ZKTeco USA Learn How Biometrics & AI Can Reduce Shrink and Generate New Revenue Streams Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA

ZKTeco is the world's leading developer of biometric solutions. Their products are used by some of the largest retail chains in the country to help reduce shrink. Retailers use ZKTeco biometric readers most often to prevent their employees from misusing keys and badges to gain unauthorized access to inventory, cash room, computer room and other high value rooms. Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA, discusses how retailers can leverage biometric technology to help reduce shrink and create new revenue streams.

Quick Take 1 with ZKTeco USA
 

Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA with MCs Joe LaRocca and Amber Bradley

Biometrics have already reached consumers. Just look at the fingerprint reader or facial recognition camera on your phone. If biometrics are a good idea for protecting photos on your phone, Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA, tells us why it's an even better idea for retailers protecting millions of dollars' worth of product.

Mark Stinde named Senior Vice President, Asset Protection for J.C. Penney
Previously Mark was the Vice President of Asset Protection for 7-Eleven for the past seven years. He started his career at 7-Eleven in 2010 as their Senior Director of Asset Protection. He was a significant resource to 7-Eleven in helping bring a more proactive approach to all areas of the asset protection department. Mark was a key contributor to 7-Eleven by bringing a greater focus to the asset protection processes, and worked with the IT team to bring significant improvements in the areas of technology, improving the asset protection infrastructure.

Mark also held various other operational and asset protection roles for Protiviti (Business Development, LP Practice), Circuit City (Vice President Asset Protection), Sears Holdings (Divisional VP of Loss Prevention), The Home Depot (Director LP, District Manager and Sr. Director of Safety) and Toys R Us (Regional LP Manager). He is also an Asset Protection Leadership Council Member for RILA, and a Member Board of Directors for The Loss Prevention Foundation. He earned his MBA in Business Administration and Management from Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business. Congratulations Mark!

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GDRP for the U.S. - We're Probably Closer Now Then Ever
Lawmakers and Businesses Hash Out Prospects for a Federal Privacy Law
The creation of federal privacy legislation has drawn widespread support from lawmakers, industry groups and privacy advocates during congressional hearings this week. But the big question of what the law should look like remains unresolved.

State and federal lawmakers are energized to consider legislation that would protect personal data after a string of privacy abuses involving the misuse of consumer data. Many congressional leaders and business executives say a federal privacy law is preferable to a patchwork of state regulations, many of which are already under consideration.

Members of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation are scheduled to meet Wednesday with representatives from the technology, retail and advertising industries to discuss potential federal privacy regulations. Senators also plan to review whether the Federal Trade Commission has enough power to enforce privacy laws.

A federal privacy law could preempt state efforts to pass their own. It could also serve as the U.S. version of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect last May and allows for multimillion-dollar fines against violators.

Lawmakers and industry groups are also hoping to get ahead of state efforts to enact their own privacy regulations. A patchwork of state privacy laws would make compliance difficult, critics say.

"I think it's highly, highly likely that a number of states will pass privacy laws this year." cybersecurity.cmail19.com

Customers need to be at the centre of GDPR plans
Responding to a breach is not just about data, it is about taking care of, and protecting, customers.
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has shone a light on how businesses prepare for, and respond to, a data breach.

The most robust cyber defenses operate and evolve on this basis but, when faced with such an incident, many firms will instinctively focus their resource and efforts on containment, rather than on their most important asset: their customers.

Once the data is gone, it is the customers who need protection. As the very visible outcome of the breach takes hold, organizations with significant customer databases that do not prioritize customer needs risk magnifying the crisis exponentially. This could include the triggering of regulatory fines but also customer loss, a hit to brand reputation, trust and, potentially, even share price.

There are key steps a business can take to ensure readiness and enable an effective, customer-centric response during a breach. computerweekly.com

Trend Micro Blocks Over 48 Billion Threats in 2018
91% Increase in Ransomware Threats
BEC, cryptojacking, phishing and fileless malware attacks all surged in 2018 as cyber-criminals increasingly moved away from one-size-fits-all approaches, according to Trend Micro.

The security vendor's 2018 roundup report, Caught in the Net: Unraveling the Tangle of Old and New Threats, revealed it blocked over 48.3 billion threats over the 12 month period.

The vast majority of these (41.5 billion) were email borne.

They included over 269 million instances of phishing URL detections compared to 2017, a 269% increase. Also targeting users with social engineering is BEC, of which Trend Micro detected an extra 28% attempted attacks.

Trend Micro noted a 91% decrease in ransomware threats over the year and a 32% drop in new ransomware families, but warned that it still remains a serious threat.

Fileless techniques showed the biggest rise in detections, up 819% over the year. The vendor warned that these attacks, which typically try to circumvent traditional filters, can usually be detected only via other means such as traffic monitoring, behavioral indicators or sandboxing. infosecurity-magazine.com

Mozilla & 11 Privacy Advocate Groups Pen Letter to Retailers
Stop Selling IoT Devices Without Minimum Security
Will security concerns handicap IoT devices?
In a letter that began, "Dear Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon," 11 privacy advocates recently urged the retail community to stop selling internet-connected devices that don't meet minimum security requirements.

As an example of related risks, the letter pointed to the 2017 CloudPets breach, when connected teddy bears exposed 2.2 million voice recordings made between parents and their children.

The letter arrives as a number of studies attest that many IoT devices, from industrial sensors to webcams, televisions and other smart home devices, have little or no security. And while the damage from credit card breaches has led to surprise charges on billing statements, hackers of IoT devices may gain access to video feeds, conversations, an individual's location in real time, their health data and more.

The 11 privacy advocates urged five minimum requirements: using encryption for all network communications, on-by-default and automatic security updates, the use of strong passwords for remote authentication, a vulnerability management program maintained by the vendor and the inclusion of a privacy policy. mozilla.org retailwire.com

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)
IoT Data as a Service (IoTDaaS)
The Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) is the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure to achieve more efficient IoT operations, improve human-machine interactions and enhance data management and analytics. AI can be used to transform IoT data into useful information for improved decision making processes, thus creating a foundation for newer technology such as IoT Data as a Service (IoTDaaS).

Many AIoT applications are currently retail product oriented and often focus on the implementation of cognitive computing in consumer appliances. For example, smart home technology would be considered a part of AIoT as smart appliances learn through human interaction and response. techtarget.com

Huge Blind Spot for Enterprise Defenses
Social Media Platforms Double as Major Malware Distribution Centers
Because many organizations tend to overlook or underestimate the threat, social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are a huge blind spot in enterprise defenses.

New research from Bromium shows that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other high-traffic social media sites have become massive centers for malware distribution and other kinds of criminal activity. Four of the top five websites currently hosting cryptocurrency mining tools are social media sites.

Bromium's study also finds one in five organizations have been infected with malware distributed via a social media platform, and more than 12% already have experienced a data breach as a result. Because many organizations tend to overlook or underestimate the threat, social media sites are a huge blind spot in enterprise defenses, the study found. darkreading.com

Putin Gets His Pound of Flesh
Former Kaspersky Lab Expert Sentenced in Russia for Treason
Helping FBI Bust Biggest Spam Networks
The former head of Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab's computer incidents investigation unit was sentenced to 14 years today in Moscow's District Military Court for treason.

Ruslan Stoyanov, who had been with Kaspersky Lab since 2012, was arrested in December 2016 along with Sergei Mikhailov, deputy head of the information security department of Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, and another officer of the FSB for alleged treasonous activities.

Stoyanov received a 14-year prison sentence and a fine, and Mikhailov, a 22-year sentence and a fine, according to an NBC News report today.

Russian media previously had reported that Stoyanov was contacted by Mikhailov to provide FBI cybercrime analysts with information on an investigation into the activities of a Russian businessman, Pavel Vrublevsky. Details of the case have been slim.

While at Kaspersky Lab, Stoyanov led the firm's cybercrime investigation that ultimately led to the 2016 arrests of 50 members of the so-called Lurk cybercrime gang that stole more than $45 million from Russian financial institutions - Russia's largest-ever crackdown on financial cybercrime.

In 2015, Stoyanov authored a report for Kaspersky Lab on the inner workings of Russian financial cybercrime that noted that the risk of prosecution is low for cybercriminals in Russia. darkreading.com

Former Operator of Illegal Booter Services Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Computer Damage and Abuse

Plagued by shoplifting, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries using courts to make offenders pay

Efforts to get money from shoplifters a 'colossal waste of time,' defence lawyer says

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is ramping up legal efforts to make chronic shoplifters pay. The Crown corporation, beset in recent months by a rise in shoplifting at Liquor Marts, has started registering criminal compensation judgments against convicted thieves in the Court of Queen's Bench.

A review of online court registry records shows it appears to be the first time the company has turned to the civil courts to try and recoup theft-related losses. A flurry of filings last week saw nine criminal restitution orders filed against six separate people (five men and one woman) on Wednesday alone. Each was endorsed by a provincial court judge as part of the separate criminal sentencing process.

The orders pave the way to allow Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries to try and recoup shoplifting losses through various means, including potential garnishment of wages, seizing assets, or even placing liens on property, according to a Manitoba Justice document detailing what victims can do if court-ordered restitution goes unpaid.

Most people who steal from Liquor Marts are either poor, have some kind of addiction that's fuelling their actions, or both. cbc.ca

Warning from Winnipeg Law Enforcement & Consumer Advocates
Shoplifted Items Ending Up For Sale Online
Winnipeg police and consumer advocates are warning people to ask questions before they buy to avoid purchasing stolen goods. Cst. Jay Murray said many shoplifted items are sold through apps, online marketplaces and internet classifieds.

Murray urged people to ask sellers to see proof of purchase like a photo of a receipt, and warned that stolen items could be confiscated by police. Both Winnipeg police and the Consumers' Association of Canada Manitoba Branch stressed that buyers need to be aware before purchasing anything from apps, internet marketplaces and online classifieds.

Gloria Desorcy, executive director of Consumers' Association of Canada Manitoba Branch, said if buyers come across someone selling large quantities of one item, to ask the seller where they got it and why they weren't returning it to the store.

Desorcy also said that people should consider the health and safety perspective before purchasing any food items or personal products like makeup and perfume. ctvnews.ca

From facial recognition to extra staff:
High and low tech tools used to combat rising shoplifting in Winnipeg
First Published in the Daily on Feb. 22
Stats from Winnipeg police show a steady increase in shoplifting over the past three years. In 2016, there were 1855 reported incidents of shoplifting. That number jumped to 2790 shoplifting incidents in 2017. In 2018, from January to November, there were 4465 incidents.

Patrol Sgt. Phil Penner told CTV News the increase can largely be attributed to the meth crisis.

Meanwhile, six Canadian Tire stores in Winnipeg are now using facial recognition software to combat the issue.

Downtown Family Foods co-owner Kevin Schmidt said many software programs are too expensive for small business owners. Beyond the regular surveillance cameras he has covering his store, Schmidt said he's added staff on some shifts. Along with an extra set of hands, Schmidt said the decision provides him with an extra set of eyes in the aisle. ctvnews.ca

$2-billion building collapse lawsuit against Loblaws could reach Supreme Court
The bodily injury lawsuit against Loblaw Companies Limited was filed in 2015 in Ontario by victims of a 2013 commercial building collapse in Bangladesh. More than 1,100 died and thousands more were injured. Some of those victims worked for a company making Joe Fresh-branded clothing intended for sale to Loblaws.

Vicarious liability is a risk for commercial clients if they are accused of bearing responsibility for negligence on the part of an employee or contractor.

The lawsuit against Loblaws was originally thrown out of court in 2017 by Justice Paul Perell of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Perell's ruling was upheld in Das v. George Weston Limited, released Dec. 20, 2018 by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Loblaws anticipates the plaintiffs will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, the grocer said in a securities filing released Thursday. The company has more than 500 retail stores across Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Provigo, Superstore and Zehrs.  canadianunderwriter.ca

Black market 'significantly' hurting cannabis sales?
Saskatchewan store owner thinks so
Business has slowed down "significantly" at Eden, a cannabis store located just outside Pilot Butte and the first to open in the Regina area, since Oct. 17. This isn't a surprise to owner Allen Kilback. Three more cannabis stores have opened in the Regina area since Oct. 17, pulling some business away from Eden, but Kilback believes there is another player picking up business in the cannabis sector.

"I think they're still purchasing, whether it's the black market or they've got to be coming from somewhere because our sales are definitely too low for the amount of consumption there is in Saskatchewan," Kilback said.

Despite having the same proportion of cannabis users, Saskatchewan's sales are significantly less than Alberta, even accounting for the population difference. Between Oct. 17, 2018 and the end of December, Saskatchewan saw just under $2.5 million in sales. Alberta stores racked up nearly $33 million in sales. globalnews.ca

Register Today
RCC's Retail Cannabis Forum coming March 26 in Toronto
Retail Council of Canada's Retail Cannabis Forum will inspire attendees to explore retail opportunities and innovation in this new market, as well as discuss the challenges associated with industry regulations. This is a must-attend event for anyone who is interested in learning about the opportunities and challenges for retailers in this highly regulated market. Supplier and industry partners will want to hear from Canada's leading cannabis retailers and distributors to learn how they can better engage with this sector of the retail industry. Click here to register and learn more. retailcouncil.org


Canada Store Openings & Expansions
● Canadian Tire plans to build store at Carlingwood, close Carling location
● Luxury Sportswear Brand 'Stone Island' Secures Canadian Flagship Retail Space
● Paradies to open four new stores at Vancouver Airport
● Plant-Based Concept 'Copper Branch' Announces 26 Locations for 2019


HBC to shutter 37 Home Outfitters locations; May close 20 Saks Off Fifth stores

Shoppers Drug Mart to shrink hours at 24-hour stores in Winnipeg

Allied Universal to receive major investment from CDPQ

Pot shops may open in Edmonton malls, city council decides

Roof collapses on 24-hour supermarket in Terrebonne, Que.

Canadians increasingly concerned about fraud, identity theft

Woman with disability banned from store after failing to pack groceries fast enough

Retailers have become the top target for credential stuffing attacks
Bots are being used to complete rapid-fire fraudulent purchases with very little effort from the hackers behind them.

According to Akamai's 2019 State of the Internet report, released on Wednesday, the retail sector was the top target for credential stuffing techniques in the second half of 2018.

Credential stuffing attacks are automated and make use of lists of stolen data -- such as financial or online service credentials -- to send barrages of user authentication requests without the need for human interaction.

Akamai says that "All-in-One" (AIO) bots, which are capable of deploying multi-functional tools including credential stuffers, have found particular value to criminals when it comes to product purchases.

An emerging trend is the use of these bots to perform credential stuffing attacks, successfully compromise online retail accounts, make purchases, and then allow operators to resell these fraudulently-purchased items for a profit.

Over a period of eight months in 2018, Akamai detected 27,985,920,324 credential abuse attempts, with the majority of attacks stemming from the United States, followed by Russia, Canada, Brazil, and India. On average, this equates to 115 million user account compromise attempts every day.

In total, 10 billion of these attempts were focused on retail targets, spurred on by the general pattern that individuals often reuse their account credentials across different online services.

Clothing websites are most often targeted, followed by department stores, office merchandise suppliers, and accessory retailers. In addition, the media, entertainment, and banking sectors are all common victims of these types of attacks. zdnet.com

Fake Amazon reviews draw fraud charges in groundbreaking FTC case
The US Federal Trade Commission has successfully brought the first ever case against using fraudulent, paid Amazon reviews to falsely advertise an online product, the agency announced Tuesday evening. The company in question, named Cure Encapsulations, Inc. and owned by Naftula Jacobowitz, paid a third-party website to write five-star Amazon reviews for a weight-loss supplement called garcinia cambogia. The plant, native to Indonesia, is widely mischaracterized as contributing to weight loss, but is in fact known to cause acute liver failure. theverge.com

Costco bests Amazon as most satisfying company for Internet retail, survey finds

Foot Locker invests $12.5 million in an online children's apparel brand Rockets of Awesome

Study: Digital-first retailers drive m-commerce growth

Fresno, CA: Four women hit Ulta Beauty stores in Fresno and Turlock
Police are looking for four women who allegedly robbed an Ulta Beauty store in Fresno, then committed the same crime in Turlock a few hours later. Surveillance video shows the women carrying large bags and entering the Ulta Beauty on Blackstone and Nees around 11:20 a.m. Monday. They stole cologne and perfume, according to Fresno police. When an employee tried to stop one of the women, the bag tore and the merchandise fell to the floor. The woman assaulted the employee to prevent her from picking up the items, police said. fresnobee.com

Nappanee, IN: Mother-daughter accused of defrauding Victoria's Secret
of over $100,000, re-selling clothes
A woman and her daughter are charged with bootlegging Victoria's Secret merchandise through a racketeering scheme. Wendy Skwarcan-Stoll, 41, and Alexis McCartney, 18, are both charged with felony counts of corrupt business influence and forgery after cases were filed Tuesday.

The two allegedly counterfeited coupons, used them to purchase clothing and items from Victoria's Secret stores throughout the Great Lakes region, and then re-sold the merchandise through a Facebook group.
Corporate security, through Victoria's Secret's parent company L Brands Inc., contacted Nappanee Police around Feb. 13 while investigating spoofed coupons that were used at a store in Racine, Wisconsin.

The agent tracked credit card information from a purchase to Skwarcan-Stoll and her home address in Nappanee, the probable cause affidavit in the case describes. The agent also matched store security camera images with Facebook pages to confirm Skwarcan-Stoll and McCartney's identities. The investigation found the two, with fake coupons, bought more than $100,000 in merchandise at stores in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan for about a year, the affidavit shows. Skwarcan-Stoll and McCartney then allegedly put the items up for sale on Facebook.

"It was also soon learned that Ms. Skwarcan had a Facebook group called Pink Ladies Closet through which she would sell the merchandise and ship it throughout the country," the affidavit reads. After speaking to L Brands security, Nappanee police searched the trash outside Skwarcan-Stoll's house, 502 N. Clark St., and found Victoria's Secret receipts and bags, as well as shipping labels and lists of sales. A handheld receipt generator and credit card scanner was also found, and police confirmed it was reported stolen from a Victoria's Secret store in Flint, Michigan, the affidavit shows.

Police, with a warrant, later searched the home and found Victoria's Secret clothes and accessories, fake coupons and items for counterfeiting the vouchers. Skwarcan-Stoll also allegedly admitted, while questioned by police, she and McCartney ran the coupon-resale enterprise for approximately two years, the affidavit shows. goshennews.com

Los Angeles Man Found Guilty on All Counts in Nationwide Credit Card Fraud Scheme with Links to Sacramento and Moscow
Ruslan Kirilyuk, 41, of Beverly Hills, guilty on Tuesday of 24 counts of wire fraud.

Between approximately October 5, 2011, and March 5, 2014, Kirilyuk conspired with Mihran Melkonyan, 38, of Sacramento; Rouslan Akhmerov, 42, of Studio City; Alexandr Maslov, 38, of Sacramento, and others in a credit card billing scheme that involved creating approximately 71 fraudulent online companies established with the sole purpose of fraudulently charging approximately 119,000 stolen credit card numbers. In total, the members of the scheme billed the stolen credit card numbers for over $3.4 million in unauthorized charges. justice.gov

Women stole 40 Apple devices worth over $10,000 from Ormond Beach Walmart, officers say

Front Royal, VA: Three men connected to $4,300 theft from AT&T store

Citrus Heights, FL: Man arrested following theft of $3,000 of cigarettes while distracting the Circle K employee

Sparks, NV: Police searching for 2 suspects in $2,000 theft from Target

Modesto, CA: Pricey Collectible Comic Returned To Modesto Comic Book Store After Break-Ins: $5,000 of merchandise stolen, $1,400 returned

Rostraver Township, PA: Man steals $1,000 of merchandise from Walmart, later sells items to GameStop
 

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