| |
Report: Colorado Psychiatrist Tried to Discuss Student Accused in Aurora Movie Shooting
Associated Press (08/02/12)
A Denver-area ABC affiliate is reporting that a University of Colorado psychiatrist who had been treating mass shooting suspect James Holmes before his July 20 rampage had raised concerns about Holmes to members of a campus security committee in early June. KMGH-TV on Aug. 1 reported, citing unnamed sources, that University of Colorado psychiatrist Lynne Fenton called members of the campus Behavior Evaluation and Threat Assessment team, which she also belongs to, to voice her concerns about Holmes in early June. Holmes began the process to drop out of the school on June 10 and KMGH reports that the Behavior Evaluation and Threat Assessment team never met to discuss him before the July 20 shooting. The university has not commented on the report, except to confirm that Fenton was a member of the Behavior Evaluation and Assessment team, citing a court order barring the school from releasing details about Holmes' time at the campus. Reports last week alleged that Holmes had mailed package containing a journal with plans for a shooting to Fenton's office in the weeks before July 20, but that it was not opened until after the shooting. Holmes' defense has asked that the journal and its contents be sealed, citing doctor-patient confidentiality.
The Charge in Workplace Threat Case is a Misdemeanor
CNN.com (08/01/12) Cratty, Carol
Maryland officials say that the man arrested last week for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at his workplace will be charged with a misdemeanor upon being released from the hospital. Neil Prescott was arrested July 27 after repeatedly threatening his coworkers and workplace during a pair of phone calls with a supervisor earlier in the week. The threat caught the attention of police in part because Prescott referred to himself as "a joker," which they took as an allusion to the deadly shooting in Aurora, Colo., the week before. At Prescott's apartment police found some 25 firearms, including assault rifles and handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. On Wednesday, Prince George's County, Md., State Attorney Angela Alsobrooks announced that Prescott will be arrested and face a charge of misuse of a telephone after his court-ordered psychiatric evaluation is completed. Alsobrooks explains that the charges are not more severe because Prescott owned all his weapons legally and because Maryland lacks any statutes that specifically outlaw making generalized threats over the telephone. Prescott faces up to three years in jail, a $500 fine, or both if convicted on the misdemeanor charge.
Chick-Fil-A in Martinsburg Re-Opens After Bomb Threat
The Journal (08/01/12)
A Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Martinsburg, W.V., was evacuated and shut down for three hours on Aug. 1 after someone called in a bomb threat just before 1 pm that day. Martinsburg police and firefighters rushed to the scene and evacuated the building and were later joined by canine units from the National Park Rangers and the West Virginia State Police, which swept the building for explosives. The restaurant was reopened at 3:45 pm and law enforcement said that no explosives had been found. A press release from Martinsburg police stated that the call had been traced and police were following up leads about the male caller. Chick-Fil-A recently became embroiled in the national debate over gay rights after the chain's president, Don Cathy, made comments about his opposition to same-sex marriage in an interview with the Baptist Press. The controversy sparked calls from gay rights advocates for a boycott of the chain, and inspired the recent "National Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day," which left locations around the country packed with customers. It is not yet known whether the Aug. 1 bomb threat was related to the controversy.
Higher Retail Wages Correlate With Lower Levels of Employee Theft
PhysOrg.com (07/30/12)
University of Illinois and University of Southern California researchers have found that retailers that raise wages can significantly reduce employee theft and improve corporate ethics among workers. The study's authors used data sets from the convenience-store industry, controlling for each store's employee characteristics, monitoring environment, and socioeconomic environment, and discovered that higher wages were associated with lower employee theft. "There's actually very little research on the effect of wages on employee theft," said co-author Clara Xiaoling Chen. "A seminal study conducted in the field has examined what happens after a firm cuts workers' pay. What's different in our paper is that there's no such shock as a pay cut, whose effect is typically short-lived and does not persist. The fact that we can document the relation in our study using cross-sectional data suggests that the effect of wages on employee theft can persist over time." The researchers attributed the negative correlation between employee theft and higher wages with workers' wishes to retain their higher paying jobs and because of the good will they feel towards their company. They also said that companies who pay higher wages may attract more honest workers. Based on these findings, researchers encourage companies to find the appropriate balance between paying higher wages and the cost of theft. Full results of the study can be found in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Accounting Research.
Instead of Gun Control: More Private Security
Bloomberg Business Week (07/23/12) Barrett, Paul M.
After the deadly shooting in Aurora, Colo., on July 20, Bloomberg Businessweek editor and author Paul M. Barrett opines that instead of falling back on what he views as a tired and unproductive debate about gun control in response to the tragedy, the nation should respond instead by calling for an increase in the use of private security. "If you really want to stop mass shootings in public places, demand that owners of movie theaters, supermarkets, playgrounds, and you-name-the-venue hire armed security guards to keep watch for people dressed in body armor and carrying weapons," writes Barrett. He argues that most major sport arenas, another venue in which massive numbers of people gather together, already conduct searches of patrons for illicit weapons, and that the same should be done elsewhere. Barrett does acknowledge a potential slippery slope, citing the examples of London in the run up to 2012 Olympics and Tel Aviv, Israel as the examples of places where mass violence, or its mere threat, has led to the presence of armed security forces almost everywhere. It is not possible to always prevent every madman hell bent on mass murder, says Barrett, but when we have the ability to do more to protect ourselves, we should take advantage of it.
Spain Arrests 3 al-Qaeda Suspects Thought to be Plotting Attacks in Spain, Europe
Associated Press (08/03/12)
Police in Spain have arrested three members of al-Qaida, in what officials there are calling one of the most important operations against the terrorist organization ever. Two of the individuals, a Russian and a Russian of Chechen descent, were arrested near the central Spanish city of Ciudad Real while they were traveling towards France via bus. The third individual, a Turk, was arrested in southern Spain near Gibraltar. Officials say that one of the men is a key member of al-Qaida, though they did not specify which one. However, officials did say that they found enough explosive material in the house of the Turkish man to blow up a bus. In addition, officials said that the suspects had a significant amount of experience with explosives and had engaged in training to learn how to be a sniper and how to create poisons. Authorities believe that the three may have been plotting to carry out attacks in Spain or some other European country. Specific information about possible targets has not been revealed, though officials have said that they do not believe that the British colony of Gibraltar was a target.
Calif. Professor's Email Reveals Shooting Plot
Associated Press (08/02/12) Taxin, Amy
Police say that University of California, Irvine, professor Rainer Reinscheid entertained violent fantasies about killing students at the California high school his son attended following his son's suicide. Reinscheid's son, Claas Stubbe, hanged himself after being ordered to pick up trash for stealing from the school store. Reinscheid subsequently wrote a series of graphic e-mails detailing plans to purchase machine guns, kill 200 students, sexually assault a school counselor, and kill the assistant principle who disciplined Stubbe. According to law enforcement officials, he never prepared to carry out the most violent of his plans. However, he has been charged with setting a series of small fires at the school between July 1 and July 19. He was caught by police when trying to start a sixth fire on July 24. The e-mails were discovered in the investigation following his arrest, and prosecutors have used them as evidence to have Reinscheid held without bail until his hearing on Aug. 8. It is unclear whether the e-mails will be allowed to be used as evidence in his trial.
Charlotte Police Say They're Ready for Protests
Associated Press (08/02/12) Biesecker, Michael ; Weiss, Mitch
Law enforcement officials in Charlotte, N.C., are gearing up for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, which will likely be the biggest event the city has ever seen. In addition to President Obama, Vice President Biden, and hundreds of delegates, the convention is also expected to draw an untold number of protesters to Charlotte. While the exact number of protesters who will descend on the city remains unclear at this point, a coalition of 70 groups known as Wall Street South is reportedly planning to hold peaceful protests to draw attention to the issue of economic inequality as well as other problems that they believe are plaguing the country. Anarchist groups and the national Occupy movement have also called on their supporters to travel to Charlotte to take part in demonstrations. A recently-passed city ordinance will limit these protesters to certain areas of downtown Charlotte and will prohibit them from carrying backpacks and other items into those areas. A number of security measures will also be in place, including 9-foot-tall steel fences and portable vehicle barriers. In any event, police say that the lack of any neighborhoods adjacent to downtown Charlotte--which is ringed by several major highways--will prevent any violent protesters from leaving the central business district and causing trouble.
U.S.: More Pakistani Action on Terrorism
Associated Press (08/01/12) Klapper, Bradley
Lawmakers and officials in the Obama administration are increasingly focusing on the threat from the Haqqani network, the Pakistani militant group that U.S. officials believe is the biggest threat to the stability of neighboring Afghanistan. One reason why U.S. officials think that the Haqqanis pose a threat to Afghanistan's security is because of the fact that the group is using Pakistan as a base to launch attacks on American and coalition troops. The Haqqanis have also launched attacks on the U.S. Embassy and the NATO compound in Kabul. Faced with this threat, the Obama administration on Tuesday urged Pakistan to break off any remaining ties its security services may have with the Haqqanis and to take steps to prevent bomb-making materials from moving between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The pressure that the Obama administration is placing on Pakistan to cut off ties with the Haqqanis comes as Congress is pushing for the group to be labeled a terrorist organization. The Senate approved a bill last week that would require Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to report to Congress whether or not the Haqqani network meets the guidelines for being designated as a terrorist organization, and to provide an explanation if it does not. Clinton would be required to provide that report within 30 days after the bill is signed by President Obama.
U.S. Sees Shift in Terrorist Threats
Wall Street Journal (07/31/12) Gorman, Siobhan
According to the State Department's Country Report on Terrorism 2011, terrorism is down overall following the death of Osama bin Laden and the political upheavals of the Arab Spring uprisings. However, the 12 percent decline in the overall number of terror attacks comes as the centers of such activity shifts west from the Pakistan/Afghanistan border region that hosts the core members of al-Qaida, to Iran and the numerous regional al-Qaida affiliates currently making their presence felt in Arabia and North and East Africa. Attacks by al-Qaida were up overall thanks in large part to the Somali militia al Shabaab, which is closely allied with al-Qaida and its Yemen franchise al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Qaida in Iraq is also suspected of funneling fighters into Syria in an attempt to infiltrate and perhaps hijack the armed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The other major threat to the U.S. is Iran and its Lebanese proxy group Hezbollah, which the report notes have stepped up attempts to attack Israeli and U.S. targets largely in response to U.S. led sanctions aimed at curtailing Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. has accused the Iranian army's Quds Force of plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. and Israel assert that Iran has been behind recent plots against western and Israeli targets in Azerbaijan, Thailand, India, Kenya, and, possibly the recent bombing of a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria.
Olympics Tap Big Data to Enhance Security
InformationWeek (07/31/12) Fogarty, Kevin
Applying big data to forensic data search and analysis is unusual in the world of big data, but could give responders in Olympics security operations centers both an early warning of threats and preconfigured ways to respond to them in ways security staff at previous Games couldn't manage, according to LogRhythm CTO Chris Petersen. Big data analysis applications are searching through tens of thousands of logs generated every day, tracking almost every clue of physical and digital activity within the Olympic Village and the population of spectators and Olympic Games workers outside it. Games organizers also are using security information and event management (SIEM) systems and log files from network servers, digital-door-lock scanners, firewalls, point-of-sale systems, and other computer-augmented systems. Petersen says that when routed through the SIEM systems and big data analysis engines, the logs yield a detailed, real-time schematic of all potentially suspicious activity. Meanwhile, authorities warn that several email scams are circulating at the Games, taking advantage of the high level of interest to try to infiltrate both onsite and remote spectators.
2 South Koreans Arrested in Theft of Data From 8 Million Cellphone Customers
Associated Press (NY) (07/30/12)
South Korean police on Sunday announced that they had arrested a pair of hackers who allegedly stole and sold the personal details of some 8 million cell phone subscribers over a period of five months. Police claim the two men developed a piece of malware that they then introduced into the network of KT Corp., one of South Korea's largest telecom companies, where it collected customer names, residential registration numbers, and phone numbers, going undetected for months. The two hackers are believed to have made $877,000 from the scheme by selling the stolen personal info to telemarketing companies. According to police, another seven people, including a former KT employee, were also arrested in relation to scheme, which began in February and affected more than half of KT's 18 million customers. South Korea has seen a number of such large scale data thefts in recent years. Online game developer Nexon had the personal data of 13 million of its players stolen in 2011, while the information of 35 million members of the Web portal Nate and Cyworld was also released that year.
Mac Malware Spies on Email, Survives Reboots
InformationWeek (07/30/12) Schwartz, Mathew J.
Kaspersky Lab researchers have spotted a new malware targeting Apple OS X systems that disguises itself as an Adobe Flash Player installer. Kaspersky says it first spotted the Crisis malware, also known as Morcut, earlier in July. Researchers say the attack, which so far has not been spotted in the wild, can intercept email and instant messaging, among other functions, and could be used for very targeted attacks. The malware arrives as a Java archive file that has allegedly been signed by VeriSign, and the attack includes an installer for assorted modules, including one that communicates with the botnet's command-and-control servers. First the installer checks to see if it has already been installed, and then it activates a rootkit, which hides its malicious files and processes in the OS X system library, enabling the malware to withstand reboots. The rootkit also makes sure the malware can operate automatically, without requiring administrator-level authentication. The code also contains hooks into the Apple OS X operating system that let it either monitor or control any built-in Webcam, follow mouse coordinates, copy clipboard contents, and spy on instant messaging tools. Kaspersky researchers speculate that the malware was made for wider use in the future, based on its capabilities and the fact that its modules were written professionally.
New Web Standards Bring New Security Worries
Technology Review (07/27/12) Simonite, Tom
A pair of presentations at last week's Black Hat security conference demonstrated vulnerabilities created by the use of HTML5 to create internet and mobile app content. HTML5 vastly expanded the potential of browser-based applications, allowing for the creation of effectively platform neutral software, games, and apps that could operate on almost any device capable of running a browser. However, HTML5 also has led to an array of new vulnerabilities that current antivirus and firewall technology are not equipped to counter. Blueinfy's Shreeraj Shah demonstrated many potential vulnerabilities made possible by HTML5, including methods of exploring a target's internal network and inspecting data cached in a browser. Sergey Shekyan and colleagues from Qualys demonstrated how, using the related WebSocket protocol, one can gain remote control of a browser without alerting its user. Shekyan and his colleagues say they could use the technique to direct a browser to conduct silent attacks on other Web sites or to steal browser history and cookies without tipping off the browser's user. "None of the mechanisms that are supposed to catch malicious traffic will work because there are no firewalls that are aware of WebSocket protocol," Shekyan notes.
Rise Is Seen in Cyberattacks Targeting U.S. Infrastructure
New York Times (07/27/12) Sanger, David E.; Schmitt, Eric
U.S. National Security Agency director Gen. Keith B. Alexander says cyberattacks targeting U.S. critical infrastructure rose by a factor of 17 between 2009 and 2011, with criminal gangs, hackers, and other countries driving this increase. Moreover, Alexander warns that the U.S. is ill prepared to repulse a large-scale cyberassault, rating its preparedness as "around a three" on a scale of one to 10. He calls for approval of legislation to grant the government new authority to defend private U.S. computer networks. Rules of engagement for responding to cyberattacks are still under development by the Obama administration, Alexander notes. However, he stresses the need for some automatic defenses, as well as the president's involvement in any decisions about retaliation, given the tremendous speed with which a cyberattack can occur. Alexander confirms that the president has exclusive power to authorize a U.S.-directed cyberattack under current authorities. The Pentagon previously said a U.S. retaliation against an attack on U.S. soil could either come in the form of a counter-cyberattack or a traditional armed response.
Abstracts Copyright © 2012 Information, Inc. Bethesda, MD |
No comments:
Post a Comment