2009 Newsletters

Volume 2

• Number 1 (1/4/09)
  • MD5 exploit used to make fake digital certificates
  • Leap year bug freezes 30-G Zune players
  • Computer glitch caused Chinese bank to lose money when gold traded for 6 times it rate
• Number 2 (1/11/09)
  • U.S. attorney's office in Chicago inadvertently released the names of 25 Confidential Witness
  • CEO of India’s 4th largest software exporter arrested for fraud
  • Another 1.1 million Social Security Numbers exposed
• Number 3 (1/18/09)
  • $350 million hedge fund manager missing in Florida
  • Minneapolis Star files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
  • 2009 starts with 2 banks closed
• Number 4 (1/25/09)
  • 100 million credit and debit card transaction breach at Heartland Payment Systems
  • 6% of computers infected with Conflictor malware
  • 1st Centennial becomes third bank closed in 2009
  • Vandals hack into Wired Magazine web site and post bogus Steve Jobs story
• Number 5 (2/1/09)
  • Man arrested for alleged $380 million Ponzi scheme
  • VA pays $20 million to settle Personally Identifiable Information on a stolen laptop case
  • Three more banks shuttered by regulators
  • Google human error gave false warnings that sites were harmful
• Number 6 (2/8/09)
  • Internet breached: SRA, Monster.com, & USAjobs.gov
  • Digital TV conversion delayed until June 12
  • 4.8 million collecting unemployment benefits, the highest number on record (40 years)
  • Coordinated hacker attack drain $9 million from ATMs
  • 7^th, 8^th & 9^th banks shuttered this year
• Number 7 (2/15/09)
  • Sample Data Breach notification (FDIC)
  • Federally controlled medical records part of Stimulus Bill
  • Hackers break into FAA and access SSNs of 45,000 people
  • Microsoft offers $250K reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Conflicter Worm
  • Regulators shutter 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, & 13^th banks
• Number 8 (2/22/09)
  • Sir Allen Stanford charged with $8 billion fraud
  • BearingPoint files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
  • 14^th Bank Shuttered
  • Personal Data Breaches:
    • 97,000 at University of Florida and
    • 21,000 at Wyndham Hotels
• Number 9 (3/1/09)
  • Another Payment Processing Breach
  • Man arrested for using fake documents to take over a Citibank account and steal over $27 million
  • $billions missing from Stanford Funds
  • Regulators shutter 15^th & 16^th banks this year
• Number 10 (3/8/09)
  • Toyota seeks loan from Japanese government
  • Scientists create new AIDS virus that infects monkeys
  • China increases 2009 military spending by 15%
  • Senate working on $500 billion FDIC loan
  • 17^th bank shuttered
• Number 11 (3/15/09)
  • One million now on the Terrorist Watch List
  • The World Wide Web turns 20-years old
• Number 12 (3/22/09)
  • GAO reports SEC security problems not addressed
  • Regulators shutter the 18th,19th, & 20th banks
  • NCUA places 2 large credit unions into conservatorship
  • Washington Mutual holding company sues FDIC
• Number 13 (3/29/09)
  • Intel CPU bug could be vulnerable to CPU cache poisoning attacks
  • Regulators shutter 21^st bank
  • Cybercrime more lucrative than drug trafficking
• Number 14 (4/5/09)
  • Chicago Sun-Times files for bankruptcy
  • Senate Bill would enforce cybersecurity standards for private industry
  • North Korea launched a new long range missile
• Number 15 (4/12/09)
  • Pentagon spent $100 million during last 6 months responding to cyberattacks
  • China and Russia installed rogue programs in the U.S. Electric Grid
  • U.S. flagged ship seized by Somali pirates
  • VA & DOD to create lifetime e-record
  • 22^nd and 23^rd Banks Closed
• Number 16 (4/19/2009)
  • China may have counterfeit chips embedded in U.S. planes and ships designed to degrade the system at the time of their choosing
  • Regulators shutter the 24^th and 25^th banks this year
• Number 17 (4/26/2009)
  • A bank run caused the New Frontier Bank in Colorado failure
  • China’s cyber spies breach $300 billion Pentagon jet fighter program
  • Regulators shutter 26^th, 27^th, 28^th, and 29^th banks this year
  • Swine flu hits Mexico, Texas, California, Kansas, and possibly New York
• Number 18 (May 10, 2009)
  • Chrysler files for bankruptcy
  • Hacker steal 160,000 health records from University of California Berkley
  • Hacker stole 8 million drug prescription records from Virginia database
  • Toyota lost more in the last quarter than GM
  • Regulators shutter banks 30 through 33
• Number 19 (5/24/2009)
  • EPA finds suspect materials in sheetrock made in China
  • Virus shuts down U.S. Marshals computers
  • 34^th, 35^th, and 36^th Federally insured institutions shuttered
• Number 20 (6/7/2009)
  • North Korea Detonates a Nuke
  • GM files for bankruptcy
  • The FDIC shutters the 37^th bank this year
  • Oil briefly rose above $70 per barrel
• Number 21 (6/21/2009)
  • Microsoft patches fix 31 security flaws
  • 3 hackers indicted for $55 million telephone theft
  • Regulators shutter 38^th, 39^th, and 40^th banks
• Number 22 (7/5/2009)
  • During a 2 week period, Regulators shutter 12 banks
  • Washington DC area subway computer failure suspected in train crash
• Number 23 (7/19/2009)
  • China purchased more cars for the first 6-months than did the U.S.
  • India to issue all 1.2 billion citizens biometric ID cards
  • Regulators shutter five more banks
• Number 24 (8/2/2009)
  • Myanmar may be developing a nuclear bomb
  • Senator Schumer calls for curbing flash trades
  • 12 Banks shuttered since last newsletter
• Number 25 (8/16/2009)
  • U.S. budget deficit reaches $1.27 trillion
  • Number of financial institutions closed reaches 77 for the year
• Number 26 (8/30/2009)
  • Fed Chairman Bernanke an identity theft victim
  • FDIC list of troubled banks exceed 400
  • 84^th Bank Shuttered
• Number 27 (9/13/2009)
  • Fed survey shows recession is over
  • China annual growth at 8%
  • 92^nd bank shuttered
  • Cyber thieves hack into online bank accounts
• Number 28 (9/27/2009)
  • SEC proposed Flash Trade ban
  • Fed Chairman believes the recession is over
  • 95^th financial institution shuttered this year
• Number 29 (10/11/2009)
  • Computer glitch nearly caused a run on the TD Bank
  • FDIC Chairman wants to end “to big to fail” bank policy
  • Record price for Gold, $1,062.70 per troy ounce
  • Counterfeit chips made in China sold to U.S. Navy and other Government agencies
• Number 30 (10/25/2009)
  • Dow reached highest level in a year
  • Gold rises to new record level
  • Bank of America posts $2 billion loss
  • Oil reaches the highest level in a year
  • 106 Banks Closed—highest since 1992
• Number 31 (11/8/2009)
  • Jobless rate reaches 26 year high of 10.2% (true rate is 17.5%, highest since Great Depression)
  • CIT Group files for 5^th largest bankruptcy in U.S. history
  • Nine banks shutters during one week, busiest week this year
  • Gold reaches new record high of $1,100 per ounce
  • 120^th financial institution shuttered
• Number 32 (11/22/2009)
  • Gold reaches new all-time high of S1,153.40 an ounce per ounce
  • 124^th bank closed
  • FAA outage blamed on router
• Number 33 (12/6/2009)
  • Gold reaches new all-time high of $1,227.50 per ounce
  • 130^th bank closed
• Number 34 (12/20/2009)
  • National Debt exceeded statutory Debt Limit
  • Iraq insurgents hacked Predator communication link
  • 140^th bank closed