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Gem Heists Dull Antwerp's Sparkle
Wall Street Journal (04/12/13) Dalton, Matthew
Concerns about security in the wake of a rash of robberies could result in Antwerp, Belgium, losing its distinction as being the world's leading trading hub for diamonds. Many in Antwerp's diamond industry say they have never felt so insecure as they have following the recent robberies, including one that took place at Brussels Airport in February that resulted in tens of millions of dollars of diamonds being stolen. The industry has taken steps to protect itself, as evidenced by the presence of retractable steel pillars, armed guards, bulletproof glass, and other security measures in use at facilities in the center of Antwerp's diamond district. But despite the use of such security precautions, many in Antwerp's diamond industry are still fearful for their security, which they say is the result of Belgian police not being aggressive enough in investigating robberies--a charge which a spokeswoman for the Belgian Federal Police denied. The spokeswoman noted that major diamond robberies are carefully planned, making it more difficult to track down the perpetrators and recover the stolen diamonds. Diamond dealers in Antwerp say that the Belgian government, not private security companies, must be responsible for the security of the industry. Some are not optimistic that the government will assume that responsibility, prompting them to consider moving to other major diamond centers such as Dubai.
Insurance Company Says Arson Ring Operated in Flint for Two Decades
MLive.com (04/11/13) Ridley, Gary
State Farm Insurance claims that an arson-for-profit ring deliberately set fires to properties in Flint, Mich., in order to defraud it and other insurance companies out of more than $2 million over two decades. Among those accused of being involved in the more than 12-member ring is the Flint-based public adjustment company Allied and Associates and its president, Gary Lappin, who allegedly submitted at least 15 fraudulent claims to State Farm. A lawsuit filed by State Farm notes that Lappin worked with two groups of people who set the fires--which were started at homes that were owned or rented by the suspects--and then helped them submit fraudulent claims to the company. State Farm also claims that some of the fires were set shortly after insurance policies on the properties were purchased. One fire was set the same day an insurance policy was purchased for the property, State Farm said, while two other fires took place within two weeks after coverage was obtained. Lappin had admitted to helping prepare the claims mentioned in the lawsuit but said he did not know how the fires started. He suggested that the lawsuit may be retaliation for the work he and his company does in helping clients obtain large settlements from insurance companies. Two other alleged members of the ring still face lawsuits filed by State Farm, while the others have either settled, had their cases dismissed, or had default judgements entered against them.
Rates of Workplace Violence Higher for Government Employees
PR Newswire (04/11/13)
The number of government employees affected by workplace violence was nearly triple the number of private sector employees affect by such violence in 2011, according to a survey released by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics. The private sector experienced 5.2 nonfatal incidents per 1,000 employees over the age of 16 in 2011, compared to the 18 nonfatal incidents per 1,000 employees of local, state, and federal government. Some 56 percent of workplace violence incidents against government workers took place among law enforcement and security personnel. These two job types experienced the highest amount of workplace violence of all job types for both the private and public sectors. Serious violent crime like rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault remained higher in the private sector than in the public sector, with the private sector experiencing 8.7 such crimes per 1,000 employees and the public sector experiencing 4.7 such crimes per 1,000 employees. During 2011, the private sector recorded 367 homicides in the workplace, compared to 90 homicides among government employees. Despite the grim numbers, the annual average rate of workplace violence in both sectors has been on the decline. From 1994 to 2011, violence against government employees declined by 82 percent while violence against private sector employees declined 72 percent.
Woman's Body Found in Rubble of Burned Detroit Building
Detroit Free Press (04/09/13) Lawrence, Eric D.
A woman's remains have been found in the charred rubble of a medical office building in Detroit, hours after a man allegedly began shooting and set fire to the establishment on Tuesday. Police have not yet identified the woman's remains, but friends and family of Sharita Williams, a medical assistant who worked at the Park Medical Centers building, said she has not been heard from since the incident occurred. The gunman is believed to be either a current or former maintenance worker who recently ended a relationship with Williams. Security officers in the building said the man, identified as Myron Williams, took two women hostages, shooting one before taking the other into the basement. Myron Williams has also been reported missing, but his body has not been found. The two Williams' are not related, and both were reportedly inside the building during the fire.
Theft Epidemic
Albuquerque Journal (04/08/13) Dyer, Jessica
Statistics from the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention show the extent of damage caused by shoplifters and organized retail crime (ORC) rings in the United States. About $13 million in goods is stolen from U.S. retailers on a yearly basis, the statistics show. The statistics also show that the nation's 27 million shoplifters are caught on average one in every 48 times they steal, and they are turned over to police only about 50 percent of the time. A separate problem that retailers are facing is the problem of ORC, which is different from shoplifting in that the theft is typically carried out for financial gain, whereas shoplifters usually intend to use the stolen items themselves. Those involved in ORC treat it like an everyday job, typically lifting the items, selling them at a later date, and using the financial gain to take care of everyday bills. Police say the advent of the Internet has made it much easier for ORC perpetrators to sell their items much more quickly and without leaving a trail. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), most victims of ORC are big-box retailers, and theft rings are made up of anyone from groups of employees to members of a thieving family. Security officials have even reported arresting a man who used homeless people to lift the items, paying them for their services with drugs. The NRF lists small electronic devices like laptops and digital cameras as the items most often stolen in ORC. Other popular items for theft include energy drinks, weight loss pills, cigarettes, cell phones, pregnancy tests, lotions, and detergents.
Student Charged After 14 Wounded in Mass Stabbing at Texas College
Associated Press (04/10/13)
At least 14 people were injured in a stabbing spree at the Lone Star College campus outside of Houston on Tuesday. Police say that the stabbings began at about 11:20 a.m. local time and that the suspected attacker, Dylan Quick, went from building to building on the campus stabbing students with a razor-type knife. Many of the victims were stabbed in the face and the neck. Pieces of the blade were found in the body of at least one victim, as well as in the area where there stabbing occurred. Authorities also say it appears that students and faculty members tried to subdue Quick before police arrived. Quick was eventually arrested, and a search of his belongings turned up the handle of the knife believed to have been used in the attacks. Police later interviewed Quick and learned that he had long fantasized about stabbing people to death, and that he had been planning an attack on the Lone Star College campus outside of Houston for some time. Quick has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault, though more charges could be filed. Tuesday's stabbing spree took place three months after a shooting at a different Lone Star College campus resulted in injuries to two people.
U.S. Drones Target Low-Level Militants Who Pose No Threat
The Independent (Ireland) (04/10/13) Judd, Terri
The U.S. government has been targeting "unknown extremists" who might pose little or no threat to the country, according to documents obtained by the U.S. news agency McClatchy. McClatchy reported 265 of the 482 people killed by U.S. drone strikes in the 12 months up to September 2011 were listed as Afghan, Pakistani, or unknown extremists. The U.S. government has previously said such strikes are only used to target "senior operational leaders" in al-Qaida, those involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks, or people plotting imminent attacks on the United States. Jennifer Gibson, a lawyer working with the British human rights charity Reprieve, said the Obama administration has been misleading the American public and the world when disclosing information about the U.S. drone program. She said the Pakistani government has been working alongside the U.S. government to facilitate the strikes even while condemning such strikes publicly. "The reports show a significant number of the strikes have nothing to do with al-Qaida. Instead, they may have been a quid pro quo exchange between two countries' spy agencies," she explained. "The result is that the U.S. often doesn't know who it is killing."
Senate Immigration Plan Would Stiffen Border Security, Increase Surveillance
Associated Press (04/10/13)
Senators have released details from the bipartisan bill intended to overhaul the country's immigration laws and improve the security of the nation's borders. If passed in its current form, the bill will require surveillance of 100 percent of the U.S. border with Mexico and apprehension of 90 percent of people attempting to cross in high-risk areas. As of 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported having control of 44 percent of the border. A recent Government Accountability Office report, meanwhile, showed that one high-traffic area near Tucson, Ariz., had an 87 percent apprehension rate. DHS will have six months from the bills enactment to create a new border security plan to improve on these numbers by deploying necessary personnel, infrastructure, and technology. Then, if the 90 percent rate is not achieved in five years, a commission of border state officials will make recommendations on how to achieve it. Other measures in the bill call on employers to institute mandatory electronic verification of workers' legal status. A new electronic exit system would also be put in place at airports and seaports to better monitor individuals here on temporary visas.
Gunman Kills 13 People in Serbian Village
New York Times (04/09/13) Bilefsky, Dan
More than a dozen people were killed in a shooting rampage that took place in a small Serbian village on Tuesday morning. Police say that the attacks began between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. local time in the village of Velika Ivanca, which is located 30 miles southeast of Belgrade. The suspect, Ljubisa Bogdanovic, is believed to have first used his licensed handgun to fatally shoot his son in the head in his home. Bogdanovic's wife was also shot and killed. Bogdanovic then allegedly went from house to house, entering homes through unlocked doors and shooting and killing several of his neighbors and relatives, including a two-year-old child. Some of the victims were sleeping when they were shot and killed. All told, 13 people were killed in the shootings. Bogdanovic eventually made his way back to his home and threatened to commit suicide after police arrived. However, he did not kill himself and was instead taken to a hospital. It remains unclear what motive the suspect may have had in carrying out the attacks. Bogdanovic reportedly lost his job last year and was a veteran of the Balkan wars. Neighbors have said that Bogdanovic did not seem to be the violent type, and he is not known to have a history of mental illness or arrests.
Targeted Killing Comes to Define War on Terror
New York Times (04/08/13) Shane, Scott
Although Obama administration officials say that they do not prefer to kill terrorist suspects instead of capturing them, the White House's approach to dealing with terrorism has been defined by targeted killings of suspected terrorist targets. Since President Obama took office in 2009, the CIA and U.S. military has killed about 3,000 people -- mostly through the use of drone strikes -- in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Comparatively, a small number of terrorism suspects have been brought to the United States and questioned. Using drone strikes means American troops do not need to risk their lives, and America does not need to risk significantly souring relations with foreign countries like Pakistan and Yemen that are reluctant to have even a small U.S. presence in their borders. It also comes down to efficiency -- killing a terrorist target is much more efficient than capturing and questioning them, especially if the interrogation would have little potential to elicit useful information. Despite being unpopular abroad, foreign security officials typically tolerate drone strikes because they are less intrusive than U.S. troops landing in their country.
Researcher Takes Controls of Aircraft System With Android Phone
ZDNet (CA) (04/11/13) Heath, Nick
A European security researcher says he was able to hack into the cockpit systems of an airliner and gain control of flight and cockpit display systems running on the ground by using a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone. Hugo Teso presented his findings at the Hack In The Box Conference in Amsterdam, saying that he could change a plane's course, altitude, and speed using the phone's built-in accelerometer. Teso uploaded the changed flight data to the Flight Management System using the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, which is a communication relay used between pilots and flight controllers that he says is largely unsecured. Teso said he was also able to break into the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system used to relay an aircraft's position to ground controllers, which would allow him eavesdrop on information being sent, block information, or send his own data. He said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Administration were currently working to fix the vulnerability.
Seoul Blames Cyberattack on North Korea
Wall Street Journal (04/10/13) Gale, Alastair
South Korean officials on Wednesday claimed the massive Internet shutdown that struck the country last month was the work of North Korea's military intelligence agency. During that attack, which resulted in one of the largest disruptions of South Korea's computer systems ever, hackers used malware to shut down targeted computers at television networks and banks. The attack carried with it trademark signatures of North Korean tampering, according to investigators. South Korea's science ministry said the attacks "coincide with previous hacking methods of North Korea." South Korean officials believe North Korea could have large teams of hackers, some of whom are based in China. Officials in South Korea also say that North Korea has carried out other attacks in the past, including malware incidents and denial of service attacks against a network of a local bank, the Web site of a major newspaper, and several government Web sites.
Cyber Threat Alert to Windows XP Users
Financial Times (04/08/13) McCarthy, Bede
Microsoft will stop supporting its XP operating system starting next year, meaning that companies must update to a new platform or risk cyberattacks. Microsoft says it will cease updating Windows XP on April 8, 2014, 12 years after the OS was first released. But according to U.K. consultancy Camwood, one in five British IT managers plan on using the software after that date, even though they will be unable to receive security updates or technical support from Microsoft. Microsoft cautions its customers to allow up to 30 months to fully migrate from Windows XP to a newer version. “The message that Microsoft is switching off the lights is being received loud and clear by the IT community but it would appear that businesses don’t understand the perils of remaining on XP,” says Camwood CEO Adrian Foxall. Eighty-two percent of IT managers said they were cognizant of Windows XP's imminent termination. Of those who had not upgraded, 21 percent were concerned about the migration process, and 16 percent cited a lack of budget for the update. “In these tough economic times, it is not surprising that business leaders do not want to invest a substantial amount of money in something that essentially isn’t broken, as is the case with Windows XP today,” Foxall notes.
Post-Breach: Utah Boosts Info Security
GovInfoSecurity.com (04/08/13) McGee, Marianne Kolbasuk
Utah has taken several steps to improve its information security after a pair of data breaches at the state's department of health last year and in January exposed hundreds of thousands of health records. The department of health in particular has made changes, chief among them the creation of an internal IT security team that will be funded by $300,000 approved by state legislators. Up until now the health department had relied on the state IT department and third-party contractors for data security. Utah Health IT Coordinator Robert Rolfs says the new two-to-four person team will focus on HIPAA compliance and addressing issues raised by an audit of the department. Rolfs says the audit showed a need to improve data risk assessment and classification, security procedures, training, life-cycle and change management, contingency planning, governance, and vendor management. He notes that after an analysis of the breaches, "we have a much clearer idea what we need to do as an agency internally and what we need to demand from the various third parties, including vendors, contractors, and [the state's] department of technology services."
Hackers Hit Israel Over Palestinians
Wall Street Journal (04/08/13) Mitnick, Joshua
A pro-Palestinian group of hackers that said it was affiliated with the hacker group Anonymous launched a cyber attack against about 600 Israeli Web sites on April 7. The so-called "OpIsrael" attack consisted of distributed denial of service attacks that sought to crash Web sites. While a spokesman for the Israeli Finance Ministry said no Web sites were affected by the attack, others pointed out that Israel's Education Ministry site was down for most of April 7, and the sites of both the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange failed briefly on that date. Guy Mizrahi, who runs the Cyberia security consulting firm and works with the Israeli government, said the attacks were "mostly pesky," with damage from them stemming mostly from the money it would cost to fix the breaches and the negative publicity from the incident. While Israel is known for its secure networks on critical government infrastructure in the country, it is also known among hacker communities that the country's defense for private sector businesses is lacking.
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