arrested in Occupy Wall Street protests across the country as demonstrators marked the movement's two-month anniversary on Thursday. In New York City, the birthplace of the movement against what protesters say is the nation's failed economic and political systems, hundreds of people massed at intersections near the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning. Police got into clashes with protesters there as they tried to clear the streets so that workers could get to their jobs. The New York Police Department said that it arrested 177 people there. Elsewhere in New York City, nearly 100 people were arrested as they tried to block traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. According to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the protests caused minimal disruptions to the city. Protesters also gathered in Washington, D.C., to call on the government to repair the nation's infrastructure in order to create jobs. Meanwhile, police clad in riot gear cleared out an Occupy Wall Street camp outside of City Hall in Dallas because conditions there had grown unsanitary and because security had deteriorated. Demonstrations marking the two-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement were also held in Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., Atlanta, and Philadelphia.
Details Emerge About Suspect Who Fired Shots at White House
Fox News (11/17/11)
Secret Service agents have arrested a suspect who is believed to have fired shots at the White House in a recent incident. Authorities say that 21-year-old Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez drove his car near the White House on the night of Nov. 11 and fired shots at the building with an AK-47 assault rifle. The shots cracked a window of the White House's living quarters. However, President and Mrs. Obama were not at the White House at the time of the shooting. There are indications that Ortega-Hernandez, who was arrested in a hotel in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, may have been obsessed with President Obama and that he may have believed that God had asked him to attack the White House. Authorities are looking into whether Ortega-Hernandez had mental health problems. He is expected to appear in federal court in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Police Clear Zuccotti Park of Protesters
New York Times (11/15/11) Kilgannon, Corey; Moynihan, Colin
Police in New York City on Tuesday cleared the park where Occupy Wall Street protesters had been camped out for nearly two months. At about 1 a.m., hundreds of New York City police officers entered the encampment, which has been home to roughly 200 protesters since mid-September. Demonstrators were warned by police that the park would be cleared and restored by morning that any one who did not leave would be taken into custody. Officers then began tearing down tents, prompting some protesters to resist by setting up barricades made of tables and pieces of wood in the middle of the park. Although many protesters eventually left on their own, roughly 100 continued to resist police efforts to make them leave by remaining at the barricades that they had set up near the encampment's food area. However, police eventually were able to pull the protesters out one at a time. A total of 70 people were arrested in the operation. In a statement, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that police were given the order to clear the park because the city and the park's owner had come to the conclusion that the encampment was a health and fire safety hazard. However, Bloomberg added that protesters will still be allowed to use the park but will not be able to bring in tents and sleeping bags to stay in compliance with rules banning sleeping and camping in the park.
TSA Warns of Terrorist Interest in Attacking Buses During Busy Holiday Season
Homeland Security Today (11/11) McCarter, Mickey
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released a warning that terrorists may be interested in targeting buses during the holiday travel season. This warning was issued as a reminder of the standing general threat against mass transit, not due to a specific threat, explains TSA administrator John Pistole. The bulletin notes that attacks on buses have become more prevalent worldwide, with an approximate total of 725 attacks reported between 2004 and 2009. Buses make attractive targets for terrorists because of their open architecture and accessibility to millions of travelers. A publication by Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has previously called on terrorists to hijack buses and drive them into crowded areas, buildings, or other infrastructure. In order to combat these threats, TSA works with federal, state, and local authorities on Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, which send federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers, and canine teams to important mass transit locations. Local authorities also make use of their own uniformed officers, canine teams, and closed circuit recording.
Angry Over Spying, Muslims Say: 'Don't Call NYPD'
Associated Press (11/14/11)
A backlash is developing in New York City's Muslim community against the New York Police Department's controversial counterterrorism strategies, which were detailed in a recent Associated Press investigation. Upset about the use of these investigative techniques, some Muslim activists in New York are urging people not to go directly to the NYPD with concerns about potential terrorist activity. In addition, some groups in New York's Muslim community are teaching people how to identify police informants. One such group held a skit in which a law student played the role of a police informant while another played the role of a person being targeted by investigators. In addition, the City University of New York Law School recently distributed a brochure warning that someone who advocates acts of violence against the U.S., talks about terrorist groups, seems too generous, or acts aggressively could be an informant. Muslim groups are also reminding people who are currently cooperating with law enforcement officials that they have the right to stop cooperating if they choose to do so. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) has condemned the Muslim community's reaction as disgraceful. There is also concern that the outreach efforts and the ensuing reaction of New York Muslims will reinforce the notion that the Muslim community is shut off from the rest of the city. Current and former NYPD officials said that belief is what prompted the controversial counterterrorism techniques in the first place.
U.S. Water Utility Reportedly Hacked Last Week, Expert Says
CNet (11/17/11) Mills, Elinor
A state government report indicates that hackers were able to compromise the network of a company that makes supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) for a water utility. The hackers were able to steal customer user names and passwords and burn out a water pump by turning it on and off, said critical infrastructure security expert Joe Weiss in a recent blog. The report did not identify the water utility attacked or the SCADA software vendor, added Weiss. He also declined to say which state originated the report, though a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official indicated the facility may be based in Springfield, Ill. DHS said in an official statement that it was investigating the incident but declined to confirm the breach. "At this time there is no credible corroborated data that indicates a risk to critical infrastructure entities or a threat to public safety," the statement argued. Weiss disputed this assertion, saying that it is not corroborated by the facts of the report. Workers at the water utility allegedly experienced "glitches" for up to three months before the problem was identified as a cyber attack. Weiss did not know for sure how the SCADA system was breached, but speculated that the programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which are used to automate mechanical devices in utilities, power plants, and other industrial control environments, may have been involved. Additionally, he noted that the IP address used in the attack was traced back to Russia, but said that does not mean that the attack actually originated there.
Satellite Hack Attempt Shows U.S. Blind Spot
Wall Street Journal (11/17/11) Page, Jeremy
Gen. Robert Kehler, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, has said that he does not know who was responsible for interfering with two U.S. government satellites on at least four occasions in 2007 and 2008. In remarks made during a teleconference following the release of a report on the matter, Kehler said that he could not make a determination as to who was responsible for the interference because he did not have enough information. The report issued by the U.S.-China Economic Security and Review Commission's report on the interference, which was issued on Wednesday, also did not say how the satellites were interfered with. But draft versions of the report that had previously been made public said that the interference was conducted through the Svalbard ground station in Norway. The owner and operator of that ground station, Kongsberg Satellite Services, has denied that any interference took place. However, Wednesday's report did say that the techniques used to interfere with the satellites did seem to be consistent with a strategy laid out in Chinese military documents that calls for disabling an enemy's terrestrial satellite control facilities during a conflict. The report also said that the successful hacking of a satellite could allow an attacker to damage or destroy that satellite or cause problems with the satellite's transmission.
Congress to Investigate Electronic Spy Threats
Wall Street Journal (11/17/11) Gorman, Siobhan
Intelligence officials and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expressing concern about the expansion of Chinese telecommunications companies into the U.S. In response to those concerns, the House Intelligence Committee is launching an investigation into whether the expansion of companies such as Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp. could give China an opportunity to conduct electronic spying. Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese companies have been supplying components of the nation's telecommunications systems, and there is concern that the Chinese government could access those components to track e-mails or phone calls. Some are worried that Beijing may be able to use the equipment to cause disruptions to or even completely destroy a communications system. Other technologies could also be used in conjunction with the equipment to intercept e-mails and listen in on phone calls, experts have said. The investigation by the House Intelligence Committee follows a review conducted by the Obama administration of the possible security threats caused by the inclusion of equipment from foreign telecom firms into U.S. systems. For their part, Huawei and ZTE have denied that their equipment has caused any security problems.
Facebook Slammed by Porn Attack
Wall Street Journal (11/16/11) Loftus, Tom
A number of Facebook users have been affected by what is being called a "coordinated spam attack" that took place on the social networking site. A statement released by Facebook on Tuesday said that some users had been tricked into pasting and running "malicious JavaScript" in the URL bar of their Web browsers, causing them to unwittingly share pornographic and violent pictures with their friends. The images would then appear in their friends' news feeds. In response to the attack, Facebook is trying to correct the vulnerability in Web browsers that allowed the attacker to take over infected users' accounts. The social networking site has also developed ways to shut down Facebook pages and accounts that are used for malicious purposes. Facebook users are being advised to use stringent privacy settings that limit or prevent their friends from tagging them in posts and pictures, and to use anti-virus software that is running the latest updates. Companies may also want to consider blocking employees from accessing Facebook until the problem has been corrected.
Should Employees Be Allowed to Use Their Own Devices for Work?
Wall Street Journal (11/15/11) Parkinson, John; Sherman, Erik
Cybersecurity experts remain divided regarding the wisdom of allowing employees to bring their own devices to work. Some experts maintain that, regardless of company policy, it is better to be safe and assume that employees will use their own smartphones, tablets, and other technology. While it might once have been simpler for a company to lock down its hardware and software, they say, the quick spread of affordable digital technology means that is no longer the case. Employees often resent such regulations, as they have access to more-advanced and easier-to-use devices at home or find it unreasonable that companies limit all Web surfing and music applications on their work devices. There are four key factors that make it more sensible to allow employee devices. The first is the use of mobile devices, which are currently harder to lock down. However, as security catches up to the technology, costs will fall and techniques will become more effective, some argue. The second factor is virtualization, which allows software installed on a laptop or other device to act as a virtual computer through which other applications are run. This change makes it less important what the device is and who owns it, which remains a primary concern for company IT departments. The third factor is the rising use of contract and outsourced labor, which sometimes makes it economically or legally impossible to influence device choice. The final factor is the economic cost of purchasing devices for every employee who may already own similar (or superior) technology, unnecessarily tying up capital that could be put to better use. All that said, not all experts agree that it is time for companies to give up on locking down corporate technology, because of the technical, operational, security, and legal risks involved. The first of these complications is the question of who owns the device that an employee purchases with company funds. This issue could make it difficult to confiscate the device if the employee is fired or laid off, which would make it difficult to erase sensitive corporate data and programs. It can also make it difficult to accurately monitor employee activity on devices that may also be used by friends or family members. This risk also means that there are more opportunities for someone, particularly someone who has not undergone company training to accidentally access a Web site, file, or e-mail that would jeopardize the organization's network. Experts say that such risks have yet to be balanced by data indicating that productivity improves with the use of employee-owned devices. Until that data becomes available, these experts say, it is better to continue have companies purchase their own devices for worker use.
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