South East Shipping News

Explosion on the Sun sends “shock wave” of super-charged particles racing toward Mars Science Laboratory for May 31 collision - Marsnow.info reports

 

According to the spaceweather blog entry CME TARGETS MARS: “The magnetic canopy of sunspot AR1492 erupted on May 27th at 0551UT, producing a long-duration C3-class solar flare and hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Mars.

Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say the cloud – they call it a “cloud” will hit the MSL spacecraft (containing the Mars rover Curiosity) on May 31st at 0100 UT followed by Mars itself about 10 hours later.

Because NASA has done nothing to protect the spacecraft from CMEs, NASA has decided to avoid discussion of these threats until and unless one of these destructive, radioactive, radiation “clouds” damages navigation controls or ignites any of the highly explosive fuels and pyrotechnics that are essential to MSL operation.

MSL and Curiosity were designed to withstand a typical range of interplanetary radiation that they would encounter during the 2009 launch window. But a long list of problems in design and execution, especially navigation and landing software, set the MSL launch ahead to the end of 2011. And that was thebeginning of a historic, two-year-long cascade of solar storms and giant CME’s.

Coronal mass ejections expand away from the Sun at speeds as high as 2000 km per second. They carry up to ten billion tons (10¹⁶ grams) of plasma away from the Sun, NASA explains in a posting far away from any mention of MSL.

Coronal mass ejections were once thought to be initiated by solar flares. Although most are accompanied by flares, it is now understood that flares and CMEs are related phenomena, but one does not cause the other. This has important implications for understanding and predicting the effects of solar activity on the Earth and in space.

While a flare alone produces high-energy particles near the Sun, some of which escape into interplanetary space, a CME drives a shock wave which can continuously produce energetic particles as it propagates through interplanetary space.

When a CME reaches the Earth, its impact disturbs the Earth's magnetosphere, setting off a geomagnetic storm. A CME typically takes 3 to 5 days to reach the Earth after it leaves the Sun. Observing the ejection of CMEs from the Sun provides an early warning of geomagnetic storms. Only recently, with SOHO, has it been possible to continuously observe the emission of CMEs from the Sun and determine if they are aimed at the Earth.

One serious problem that can occur during a geomagnetic storm is damage to Earth-orbiting satellites, especially those in high, geosynchronous orbits. Communications satellites are generally in these high orbits. Either the satellite becomes highly charged during the storm and a component is damaged by the high current that discharges into the satellite, or a component is damaged by high-energy particles that penetrate the satellite. We are not able to predict when and where a satellite in a high orbit may be damaged during a geomagnetic storm.

Astronauts on the Space Station are not in immediate danger because of the relatively low orbit of this manned mission. They do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks. The energetic particles from a flare or CME would be dangerous to an astronaut on a mission to the Moon or Mars, however.

Condition ZULU closes Jaxport and Port of Fernandina

 

 

As of 12:00 p.m. today, May 27, 2012 the Captain of the Port (COTP) has set Hurricane Condition
ZULU for the ports of Jacksonville and Fernandina.  The ports are closed to all inbound and outbound traffic.  Please see MSIB 43-12  for details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously condition X ray was set at which point waterfront facilities should be removing potential flying debris, hazardous materials and oil pollution hazards from dockside areas. Secure all hazmat and potential sources of pollution due to possible heavy rain run-off.

Vessels more than 500 gross tons should make preparations to leave the port at this time or should have requested permission from the COTP to remain in port. Vessels unable to depart the port must contact the COTP and submit a safe mooring plan in writing when requesting and prior to receiving permission to remain in port. Proof of facility owner/operator approval will be required.

Inbound vessels that will be unable to depart the port if Port Condition YANKEE is set, are advised to seek an alternate destination.

Pleasure craft are advised to seek safe harbor. Drawbridges may not be operating as early as eight hours prior to the anticipated arrival of sustained gale force winds (39 mph) or when an evacuation is in progress.

APM/Maersk moves to win the Panama Canal Sweepstakes with take-over of Suez and Super Post-Panamx ready -55 foot deep Terminals In Billion Dollar Offer to State of Virginia

 

APM Terminals Portsmouth Virginia, the largest privately owned terminal in North America. Image: APM Terminals

 

Beat This Miami, Charleston, Savannah!

• At 50-feet, the deepest shipping channels on the U.S. East Coast; fully prepared to accommodate the 10,000+ TEU vessels.
• More than 30 international steamship lines service the Port today, making Virginia a true maritime hub.
• Norfolk Southern and CSX offer on-dock, double-stack intermodal service to key inland markets in the Midwest, Ohio Valley and the Southeast.
• A leader in quality and environment - The Port of Virginia maintains ISO 9001 and 14001 certification.

 COPENHAGEN — The port-operating arm of Danish industrial conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S (MAERSK-B.KO), APM Terminals, said Thursday it has made an offer to the state of Virginia to operate the cargo traffic facilities at the U.S. Port of Virginia.

In return for the long-term concession, APM Terminals offers to transfer ownership of its facility in the Portsmouth Marine Terminal at the port to the Virginia administration, in a strategic partnership deal that the company estimates to have a total value to the state of between $3 billion and $4 billion.

The proposal includes operation of freight facilities at the Port of Virginia, which is comprised by four marine terminals and adjacent inland services, all centered around the ice-free, natural harbor of Hampton Roads.

“Our proposal provides for the lowest cost, long-term solution for future growth at this time of a stabilizing economy and the eventual expansion of global commerce,” said APM Terminals Americas Region President Eric Sisco.

Included in the value estimate are initial payments, fixed concession payments, revenue sharing, capital investments and tax benefits, transferring market risk from the Commonwealth to the private sector, APM Terminals said.

The offer has been submitted to Virginia’s Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships and will undergo a detailed review in the coming months, APM Terminals said.

 

Shipowners call proposed July 1, 2012

Panama Canal toll hikes "simply unacceptable"

 

Four days after the deadline set by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has sent a strongly worded letter describing plans to increase tolls by up to 15 percent as "simply unacceptable."

 

Instead the ICS suggested that the ACP shelve the planned July 1 increase and all previously scheduled increases. It said that ocean cargo carriers need at least six months notice to alter their schedules to avoid a more costly canal crossing and therefore the ACp should agree to the ICS request.

 

The International Chamber of Shipping is the principal international trade association for shipowners, with member national associations from 36 countries representing all sectors and trades and over 80 percent of the world merchant fleet.

 

The ACP published plans to increase its tolls last month, despite assuring industry clients in January there would only be one small adjustment to tolls before completion of the expansion project in 2014. Not long thereafter the ACP admitted that labor strife, poor engineering and substandard concrete mixing would likely extend the opening of the new section of the canal into 2015.

But the ACP never altered its plans to increase tolls on July 1, 2012 if agreed at a public hearing at the end of this month.

 

ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, said there was no pressing need for the increases given that "canal revenues are currently very healthy."

 

Mr. Hinchliffe pointed out that while the Panama Canal is an important national asset to Panama, it also remains an essential part of international public infrastructure crucial to the smooth operation of the global supply chain and should "take this important public role into account when setting tolls."

 

"While the ACP proposal analyzes the impact of the toll rises on the competitiveness of commodity trades, no account is taken of the impact on shipping companies themselves ... many of whom are still forced to run ships at a loss in order to remain in the market," he said.

 

"We therefore request that the ACP rescind the current plans for increases in the next two years and concentrate on developing a toll structure that can be to the benefit of all parties to be introduced in late 2014."

 

The shipowners’ rebuttal came a day after the ACP Board of Directors approved a proposal to modify the Panama Canal pricing structure "to align Canal toll charges with the value the route provides."

 

 

As part of the tolls adjustment process, the ACP had established a consultation period from April 20 - May 21, 2012, during which the ACP agreed to receive formal written comments, opinions and written requests from interested parties to participate in the public hearing. The public hearing was held in Panama City, Panama, in the ACP's "Ascanio Arosemena" auditorium on May 23, 2012.

 

The ICS doggedly delayed its comments until after the event.

 

The proposal also increased the number of segments from eight to eleven by Panama Canal vessel type. It also divided the tanker segment into three distinct segments, established a new segment for container/breakbulk, and incorporated the roll-on/roll-off vessels into the vehicle carrier segment.

 

Once approved by all parties involved, the Panama Canal market segmentation scheme will include the following segments: full container, reefer, dry bulk, passenger, vehicle carrier and ro-ro, tanker, chemical tanker, LPG, general cargo and others.

 

Price Proposal

 

Effective July 1, 2012, the ACP proposes to increase the tolls for the following segments: general cargo, container/break bulk (new segment), dry bulk, tanker (redefined segment), chemical tanker (new segment), LPG (new segment), vehicle carrier and ro-ro (merged segment), and the segment known as others. The remaining segments will not be adjusted at this time. Additionally, there will be changes to tolls applicable to small vessels based on vessel length, to incorporate adjustments not previously considered.

 

"This proposal continues to align the Panama Canal tolls to the value, benefit and quality the route provides, and maintains the competitiveness of the Panama Canal", stated Alberto Alemán Zubieta, ACP Administrator/CEO.

 

 

  

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Port Status Information   JACKSONVILLE Port Status Information  Port Status Comments Last Changed PORT CANAVERAL OPEN Set Port Condition IV 05/26/2012 PORT OF FERNANDINA OPEN Set Port Condition X-RAY 05/26/2012 PORT OF JACKSONVILLE OPEN Set Port Condition X-RAY 05/26/2012 CHARLESTON Port Status Information  Port Status Comments Last Changed BEAUFORT OPEN   08/27/2011 CHARLESTON OPEN   08/27/2011 GEORGETOWN OPEN   08/27/2011 HILTON HEAD OPEN   08/27/2011

Privacy  | Plug-ins	Today is	Saturday, May 26, 2012

2012 Hurricane Season to be "normal" except for this storm off Canaveral

 UPDATE

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION

NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL

805 AM EDT SAT MAY 26 2012 

 SUBTROPICAL STORM BERYL

 

FORMED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC

OCEAN AT 26/0300 UTC. THE CENTER OF SUBTROPICAL STORM BERYL

AT 26/1200 UTC IS NEAR 32.0N 76.0W...ABOUT 175 MILES/280 KM SE

OF CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA...AND 240 MILES/385 KM ESE OF

CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

BERYL IS MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD 4

KNOTS. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1001 MB. THE

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS ARE 40 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 50

KNOTS.

 

 ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM 30N TO 34N BETWEEN 72W AND 80W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 60 TO 90 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 22N78W AT THE CUBA COAST...TO 26N74W BEYOND 32N70W. A 24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL

FOR FREEPORT IN THE BAHAMAS...ENDING AT 25/1200 UTC...IS 9.70

INCHES

 

...TROPICAL WAVES...

 

AN ATLANTIC OCEAN TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 13N46W 7N48W 2N49W.

WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTIVE

PRECIPITATION IS FROM 7N TO 10N BETWEEN 40W AND 50W...AND

TO THE SOUTH OF 7N BETWEEN 50W AND 56W.

 

A CARIBBEAN SEA TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 16N66W...TO CURACAO...

TO 10N70W IN NORTHWESTERN VENEZUELA. NUMEROUS STRONG CONVECTIVE

PRECIPITATION IS ON TOP OF LAKE MARACAIBO IN NORTHWESTERN

VENEZUELA...AND JUST TO THE EAST OF THE LAKE WITHIN A 30 NM

RADIUS OF 9N69W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA

TO THE SOUTH OF 17N BETWEEN 60W AND 72W.

 

 

MIAMI, Florida -- NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida has issued a Special Tropical Weather Outlook due to a non-tropical low pressure system that has become better defined in the Atlantic off the coast of South Florida.

 

The notice, which does not require implementation of hurricane preparations, followed within ours of the announcement by the Hurricane Center that the rest of the season ought to be “Normal.”

 

 

Despite the extraordinary beginning, including 10 inches of flood in rain in a few hours in Doral, west of Miami, the experts say conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season.

 

For the entire six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms (with top winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane (with top winds of 74 mph or higher) and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

 

NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “But regardless of the outlook, it’s vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared. We have a stark reminder this year with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.” Andrew, the Category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992, was the first storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms.

 

"NOAA's improvement in monitoring and predicting hurricanes has been remarkable over the decades since Andrew, in large part because of our sustained commitment to research and better technology. But more work remains to unlock the secrets of hurricanes, especially in the area of rapid intensification and weakening of storms,” said Lubchenco. “We're stepping up to meet this challenge through our Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which has already demonstrated exciting early progress toward improving storm intensity forecasts."

 

In fact, new NOAA technology predicted the development of the tropical system that blossomed off North Florida last week, almost a full week in advance, as reported here exclusively at South East Shipping News.

 

That technology suggested half dozen different tracks for a tropical system now emerging over Florida, and suggests a 70% Chance of a Memorial Day Weekend Tropical Storm for Central Florida.

NOAA says that there is some potential for additional development into a tropical or subtropical cyclone late Saturday or early Sunday during the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend as the system moves northeastward into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

The low will produce high seas off the southeastern Florida Atlantic coast which is bad news for boaters where Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a busy day for recreational boating and fishing.

 

The low is approximately 200 miles south-southeast of Port Canaveral, Florida.  Other busy cruise ports along South Florida such as the Port of Palm Beach, Port of Miami, and Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale, Florida may also have local seas affected by this low pressure system.  Cruise passengers should check often with their particular cruise line for local weather updates affecting cruise itineraries.

 

As of 12:55 p.m. today, the low has a medium chance (40%) of becoming a subtropical or tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.  This is an increase from the 20% chance given by NOAA earlier this morning.

 

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours:

 

 

. House and Senate appropriators reject National Preparedness Grant Program proposal

By David Perera

Comment | Forward | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

 

An Obama administration proposal to consolidate 16 state and local preparedness grant programs into one effort known as the National Preparedness Grant Program faces resistance from House and Senate appropriators. The House Appropriations Committee voted May 16 to reject the NPGP proposal, stating in a report (.pdf) accompanying its markup of the Homeland Security Department spending bill for the coming fiscal year that DHS first requires an implementing authorization law before it can move to consolidate grants. House lawmakers have been skeptical from the start of the NPGP proposal, while administration officials have argued that grant consolidation would result in better coordination of preparedness efforts. Local officials, too have criticized the consolidation proposal. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security marked up May 15 its version of the fiscal 2013 DHS spending bill, also rejecting the consolidation proposal. In a statement, the Senate subcommittee said the president's February budget request failed to deliver "specific detail regarding how funds would be distributed" and also directed FEMA to attain an authorization statute. For more:

 

Felix Pereira shared a slideshow
presentation with SIOR
event attendees.

Industrial realtors convention gets to hear the inside scoop of PortMiami's ambitious plan from top port planner

 

MIAMI-In reuniting its port system with the downtown, the city of Miami is taking several steps to revitalize its commercial real estate assets on a regional and international level.  With a slew of investment pouring in from federal, state and private sources toward local infrastructure, industrial sites and office space, speakers at SIOR’s 2012 Spring World Conference said the city is working to transform its underutilized south core and integrate the port into a world-class destination tied to the maritime industry.

In greeting the crowd at the Loews South Beach Hotel, SIOR President Geoff Kreusser said while regulatory uncertainty is "rampant" in Washington and on Wall Street, Miami-Dade County is showing strong inland growth in manufacturing and industrial—and it is continuing on the upswing.

The Port of Miami, a governmental agency that oversees industrial and economic development for county, has introduced its 20-year master plan for the expansion of the city’s 520 acre port, which will involve the deepening of channels to allow post-Panamax ships to pass through, as well as plans to create a new intermodal transportation center and a mega cruise terminal by the year 2035.

“We have pretty much diversified our portfolio and our operations,” said Felix Pereira, chief of planning at Port Miami, noting that the projected passenger counts for 2035 will be hitting approximately six million riders, but the development plan will be limited to the existing port area due to environmental reasons. “The port itself is tight,” he said.

But just recently, Pereira said the county and three local stakeholders reached an agreement to move forward with the port’s deep dredge project, which would allow the Port to proceed with the deepening of its channel to -50 feet to accommodate larger container cargo vessels. It now awaits approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

Pereira said the timing of the announcement comes at a time when the port’s cruise operations are expanding. “We are known internationally for being the cruise capital of the world,” he said, explaining that Miami is the 11th largest cargo container port in the world (just under 900,000 TEUs), and currently has about 4.1 million passengers. Companies like Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity all have a presence here, and after the dredging is complete, bigger vessels can serve the area. “There will be a whole litany of brand new ships coming in as well,” he said.

The Port of Miami is exploring the possibility of “mega cruise terminal” that can handle four oasis class ships at a given time with 6,000 passengers each. “We could possibly handle 24,000 passengers simultaneously,” Pereira estimated.

The state is also planning to develop a new intermodal facility on Port lands, which will consolidate car rental facilities, taxis and buses into one building. The transit hub will also have an elevated train that will provide linkages back to the downtown.  

Pereira said the transit plan is also being pushed due to congestion in the city’s central business district. “We have 100,000 people going downtown, so once you’re filled and having a downtown that’s revitalized, you are asking for more traffic,” he said. In an effort to alleviate that, the Florida Department of Transportation is planning a tunnel that would connect the port to the interstate system. “ It is basically two tubes going from the highway under the north channel coming up into the center portion of the island and back,” he said, noting that the tunnel boring machine is one-third of the way through to the island. It is expected to reduce downtown traffic by 60% to 70%.

The Port is also working out a plan for the city’s southwest corner, also known as a the World Trade Center. But this isn’t the same one in Lower Manhattan. “This is a 36-acre site that is currently underutilized,” Pereira said, noting that a mix of uses, including apartments, retail and office, are in the works. “We are trying to reintegrate better into the city,” he adds.

The Port, which generates 176,000 direct and indirect jobs and $18 billion to the local economy, estimates that the dredging will be complete by 2014.

 For live SIOR coverage all day Friday, follow @GlobeStLIVE on Twitter.

Huge sunspots the size of the Earth warn of potential massive solar storms

Tue, May 8, 2012

 
To see where the earth, Mars, the sun and the Mars Solar Laboratory are in space and how much jeopardy each may face with these X class CME's, go to Marsnow.info.

 

Astronomers have observed a huge sunspot group on the surface of the sun, sized at more than 60,000 miles across, which might outbreak in a potentially hazardous solar storm.

From time to time, the sun spews huge energy releases called solar flares, which depending on their magnitude (the weakest are “C” class and the most powerful are “X” class) can cause radio blackouts and irremediable damage to satellites. Powerful sun flares are sometimes, however, joined by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that cause geomagnetic storms on Earth. CMEs are what cause the beautiful northern and southern lights, or auroras, but they can also inflict catastrophic events. Coronal mass ejections are caused when the magnetic field in the sun’s atmosphere gets disrupted and then the plasma, the sun’s hot ionized gas, erupts and send charged particles into space.

If the geomagnetic storm caused by the CMEs is big enough, it can cause a damaging extra electrical current to flow through the grid. Some of you might remember the 1989 Quebec incident, when the whole city was blackout after the entire grid got fried, causing an estimate $2 billion Canadian in damage at the time. Besides blackouts, CMEs can also disrupt GPS signals and radio telecommunications.

Both CMEs and sun flares most often sprout from active regions around sunspots.

AR 1476, the huge sunspot complex I’ve mentioned earlier, might just be a birthplace for havoc. Another sunspot group, albeit smaller, called AR 1471, already erupted Monday evening with a M1 flare – one of the least powerful.

“With at least four dark cores larger than Earth, AR 1476 sprawls more than 100,000 km from end to end, and makes an easy target for backyard solar telescopes,” the website Spaceweather.com reported Monday.

The sun’s activity naturally lowers and increases in its 11-year cycle – towards the end of the cycle, like it’s the case currently, the sun is most active. The current cycle, known as  Solar Cycle 24, is set to peak in 2013.

Logistics must become more nimble, more flexible and more creative

By editor on May 3, 2012 Andrew Austin, CEO of Priority Freight examines some of the latest trends affecting the logistics industry.

 

Logistics – or at least the traditionally narrower definition of Transport – was long known as the barometer for industry, and an indication of the well-being, or otherwise, of the economy.  Increasing demand for logistics services would normally be the immediate precursor to an improved sense of well-being, followed by an increase in consumption in the marketplace.

The relative simplicity of this model has been replaced by the more complex supply-chain, where the shipment of goods itself is only one part of the equation. The supply-chain itself involves the multiple stages of collection of raw materials, the manufacture of products, to the eventual distribution of these products for their eventual sale or use, as well as coordinating the related marketing and IT requirements that such goods may generate. This complexity, together with the distances involved over which the supply-chain operates, has, at times, highlighted the vulnerability of the constituent parts and the various participants themselves.

The impact of recent natural disasters on the effectivity of the supply-chain has been well documented, but significant disruption can resulted from human error, of course, as well as for overtly political reasons. Recent changes in the issuing of road haulage permits and in Russian customs procedures has led to significant queues of vehicles being formed on the approaches to the Russian border, thus delaying the effective transit of goods into that country. Apart from being expensive in terms of idle trucks sitting awaiting resolution, the capacity in the marketplace reduces.

Additionally, the recent explosion at the plant producing Nylon-12 resin in Germany - which is widely used as a product to coat automotive braking systems – has brought another challenge to the sector, and created a potential supply-chain interruption of some magnitude, due to the market share of production requirements that the product held, and the immediate difficulty in sourcing a replacement.

Some will read this and be unaffected by these two specific events, and others will be, of course, and that is the nature of this broad church of logistics. In reality they only serve to illustrate that all of us engaged in the supply-chain will, at some point, and possibly regularly, meet and have to deal with such challenges. That much is well known, but our response requires more than a knee-jerk response to the given situation, but instead a measured and determined one.

Much has changed in the logistics industry – global events carry more significance than they once did, and bring with them the need to understand the complexities of operating in these global markets.  Additionally, the cost and time components of the global supply-chain mean that logistics now receives a higher profile within most organisations, and with it, a commensurate expectation to deliver and perform appropriately.

It is as an industry, therefore, that those involved in logistics seek to exceed the expectations of those who commission us, and invest in the appropriate intellect and experience to provide the requisite continuous improvement within our businesses. Increasingly the sector is required to show that it has the wherewithal to operate efficiently on a global stage, with a comprehensive knowledge of local operating nuances, too.

All very well, you say, but I can’t afford that, and I can’t presume to argue with you. All I can say is that events over the last few years have shown us, as an industry, that we continue to need to be more nimble, more flexible, more creative. Logistics has got to keep on moving.

 

 Cyber threats last week

 

April 28, Softpedia – (Florida) AntiSec hackers steal 40 GB of data from Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Softpedia reported April 28 a massive 40 gigabytes worth of files were stolen by Anonymous hackers operating under the AntiSec banner from the internal networks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in Florida. One of the hackers that participated in the operation told Softpedia that out of the 40 gigabytes of data, around 35 gigabytes represent forensic software and other applications used by law enforcement agencies. The other 5 gigabytes are made up of reports that detail LCSO operations such as Op Inmate Intelligence Gathering and Operation Screen Savers. The files also include corporate security IPDR reports from Sprint Nextel that show the telecoms firm hands over private data to the authorities. Phone lists that reveal financial crimes, intelligence bulletins from the FBI, communication codes, and communications equipment are all contained in the data dump. Furthermore, hackers leaked the locations of U.S. Army Reserve facilities, badge numbers, 9-1-1 calls, log-in credentials, manuals, and official bulletins from the Department of Justice. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/AntiSec-Hackers-Leak-40-GB-of-Data-from-Lake-County-Sheriff-s-Office-266784.shtml

 

Information Technology Sector

44. April 30, Computerworld – (International) Down but not out: Conficker camouflages new Windows infections. Windows PCs infected with Conficker are more likely to be compromised by other malware because the worm masks secondary infections and makes those machines easier to exploit, a security expert found. That is the biggest reason why Conficker, although crippled and seemingly abandoned by its makers, remains a threat and should be eradicated, a senior technologist at Neustar and a

cybersecurity adviser to the White House said. Neustar is an information and analytics provider, and one of the corporate members of the Conficker Working Group (CWG), which has been “sinkholing” the Conficker botnet for more than 2 years. The week of April 23, Microsoft said Conficker infected, or tried to infect, 1.7 million Windows PCs in 2011’s fourth quarter. Microsoft called on users to strengthen passwords to stymie the malware. Conficker provides the cover the researcher spoke about because of two defensive tactics designed to keep it alive: the worm disables most antivirus software, including Microsoft’s Windows Defender and Security Essentials, and switches off Windows’ Automatic Updates, the service used by virtually all Windows users to keep their PCs patched. It also blocks access to security product Web sites — preventing signature updates for antivirus software — and to the Windows Update Web site. Without antivirus software, Conficker-infected systems are unlikely to detect and deflect other malware. If Automatic Updates is disabled, the machine will not receive any new security patches from Microsoft, leaving it open to attack by new threats that exploit those underlying vulnerabilities. Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226697/Down_but_not_out_Conficker_camouflages_new_Windows_infections?source=rss_security&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+computerworld/s/feed/topic/17+(Computerworld+Security+News)&utm_conte 45.

 

April 30, Help Net Security – (International) Gamex trojan threatens Android users. A new Android trojan that paves the way for the download of other applications has been spotted on third-party Web sites, camouflaged as legitimate file managing, ad blocking, and performance boosting apps. According to Lookout researchers, the Gamex trojan’s functionality is split across three components. Once the downloaded app repackaged with the trojan is granted root access by the user, the malware takes advantage of this permission to install another app onto the device, which then functions as a privileged installation service. “A third component communicates with a remote server, downloads apps, and triggers their installation. Gamex also reports the installation of these applications, along with the IMEI and IMSI, to a remote server,” researchers explained. “We believe that this information is used to operate and/or report installations to a malicious affiliate app promotion network.” Source: http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=2086&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+HelpNetSecurity+(Help+Net+Security)&utm_content=Google+Reader 46.

 

April 30, Softpedia – (International) Cybercriminals control Android TigerBot via SMS. At the beginning of April, security researchers found a number of Chinese Android stores were pushing applications that masked a piece of malware called TigerBot (ANDROIDOS_TIGERBOT.EVL). Also known as Spyera, the malicious element was analyzed by Trend Micro experts. They discovered the malware was controlled by its masters via SMS or phone calls, being capable of performing a number of tasks, including call recording and GPS tracking. The list of commands accepted by TigerBot includes DEBUG, CHANGE_IAP, PROCESS_LIST_ADD, PROCESS_LIST_DELETE, ACTIVE, and DEACTIVE.

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Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cybercriminals-Control-Android-TigerBot-Via-SMS-267066.shtml 47.

 

April 29, Computerworld – (International) Snow Leopard users most prone to Flashback infection. Of the Macs infected by the Flashback malware, nearly two-thirds are running OS X 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, a Russian antivirus company said April 27. Doctor Web, which earlier in April was the first to report the largest-ever malware attack against Apple Macs, mined data it intercepted from compromised computers to develop its findings. The company, along with other security vendors, has been “sinkholing” select command-and-control domains used by the Flashback botnet — hijacking them before the hackers could use the domains to issue orders or update attack code — to estimate the botnet’s size and disrupt its operation. April 27, Doctor Web published an analysis of communications between 95,000 Flashback-infected Macs and the sinkholed domains. Those communication attempts took place April 13. Flashback uses a critical vulnerability in Java to worm its way onto Macs. Although Apple, which continues to maintain Java for its OS X users, patched the bug in early April, it did so 7 weeks after Oracle disclosed the flaw when it shipped Java updates for Windows and Linux. Sixty-three percent of Flashback-infected machines identified themselves as running OS X 10.6, or Snow Leopard, the newest version of Apple’s operating system that comes with Java. Snow Leopard accounted for the largest share of OS X in March, according to metrics company Net Applications, making it the prime target of Flashback. Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226696/Snow_Leopard_users_most_prone_to_Flashback_infection?source=rss_security&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+computerworld/s/feed/topic/17+(Computerworld+Security+News)&utm_content=Google 48. April 28, Ars Technica – (International)

Backdoor that threatens power stations to be purged from control system. Mission-critical routers used to control electric substations and other critical infrastructure are being updated to remove a previously undocumented backdoor that could allow vandals to hijack the devices, manufacturer RuggedCom said April 27. The announcement by the Ontario, Canada-based company comes 2 days after Ars Technica reported the company’s entire line of devices running its Rugged Operating System contained a backdoor with an easily determined password. The backdoor, which cannot be disabled, had not been publicly acknowledged by the company until now, leaving the power utilities, military facilities, and municipal traffic departments using the industrial-strength gear vulnerable to sabotage that could affect the safety of huge populations of people. Source: http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/