DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion: Small-town water systems are global cyber targets. Is your city next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Opinion Robert M. Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The town of Abernathy also reported a water system hack, and the towns of Lockney and Hale Center said hackers tried to breach their water infrastructure but did not succeed. Unlike how David was ready to take on Goliath, our most vulnerable critical infrastructure systems – including water infrastructure – are ill-prepared. The water attacks we’ve seen so far have not had serious consequences for the people they serve. According to the EPA, 90% of the nation’s community water systems are small, public systems bringing water to 10,000 or fewer customers. If we really want to help water utilities defend against cyber threats, we have to close the resource gap.

Persons: Robert M, Lee Dragos, David, we’ve, –, Iran –, Homeland Security’s Organizations: CNN, Cyber Army, Hale Center, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, FBI, Rehabilitation, Government, Department, Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland, Local Locations: Russia, Texas, Muleshoe, Abernathy, Lockney, Aliquippa , Pennsylvania, United States, China, North Korea, Iran, Department of Homeland Security’s State

☆ Russia-linked hacking group claims to have targeted Indiana water plant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hackers targeted a wastewater treatment plant in Indiana on Friday evening, prompting plant managers to send maintenance personnel to investigate the suspicious activity, a local official told CNN. A Russia-linked hacking group claimed responsibility. The same group claimed credit for a string of hacking incidents against water facilities in Texas earlier this year. On Saturday, Russian-speaking hackers posted a video to social media claiming credit for a cyberattack on a TMU wastewater treatment plant. It’s the latest apparent effort by a group of Russian-speaking hackers to target water facilities in small American towns.

Persons: “, Jim Ankrum, “ TMU, ” Ankrum, Ankrum, Department of Homeland Security’s, Jake Sullivan, Mandiant, Ron Fabela, ” Fabela Organizations: CNN, Tipton Municipal Utilities, Tipton, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, US, Telegram, Infinity Squared Locations: Indiana, Russia, Texas, Tipton Municipal, Indianapolis, Muleshoe , Texas, United States, Tipton

☆ ‘They hit the jackpot’: How so-called ‘burglary tourists’ use visa waivers to target luxury US homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Josh Campbell | Jason Kravarik | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“She bought some beautiful antique jewelry, museum-quality jewelry.”Orange County, California, prosecutors allege a group of thieves hid in the hillside adjoining the Starr’s home, watched them leave with visiting relatives, and made their move. “They came over our fence, they broke through a window in the upper bedroom and came through that window,” Jeff Starr told CNN. When the suspects arrive – most often from South America, prosecutors say – they join sophisticated burglary rings that prey on luxury homes. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.”Some of the burglary suspects have used ghillie suits, like the one seen here, to camouflage their movements. Ventura County, California, alone attributed 175 residential burglaries to “transnational theft groups” between 2019 and mid-2023.

Persons: Orange County , California CNN — Carol, Jeff Starr, ” Carol Starr, “, ”, Carol Starr, –, Todd Spitzer, Spitzer, Jeff Walther, “ I’m, ” Walther, South America Rama, Balakrishna Sundar, ” Rama Sundar, …, Jae C, “ They’re Organizations: Orange County , California CNN, CNN, ” Prosecutors, Department of Homeland, ” Scottsdale Police, Department, Homeland, DHS, US State Department Locations: Orange County , California, Southern California, Carol’s, United States, South America, Orange County, Chile, California, Scottsdale , Arizona, Baltimore , Maryland, Raleigh , North Carolina, Nassau County , New York, Ventura County , California, Scottsdale, Arizona, Dana Point , California, Santa Ana , California, Chilean, Washington

☆ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is target of investigation carried out by Homeland Security team that specializes in human trafficking, source says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( John Miller | Elizabeth Wolfe | Federal Authorities Swarmed Diddy S Homes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Homes belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs were searched by authorities Monday because he is a target of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. Agents were authorized to search for documents, phones, computers and other electronic devices that hold data or videos, the second law enforcement source said. A law enforcement source earlier told CNN that Monday’s searches were related to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. Law enforcement officers ride a vehicle near a property belonging to Sean "Diddy" Combs on Monday in Los Angeles. At least one armored law enforcement vehicle was seen arriving at the Los Angeles property, and agents were processing paperwork on card tables outside the Miami-area home.

Persons: Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Combs, HSI, “, ” Combs, Sean, Diddy, Eric Thayer, Casandra “ Cassie ” Ventura, ” Ben Brafman, Mr, Ventura, ” Weeks, ”, videographer Rodney “, Rod ” Jones, Jones, Shawn Holley, Department of Homeland Security’s, –, CNN’s Josh Campbell, Holmes Lybrand, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Carlos Suarez Organizations: CNN, Homes, Department of Homeland Security, Southern, of, Miami, Star Island, Mobile, Star, Homeland Security, HSI –, Department of Homeland Locations: of New York, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, New York’s, Star

☆ Migrant children in open-air desert camps are suffering from hunger and hypothermia, court documents say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Blake Ellis | Melanie Hicken | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The episode was one of many highlighted in a court filing Thursday that takes aim at the living conditions at open-air camps near the U.S.-Mexico border in California. Federal immigration officials have directed migrants to those camps but have failed to provide adequate food, water, shelter and medical services, children’s rights lawyers say. More than 3.3 million immigration court cases remain in the cue, according to according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks immigration court data. The declarations also described instances in which aid workers had to orchestrate emergency medical care for children in serious distress. Some alleged that Border Patrol agents saw that children were suffering but did little about it.

Persons: —, Adriana Jasso, Joe Biden, ” Neha Desai, “, Jasso, ” Desai, ” Theresa Cheng, ” Organizations: CNN, Border Patrol, National Center for Youth Law, CBP, Department, Homeland, Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, Security, “ Locations: Colombia, porta, U.S, Mexico, California, Venezuela, China, India, Mauritania, Syracuse, San Diego, Colombian

CNN —For nearly a decade, US Coast Guard leaders have concealed a critical report that exposed racism, hazing, discrimination and sexual assault across the agency. That investigation found that serious misconduct had been ignored and, at times, covered up by high-ranking officials, allowing alleged offenders to rise within the ranks of the Coast Guard and other military branches. The Coast Guard said this week it had enacted or partially enacted 60 of 129 recommendations, including additional training and additional support services for victims. The Coast Guard did not comment on concerns that problems remain at the agency, or the statistics or examples cited by CNN. Yet to this day, none of the accused service members from her case have faced any consequences.

Persons: “, Linda Fagan, ”, Admiral Linda Fagan, Bonnie Cash, Fagan, Kimberly Young, McLear, Bonnie Watson Coleman, ” Watson Coleman, Elizabeth Frantz, General, …, “ We’ve, we’ve Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Coast, Coast Guard, Trust, Homeland, Coast Guard Academy, US, Guard, Retired Coast Guard, Department of Homeland, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Black

☆ Trump legal team lays out strategy to argue he was right to doubt results of 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Katelyn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Trump’s defense team is asking for information from several past government investigations, including around the election results and about the recent classified documents probe into his former Vice President Mike Pence. Multiple investigations have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. The Pence investigation ended with no criminal charges in June. Pence testified to a federal grand jury in the 2020 election investigation in the spring. Pence’s confidential testimony in the Trump 2020 election case, some of his aides testified, was under oath before a federal grand jury, and a judge decided he must answer questions under subpoena.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Mike Pence, Trump, ”, “, Biden Administration’s, ’ ‘, ’, ‘ Department of Homeland Security’s, ’ ” It’s, Pence Organizations: CNN, Trump, “, ‘, White House Attorneys, Justice Department, Intelligence, ‘ Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: Russia

Homeland Security, as well as companies that help identify counterfeit products such as Israel’s BrandShield. Fake weight-loss drugs will be a key focus in the agency’s annual counterfeit medicines report, due next year, the official said. “We have counterfeit products and stolen products,” the official said. "We will look online and if we find something that infringes (obesity drug trademarks) we'll get it taken down,” said Yoav Keren, BrandShield CEO. When a consumer buys those fakes, “what you get are expired drugs, counterfeit drugs, or nothing,” he added.

Persons: George Frey, Eli Lilly, BrandShield, Novo’s Ozempic, ”, Jim Mancuso, Mancuso, Europol, Novo, Lilly, “, Ozempic, Yoav Keren, MHRA, Eli, Mounjaro, Patrick Wingrove, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Novo Nordisk’s, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, drugmakers Novo Nordisk, Europol, Interpol, U.S . Homeland Security, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, U.S . Department of Homeland, Coordination Center, PSI, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Health Organization, Ireland’s, Products Regulatory Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, America, Europe, Germany, Egypt, Russia, North America

When she heard about the U.S. government’s plan to restart deportation flights to Venezuela in the coming days, Carrillo said it was discouraging. One migrates because you have basic needs and there isn’t support in your native country,” she said, starting to cry. But now the administration has decided Venezuela is not bad enough to keep them from deporting migrants back there. She said Venezuelans are fleeing their country out of desperation and will continue to come. If deported, “I would do it (migrate) again to work and to get my family ahead.”___Salomon reported from Miami.

Persons: LAJAS, Annie Carrillo, Carrillo, Biden, U.S . Department of Homeland Security’s, ” Blas Núñez, Neto, Carrillo hadn’t, ” Carrillo, Patricia Andrade, ” Andrade, ”, Andrade, Jhonny Zambrano, ” Zambrano, “, ” ___ Salomon Organizations: —, United, U.S . Department of Homeland, U.S . Border Patrol, CBP, Venezuelan Locations: LAJAS BLANCAS, Panama, Darien, Costa Rica, Colombian, Colombia, Venezuela, U.S, United States, Latin America, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexican, Oaxaca, Núñez, Miami, Lajas Blancas

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith unveiled his case alleging that former President Donald Trump broke several laws in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, with a grand jury indictment returned Tuesday that illustrated the depth and breadth of the federal criminal investigation. Trump, who has derided Smith’s case as a politically motivated “fake indictment,” has been summoned to appear before a magistrate judge on Thursday. Prosecutors put forward several examples of Trump being told by his aides that fraud claims he was promoting were false. The new indictment recounts a conversation between Trump and Meadows, during which Meadows allegedly told Trump that he had observed Georgia election officials were “conducting themselves in an exemplary fashion,” while assuring Trump they would find fraud if it existed. Hours later, Trump tweeted that the election officials were “terrible people” who were trying to cover-up evidence of fraud.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Prosecutors, Trump “, Trump, ”, it’s, ” Trump, Wisconsin –, “, Mike Pence, Department of Homeland Security’s, –, Kenneth Chesebro, Rudy Guiliani –, memorializing, they’re, Pence, Pat Cipollone, Trump’s, Giuliani, ” Pence, Pat Philbin, Philbin, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Tanya Chutkan –, Obama, Smith, he’ll Organizations: CNN, Trump, ”, White, Justice, Republican, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, Prosecutors, AZ, Capitol, CNN Prosecutors, “, Manhattan Locations: United States, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Detroit, Arizona, Cipollone, Trump, Meadows, Georgia, DC, Alabama

☆ Cyberattack on food giant Dole temporarily shuts down North America production, company memo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A cyberattack earlier this month forced produce giant Dole to temporarily shut down production plants in North America and halt food shipments to grocery stores, according to a company memo about the incident obtained by CNN. “Dole Food Company is in the midst of a Cyber Attack and have subsequently shut down our systems throughout North America,” Emanuel Lazopoulos, senior vice president at Dole’s Fresh Vegetables division, said in a February 10 memo to retailers. “They [customers] are upset, but it happens,” Russell told CNN. Customers started asking questions about the bare shelves, Underwood said, prompting the store to post the Dole memo about the cyberattack on its Facebook page. The multibillion-dollar company — officially known as Dole Plc after a 2021 merger between Dole Food Company and Ireland’s Total Produce — sources produce from dozens of countries around the world.

☆ Video shows border agents, police arresting migrants sleeping outside church shelter in El Paso ahead of Biden's visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In the week before President Joe Biden’s trip to El Paso, Texas, Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as El Paso city police, began arresting migrants sleeping in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station, according to new footage obtained by NBC News. Immigration advocates say the proximity of the arrests to a church shelter may violate the Department of Homeland Security’s policies. Footage obtained by NBC News shows Customs and Border Protection officers as well as El Paso city police in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station. A Border Patrol official told NBC News those arrested had not been previously apprehended by Border Patrol when they crossed over from Juarez, Mexico. Biden is expected to tout the plan, which also opens up more pathways for legal migration, in his visit to El Paso on Sunday.

☆ National park closes after 300 migrants arrive during holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A remote national park in the Gulf of Mexico closed on Monday after about 300 migrants landed there over the holiday weekend, officials said. Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles west of Key West, temporarily closed Monday morning "while law enforcement & medical personnel evaluate, provide care for & coordinate transport to Key West" for the migrants, the park said in a tweet. By Sunday afternoon, more than 160 migrants had arrived in 10 landings since midnight, Slosar tweeted. "Like elsewhere in the Florida Keys, the park has recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba and landing on the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park," the park's statement continued. "Park first responders provide food, water and basic medical attention until the Department of Homeland Security arrives and takes the lead."

☆ Biden administration releases plan for the scheduled lifting of Title 42 next week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rosa Flores | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Department of Homeland Security’s six-pillar plan for the scheduled end of Title 42 next week includes surging resources to the border, increasing processing efficiency, imposing consequences for unlawful entry, bolstering nonprofit capacity, targeting smugglers and working with international partners. The federal government has also added 10 soft-sided facilities to increase Customs and Border Protection holding capacity by over one-third since 2021, the plan states. According to the six-pillar plan, CBP spends 30% less time processing migrants now compared to early last year – which will help mitigate overcrowding of CBP facilities. As the agency expects a surge of migrants with the lifting of Title 42, it plans to impose legal consequences on those who cross unlawfully and don’t have a legal basis to stay in the United States, the plan states. “For noncitizens seeking to evade apprehension, repeat offenders, and those engaging in smuggling efforts, we are increasing referrals for prosecutions,” the plan states.

U.S. air travelers now have until May 7, 2025, to obtain a driver's license or other government ID that complies with the federal REAL ID Act. How do you know if you have a REAL ID? Your passport will remain a suitable alternative if you do not have a REAL ID-compliant card by the new deadline, DHS says. And minors will not be required to carry a REAL ID card. According to The Washington Post, just under half of Americans currently have REAL ID-compliant cards.

☆ Foreign workers laid off from Big Tech face a deadline: Find a job ASAP, or leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Under the umbrella of a tech giant, not only would he have job security, he thought, but visa security as well. Originally from China, he needed the sponsorship of an H-1B work visa to stay in the U.S.A year went by in his new role and everything seemed to be going well. immigration policy has amplified the uncertainty for immigrant workers in times like this. “It’s definitely harder trying to find a job or trying to find a company that’s willing to sponsor you. “This really helped drive the tech boom in the U.S. and made the U.S. the big tech hub,” Khanna said.

☆ Secret Service agents were denied right to know what Jan. 6 info was seized from their phones
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Secret Service agents asked the agency for a record of all of the communications seized from their personal cellphones as part of investigations into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, but were rebuffed, according to a document reviewed by NBC News. NBC News previously reported that two sources with knowledge of the action said Secret Service leadership seized 24 cellphones from agents involved with the response to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The letter also raises key questions about what Secret Service communications both congressional and inspector general’s investigators may have. The Secret Service declined to comment. Most recently, a member of the far-right Oath Keepers group testified in court that the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, was in communication with at least one Secret Service agent before the Jan. 6 insurrection.

☆ Secret Service took cellphones of 24 agents involved in agency's Jan. 6 riot response
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Senior leadership at the Secret Service confiscated the cellphones of 24 agents involved in the agency’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol and handed them over to the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, according to two sources with knowledge of the action. It is unclear what, if any, information the Office of Inspector General has been able to obtain from the cellphones. One source familiar with the Secret Service decision to comply with Cuffari’s request said some agents were upset their leaders were quick to confiscate the phones without their input. The Secret Service has said the texts were lost as part of a previously planned systems upgrade that essentially restored the phones to factory settings. A spokesperson for the Secret Service declined to comment about the confiscated phones.

☆ Lawmakers introduce bill to end deportation of Southeast Asian refugees
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers in Congress introduced a bill on Tuesday that aims to keep more Southeast Asian refugee families together, advocates say. The Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act would place limitations on the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to deport refugees from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. The bill could have a significant impact for an estimated 15,000 Southeast Asian refugees, roughly 80% of whom were convicted of a crime and have completed their sentences but have final orders of removal and face deportation. “It is profoundly wrong for us to send refugees where their human rights are not protected and guaranteed.”The legislation would prevent DHS from detaining or deporting Southeast Asian refugees who arrived in the U.S. prior to 2008. And that still threatens their lives every single day through these deportation orders to countries that they fled as refugees,” Dinh said.

Criminal hackers have recently targeted U.S. school districts and will likely continue to escalate their attacks this school year, federal agencies warned Tuesday. Hackers infected the district’s computer networks with malicious software, locking up files and demanding a ransom payment. While classes in Los Angeles weren’t canceled, the attack caused a “significant disruption” to the school district and some of its services, the district announced. Since then, there haven’t been any such high-profile ransomware attacks on energy infrastructure. Ransomware attacks on schools also run the risk of giving hackers access to children’s personal information, the government warned.

Search resuls for: "Department of Homeland Security’s"

20 mentions found