Amos Bridges • News-Leader • February 8, 2010

After a little more than a year of doing business, the Missouri Highway Patrol Crime Lab in Springfield is just getting up to speed. The lab, which opened in December 2008, is one of eight in the state operated by the patrol and the only one other than the Jefferson City lab capable of analyzing a full range of evidence, with sections devoted to firearms, trace evidence, DNA, latent prints, drugs and toxicology.

Read the full article on the Springfield News-Leader site.

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (01/21/2010)

The FBI continues to receive reports of counterfeit check scheme targeting U.S. law firms. As previously reported, scammers send e-mails to lawyers, claiming to be overseas and seeking legal representation to collect delinquent payments from third parties in the U.S. The law firm receives a retainer agreement, invoices reflecting the amount owed, and a check payable to the law firm. The firm is instructed to extract the retainer fee, including any other fees associated with the transaction, and wire the remaining funds to banks in Korea, China, Ireland, or Canada. By the time the check is determined to be counterfeit, the funds have already been wired overseas.

In a new twist, the fraudulent client seeking legal representation is an ex-wife "on assignment" in an Asian country, and she claims to be pursuing a collection of divorce settlement monies from her ex-husband in the U.S. The law firm agrees to represent the ex-wife, sends an e-mail to the ex-husband, and receives a "certified" check for the settlement via delivery service. The ex-wife instructs the firm to wire the funds, less the retainer fee, to an overseas bank account. When the scam is executed successfully, the law firm wires the money before discovering the check is counterfeit.

All Internet users need to be cautious when they receive unsolicited e-mails. Law firms are advised to conduct as much due diligence as possible before engaging in transactions with parties who are handling their business solely via e-mail, particularly those parties claiming to reside overseas.

Please view an additional public service announcement posted to the IC3 web site regarding a similar Asian extortion scheme located at the following link, http://www.ic3.gov/media/2009/090610.aspx. Individuals who receive information pertaining to counterfeit check schemes are encouraged to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

PIC member and Glendale, Missouri Police Chief Richard Black has been named the state's "Outstanding Police Chief" of 2009. Chief Black, a 40-year veteran of the department, was selected for the award by the Missouri Police Chief's Association.

The award is presented annually to an active or life member of the Missouri Police Chief's Association in recognition of that individual's extraordinary service to his or her community and department.

Chief Black received his award on Thursday, December 10 in Jefferson City.

Glendale was also recently ranked among the top 100 safest cities in the nation.

We're very proud of you, Chief Black!

Link to MPCA's Letter to Chief Black

Boston Globe (01/25/10) Smith, James F.

Former CIA officer Rolf Mowatt-Larssenn released a report on Monday detailing al-Qaida's efforts to obtain and use chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons between 1988 and 2003. In his report, Mowatt-Larssenn--who currently serves as a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government--makes it clear that al-Qaida would not hesitate to launch attacks that could kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of Americans. However, the report, which is entitled "Al Qaeda Weapons of Mass Destruction Threat: Hype or Reality," does not answer the question of whether the fact that such attacks have not occurred is the result of effective counterterrorism measures or a decision by al-Qaida not to move forward with devastating terrorist plots. Nevertheless, the possibility that al-Qaida could use nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction is real, said Professor Graham Allison, the head of the Belfer Center and the author of the report's introduction. He added that recognizing this threat is the first step in developing a coherent strategy to prevent massive terrorist attacks from taking place.

Associated Press (12/27/09) Hess, Pamela; Sullivan, Eileen

Government officials and explosives experts say the explosive device used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas day, contained widely available material. Investigators say that Abdulmutallab hid PETN--a small, powerful chemical that is a main ingredient in detonating cords and is also used in military devices and blasting caps--in a condom or a bag just below his torso. When Abdulmutallab tried to detonate the PETN, he injected the bag with what seems to be a glycol-based liquid explosive. Experts also say that airport screening machines, such as "puffer" machines--which blow air onto a passenger and analyze the residue--and full-body imaging scanners, would have likely detected the explosives Abdulmutallab was carrying. However, Abdulmutallab likely only went through a magnetometer, which detects metal and not explosives.

University of Haifa (01/17/10)

The University of Haifa's Yaniv Levyatan says that cyberterrorism is just as much of a threat to today's governments as more conventional forms of terrorism. "A fleet of fighter planes is not necessary to attack a power station; a keyboard is sufficient," Levyatan says. "And if you don’t have the skills, there are enough mercenary hackers who can do it for you." Among international hackers, there is a growing trend to threaten national infrastructures for ransom, he says. Recently, most online fighting has focused on attempts to immobilize leading Web sites, but the next step is to target systems controlled by computer networks such as financial systems, power stations, hospitals, television broadcasts, and satellites, Levyatan says.

According to a Dec. 3 news release from the Department of Justice, Christopher Myers, 40, and Timothy Weatherly, 27, both of the Kansas City, Kan., area, are facing "one count of conspiracy, 30 counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods and one count of trafficking in counterfeit labels" in connection with a scheme that federal investigators say stretched from China to the United States.

According to documents from the U.S. Attorney General's Office in Kansas, Myers in 2003 created a business called Deals Express. Two years later, Weatherly established a company called Deals Direct. Through their businesses, the two would allegedly buy counterfeit Cisco-branded computer hardware built in mainland China and Hong Kong, put counterfeit Cisco labels on it, package it in counterfeit Cisco boxes and sell it with counterfeit Cisco manuals.

In 2005, Weatherly, after creating a Website for Deals Direct called Direct2technology, reportedly began selling the counterfeit Cisco products on eBay.

Authorities began seizing shipments of the counterfeit products in 2005 in Los Angeles, Louisville, Ky., and Wilmington, Ohio.

According to the DOJ, Myers and Weatherly would make suggestions to their Chinese suppliers on how to make the products appear more authentic. When investigators seized some goods, the two began changing the ways their products were shipped, including having them shipped to an address in Portland, Ore., and having goods shipped through other countries, such as Sweden.

Prosecutors said they estimate that the two men made about $1 million from the fraud. If convicted, each man faces five years in prison and a $250,000 on the conspiracy charge and 10 years and a $2 million fine on each trafficking count.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI.

Washington Post (12/03/09) Hsu, Spencer S.

During a speech to the American Israel Friendship League in New York on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that al-Qaida followers are in the U.S. and would like to attack targets here in and in other countries around the world. Napolitano backed up her assertion by citing the case of Najibullah Zazi, the Denver man who was arrested in September for allegedly testing homemade bombs similar to the ones used in the 2004 Madrid train bombing. Zazi also allegedly trained with al-Qaida in Pakistan. Napolitano noted that the arrests of terrorist suspects such as Zazi disproves the notion that U.S. anti-terrorism efforts overseas will eliminate the threat of terrorism here at home. "The fact is that home-based terrorism is here," Napolitano said. "And like violent extremism abroad, it is now part of the threat picture that we must confront."

November 29, 2009

Organized Internet-based crime has reached such intensity and scale that the distinction between cybercrime and cyberwar is being blurred, security giant McAfee said in its annual Virtual Criminology Report. McAfee Inc., based in Santa Clara, Calif., is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. UPI reports that the report’s findings come less than a month after the United States ran a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of cybercrime risks among individuals and businesses.

The number of reports of cyberattacks and network infiltrations that appear to be linked to nation-states and political goals continues to increase, McAfee said. “There is active debate as to when a cyberattack reaches the threshold of damage and disruption to warrant being categorized as cyberwarfare,” said the report. “With critical infrastructure as likely targets of cyberattacks, and private company ownership of many of the information systems in these sectors, private companies will likely be caught in the crossfire,” the report warned.

McAfee CEO Dave DeWalt said, “Experts disagree about the use of the term ‘cyberwar,’ and our goal at McAfee is not to create hype or stoke unwarranted fear. But our research has shown that while there may be debate over the definition of cyberwar, there is little disagreement that there are increasing numbers of cyberattacks that more closely resemble political conflict than crime.

“We have also seen evidence that nations around the world are ramping up their capabilities in cyberspace, in what some have referred to as a cyber arms race. If cyberspace becomes the next battleground, what are the implications for the global economy and vital citizen services that rely upon the information infrastructure?” DeWalt asked. “What should those of us outside the military do to prepare for the next wave of cyberattacks?”

McAfee believes the private sector at large needs to prepare for cyberattacks, and “those businesses that can weather the storm better than their competitors could be in a position to gain considerable market share.”

McAfee also called for greater transparency in current discussions on combating cybercrime. The report said, “Too much of the debate on policies related to cyberwar is happening behind closed doors.”

Analysts said although the Obama administration rectified this by bringing the cybercrime debate into the open, many other countries in the industrialized world still insist on confidentiality over the issue.

The gala was sponsored by the Crusade Against Crime of America and the St. Louis Area Police Chiefs' Association. It is the highest award given by the community at large to a law enforcement officer.

Honored with the Medal of Valor were:

From the St. Louis Police Department: Officers Dwaine Hollinshed, Matthew Simpson, David Calcaterra, Craig Robertson, Ishmael Tyson and Edgar Stegall; Detectives Soloman Thurman and Frank Williams; Sgts. Harvey Burnett and Scott Boyher.

From the St. Louis County Police Department: Officers Daniel Brinkman and Jacob Maechling and Detective Kurt Hauser.

Also honored were: Florissant police Officer Kirk Lawless; Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Timothy Craig; Missouri Department of Conservation agent Robert Sulkowski; Moline Acres police Officers Charles Dawson Sr. and Derrick Sutton and Detective Sgt. David Bobo; and O'Fallon police Officers Michael Doerge Sr. and Charles Niel.

Each recipient's heroic efforts either saved a life or prevented a senseless death, said event host Karen Foss, senior vice president at AmerenUE.

Consider the case of Officers Hollinshed and Simpson. On Oct. 1, 2007, the officers spotted a gunman chasing another one, while firing shots at him. As they ran across Kingshighway, Simpson distracted the gunman, who turned his gun toward the officers and began firing at them.

Simpson returned fire and struck the man — several times — ending the gunfight.

"The officers ran to where the man had fallen, recovered his weapon and handcuffed him," Foss told the attendees. "After handcuffing him, they realized he had stopped breathing and lost his pulse."

She said the officers were soon surrounded by a group of the assailant's neighborhood friends.

"Realizing the dangers of the situation, but knowing they could not let the man die, the officers removed the handcuffs, and Officer Simpson turned his back to the crowd and began CPR."

Foss said Simpson revived the assailant. He later died.

"The officer's selfless acts gave the man a second chance at life and saved the life of another," Foss said.

The Medal of Valor is awarded in recognition of a conspicuous act of bravery that exceeds the normal demands of police service. It expresses the community's gratitude for the sound judgment demonstrated by an officer in the performance of his or her duty.
 

Via National Terror Alert and the Wall Street Journal

According to a WSJ report today, The FBI is looking at groups suspected of having links to al Qaeda who have shown an interest in mounting an attack on computer systems that control critical U.S. infrastructure.

While there is no evidence that terrorist groups have developed sophisticated cyber-attack capabilities yet, a lack of security protections in U.S. computer software increases the likelihood that terrorists could execute attacks in the future, an official warned.

If terrorists were to amass such capabilities, they would be wielded with “destructive and deadly intent,” Steven Chabinsky, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

“The FBI is aware of and investigating individuals who are affiliated with or sympathetic to al Qaeda who have recognized and discussed the vulnerabilities of the U.S. infrastructure to cyber-attack,” Mr. Chabinsky told the committee, without providing details.

Such infrastructure could include power grids and transportation systems.

The control systems of U.S. infrastructure as well as money transfers are now connected directly or indirectly to the Internet. Hackers have been able to penetrate computer systems running components of the U.S. electric grid as well as divert bank transfers.

Full Article: WSJ Online

Washinton Post – (International) 

China is significantly boosting its capabilities in cyberspace as a way to gather intelligence and, in the event of war, hit the U.S. government in a weak spot, U.S. officials and experts say. Outgunned and outspent in terms of traditional military hardware, China apparently hopes that by concentrating on holes in the U.S. security architecture, its communications and spy satellites and its vast computer networks, it will collect intelligence that could help it counter the imbalance. The U.S. President, who is scheduled to visit China next week, has vowed to improve ties with the Asian giant, especially its military. But according to current and former U.S. officials, China’s aggressive hacking has sowed doubts about its intentions. U.S. officials and experts of all political persuasions in the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill, in private industry and in think tanks are convinced that China is behind many of the most egregious attacks. A senior Air Force official estimated that, as of two years ago, China has stolen at least 10 to 20 terabytes of data from U.S. government networks, the larger figure equal, by some estimates, to one-fifth of the Library of Congress’s digital holdings. Nuclear weapons labs, defense contractors, the State Department and other sensitive federal government agencies have fallen prey. What experts do not know is exactly what has been stolen or how badly U.S. systems have been exposed.