The NIPC Watch and Warning Unit compiles this report to inform recipients of issues impacting the integrity and capability of the nations critical infrastructures.
CDC seeks funding for new labs. Since the 11 September and the anthrax attacks that followed, lawmakers have been quick to promise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) money to fight bio-terrorism. But agency officials say its crumbling buildings need just-as-urgent attention. ''We don't have any extra room,'' said Dr. Jim Pirkle of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. Earlier in July, the CDC dedicated two new labs at its campus in suburban Atlanta - structures to house scientists working on parasitic diseases and toxins. (Associated Press, 29 Jul) Livermore lab plans pathogen facility. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory wants to build a research facility where its scientists can study the dangerous bacteria and viruses that are an increasing focus of its renewed counter-terrorism mission. The building would allow scientists to work on major bio-terrorism threats, including bugs that cause diseases such as anthrax, bubonic plague, and tularemia. The lab's research centers are currently limited to diseases that are not transmitted in the air and are easily treated. This means lab scientists can work on salmonella, measles and hepatitis B, and also bacteria that cause anthrax and the plague. The new facility would allow lab scientists to work with diseases that are spread through the air and, while treatable, could cause serious illness or death. (Contra Costa Times, 25 Jul) Al Qaeda suspects arrested with plans to poison water supplies. Officials have arrested two Al Qaeda terror suspects in the US with documents in their possession about how to poison the country's water supplies. The first case involves James Ujaama, 36, who surrendered last week in Denver, CO. Sources say they found documents about water poisoning among several other terrorism-related documents in his residence. Also arrested was Semi Osman. He is also accused of having documents about poisoning water supplies in his possession when he was taken into custody. (Associated Press, 30 Jul) Dynegy sells natural-gas pipeline to MidAmerican for $928 million. Dynegy Inc. agreed to sell its 16,600-mile natural-gas pipeline to Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. for $928 million in cash, plus debt. The Houston-based energy trader had previously said it was trying to sell at least part of the pipeline, Northern Natural Gas Co., as part of a plan to raise $2 billion and shore up its finances. For its part, MidAmerican said the acquisition of Northern Natural Gas marks another step in a strategy of investing in the US energy infrastructure. (Wall Street Journal , 29 Jul) IT nightmare: the enemy within. Tim Lloyd, employed for 11 years as a network administrator, was convicted in May 2000 of doing $10 million in damages to the company where he was employed, by deleting proprietary programs. Although Lloyd maintains his innocence, his case represented one of the first federal prosecutions of computer sabotage. Such a situation is every business' worst fear: that employees could betray their trust and attack their computer systems from the inside. While internal sabotage is a potential problem that will exist as long as companies have employees, there is evidence that although the incidence of insider attacks has increased this year, attacks originating from the outside still pose a greater threat. (News Factor Network, 29 Jul) 101 injured in Amtrak crash. On 29 July, an Amtrak passenger train derailed in Montgomery County, MD, injuring 101 people and seriously injuring six. The eastbound Capitol Limited was carrying 164 passengers and 12 crew-members from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC when the accident occurred at 1:55 p.m. The tracks, owned by CSX, had been visually inspected and OK'd by rail crews on 21 July. Forty minutes before the accident, a 91-car freight train carrying 9,100 tons of cargo passed over the tracks without any trouble, said CSX spokesman Dan Murphy. Rail officials and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the derailment. (Baltimore Sun , 30 Jul) IWS INFOCON Mailing List @ IWS - The Information Warfare Site http://www.iwar.org.uk
