Axis Communications Launches Body Worn Solution

Axis enters new market, reimagining body worn with the world's most flexible solution

Axis Communications, has been recognized for decades as the industry leader in network video and today the company has announced its first body worn solution, designed for use by law enforcement and private security. The solution - including the robust camera, docking station and system controller - has been designed on an open system architecture, which will allow for integration with other video management systems (VMS) and evidence management systems (EMS) including those from Axis itself, making the solution the world's most flexible, while also enhancing existing software investments. axis.com
 

Coronavirus Update
 

Coronavirus Map: March 18 Update

US: 7,048 Cases Across Every State, 116 Dead   Globally: Cases Surpass 200K

On the frontlines protecting others:
31 security officers test positive for COVID-19
Private security officers are being called to the front line to keep the peace, direct traffic and to ensure that shoppers play nice. Stop and Shop, Kroger, ShopRite and Trader Joe are among a growing list of retailers who have hired security officers to control the people and the traffic during the mass rush for Coronavirus supplies.

While there have been some arrests made for fighting and for theft, nationwide, most retailers have reported that their shoppers have been understanding and cooperative.

Some security officers are wearing masks and gloves while in most locations, they have been seen without the proper protecting gear. As of today, 31 known security officers have tested positive with the virus including 6 TSA security officers.

While many businesses, schools and social events have been shut down for several weeks or more, private security officers continue to work to protect people and property while risking their own lives. privateofficer.com

Police Stop Making Arrests For Some Crimes
As courts across the country respond to the spread of the coronavirus by postponing jury trials and limiting what cases are heard, police are responding by making less arrests and in some cases choosing not to make arrests involving low level crimes unless there is a threat to public safety.

This will mean that some crimes reported by any citizen, including security officers, may not be responded to or may require a report be completed online or by phone.

Minor arrests in many areas will also not be made at the time of the crime.

On Wednesday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw addressed the new protocol put in place during the coronavirus emergency. "Persons who commit certain non-violent offenses will be arrested at the scene. Once their identity has been confirmed, they will be released and processed via arrest warrant. This is similar to the 'summons process' that is utilized in many other counties throughout the Commonwealth," Outlaw said. She explained if the officer and supervisor believe the individual poses a threat to public safety, the suspect can be taken into custody for immediate processing. "To be clear, the Philadelphia Police Department is not turning a blind eye to crime," Outlaw posted to social media early Wednesday.

The move in Fort Worth mirrors similar policies enacted in Denver, San Francisco, Brooklyn, New York, and Oak Forest, Illinois, Philadelphia and Tampa Florida.

Other areas are also "delaying arrests. If an officer determines that a non-violent, low-level crime has been committed, the officer may issue a criminal summons, file a report and seek an arrest warrant latter or may identify the person and have the "victim" seek an arrest warrant. privateofficernews.org fox29.com star-telegram.com

Coronavirus Fears Fueling Spike in Sales of Guns and Ammunition
The world's largest gun store, in metro Atlanta, has had lines that are six and eight people deep. A gun store in Los Angeles had lines that stretched down the block. And at least one store in Idaho put limits on sales after its shelves were nearly cleared out.

Just as grocery stores have been stripped bare by Americans panicked by coronavirus, guns and ammunition have started flying off the shelves. Retailers say the buying frenzy is being fueled by consumers who are worried that people are becoming so desperate and unpredictable, they need to ensure they can protect themselves.

Sales spiked in a matter of days, industry experts say. Some of the purchases are made by people buying their first firearm. Others are existing gun owners adding to their collection or stocking up on ammunition after seeing grocery stores depleted, schools closed and big events canceled, including the National Rifle Association's annual meeting. time.com

     Gun shops having trouble maintaining inventory

N.J. orders all indoor malls to close starting tonight to fight coronavirus pandemic
A day after shuttering numerous businesses and restricting restaurants across New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy announced he is now ordering all of the state's indoor shopping malls to close until further notice, starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday, to help battle the spread of the coronavirus.

Murphy said indoor and outdoor amusement parks and amusement centers in the state also must close, after announcing the state's total number of coronavirus cases surged to 267 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Those locations include bowling alleys, zoos, aquariums, arcades, carnivals, fairs, theme parks, water parks, children's play places, funplexes, and places with amusement rides, according to the executive order the governor signed.

Technically, some parts of malls don't have to close. The order says stores and restaurants with separate entrances from the mall's main indoor shopping areas can remain open.

But those stores must be closed between 8 p.m and 5 a.m. and adhere to the state's social distancing guidelines requiring fewer than 50 people at any gathering. And like other eateries in the state, those restaurants can offer only takeout or delivery. No dining in is allowed. nj.com

50 Major Retail Chains Have Now Announced Temporary Store Closures or Reduced Hours Nationwide to Slow the Coronavirus Outbreak

UK Panic Buying Drives Grocery Industry to Food Rationing

Panic Buying in UK As Well Stockpiling on the rise in the UK, data reveals The number of people stockpiling has risen considerably in the past two weeks, up from 10% of consumers to 25% of shoppers currently, new research reveals. Panic buying has left 72% of consumers frustrated, saying that they have experienced difficulties in buying the products they want because they have been out of stock. Consumers avoiding shopping destinations has more then tripled in last two weeks. talkingretail.com

UK Grocery Stores Start Rationing Grocery Products to Offset Panic Buying
Tesco was the first to begin rationing certain products two weeks ago, such as dried pasta and canned vegetables.

Nearly all of the grocers have since been rationing sales of items such as toilet paper, hand sanitiser and household cleaning products.

Earlier today, chief executive Mike Coupe told customers in a letter that they will now only be able to buy a maximum of three of any product, while a cap of two goes for some of the most popular items, such as toilet roll and soap.  retailgazette.co.uk

Coronavirus: Asda closes counters and rations products

Coronavirus: Sainsbury's the latest to ration all grocery products

UK: Tesco supermarket in Reading puts up signs telling panic buyers not to assault staff

UK: Tesco store puts security tags on plastic soap bottles in bathrooms
 

NRF Sends Letter to White House and Congressional Leadership on COVID-19 Economic Priorities
The National Retail Federation today sent a letter to President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy supporting their swift efforts in minimizing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in terms of public health and broader economic implications domestically and around the world. The text of the letter is a PDF available here.

OSHA Issues Guidance on Safeguarding Workplaces From COVID-19
This Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 does not create new legal obligations, but it provides helpful information and advice on measures employers can take to limit the risk of exposure and infection for their employees, and how to respond if an employee does become ill.

While OSHA's guidance is not mandatory, it is a valuable resource for employers looking to prepare and best position their workplaces to handle the COVID-19 outbreak. natlawreview.com

50 Major Retail Chains Have Now Announced Temporary Store Closures or Reduced Hours Nationwide to Slow the Coronavirus Outbreak

Macy's, Inc. Temporarily Closes Stores Nationwide in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak

McKinsey & Company; Responding to coronavirus: The minimum viable nerve center

Starbucks, Dunkin' Move to Take-Out Model in All US Locations

Nearly 7 million Northern California residents ordered to shelter in place

NY Gov. Cuomo says he won't approve coronavirus 'shelter-in-place' order for New York City after mayor tells residents to prepare

Nevada governor orders closure of all nonessential businesses for 30 days

Ukraine Mask Heist: Opportunists Bought 100,000 Medical Masks.
When They Tried To Sell Them, They Were Robbed By Armed Men


Resilience360 Launches Coronavirus Supply Chain Resource Center
Our Coronavirus Supply Chain Resource center features daily updates and special reports, providing you with early warning intelligence on the Coronavirus epidemic as well as recommendations for business contingency planning based upon best-in-class supply chain risk management methodology. The content is derived entirely from Resilience 360's Incident Monitoring platform.

Supply chain managers should take advantage of this valuable and free resource at this challenging time. If you would like to also receive these alerts in near real-time, click here to acquire a subscription to the Incident Monitoring platform.
 

Chicago's Felony Shoplifting Charges Drop 74% in 3 Years
Under the Country's First "Progressive Prosecutors"

Chicago's Controversial Top Prosecutor Up for Re-Election
'Kim Foxx Aims To Rewrite An 'Inequitable' Legal Justice System As Challengers Fight To Topple Her'
Four years after Foxx, the county's first Black female prosecutor, decisively defeated incumbent Anita Alvarez to be one of the country's first "progressive prosecutors," it may still be hard to believe, sometimes, that historically punitive Cook County has an elected state's attorney willing to call out the failures of the system.

With one term under her belt, Foxx says her work isn't finished: she has more to do to reshape the system and address longstanding inequities. But she faces three opponents who have vociferously criticized her record. They argue that although reform still needs to happen, she's not fit to do it, and that some of her attempts to transform the system have gone too far

The dynamics of the race exemplify how pursuing criminal justice reform from the prosecutor's office can produce intense backlash. Foxx is one of the first progressive prosecutors to face re-election, and the outcome is likely to offer lessons for the movement as a whole.

Jamila Hodge, director of the Reshaping Prosecution program at the Vera Institute of Justice. "We have more than 2,300 prosecutor's offices across this country. We're approaching 50 who've been elected on a reform platform. So this is just the beginning. And we need people like her to be able to stay in this role so that this movement can have momentum."

Read about the retail felony shoplifting saga the last few years in Chicago

New UK Legislation aims to protect shopworkers from abuse
Legislation to protect shopworkers from rising levels of violence and abuse has been heard in Parliament Monday (16 March).

Presenting the bill as a Ten Minute Rule motion, Alex Norris MP, said: "Retailers and their staff are a cornerstone of our local communities, yet every day hundreds of retail workers are suffering shocking abuse at work and despite the exponential rise in violence we are seeing an ever decreasing response from our police forces that have been so stretched by 10 years of cuts, especially to neighborhood policing teams." talkingretail.com

How to Avoid Shaking Hands

Cybercrime Takes Priority with DOJ
Attorney General Barr urges DOJ to prioritize prosecuting coronavirus scammers
Scammers who have been taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic by spreading COVID-19-themed spearphishing emails have caught the attention of the Department of Justice.

In a memo sent to all U.S. attorneys Monday, Attorney General William Barr prioritized prosecuting cybercriminals seeking to exploit fears about the coronavirus

"The pandemic is dangerous enough without wrongdoers seeking to profit from public panic and this sort of conduct cannot be tolerated," Barr said in the memo, which CyberScoop has obtained.

In recent days, scammers have been expanding their efforts and imitating country-specific health authorities around the world as the virus has spread to hundreds of thousands. Many other schemes have focused on exploiting businesses' fears about the economic impact of the pandemic, according to Proofpoint.

"[I]t is essential that the Department of Justice remain vigilant in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting wrongdoing related to the crisis," Barr said. cyberscoop.com

Free security resources for work-from-home employees during the COVID-19 crisis

Some security vendors are stepping up to help organizations better protect their networks as employees must suddenly work from home.

As the world "shelters in place" amid the COVID-19 crisis, some tech companies are stepping up and offering their products and services free of charge for a limited time. These offers will help organizations set up and protect remote employees faster. In some cases, vendors are also offering support services to help companies through the set-up and deployment processes.

Keep in mind that most if not all these offers are extended free trials. At some point, you will be expected to pay for these products and services if you decide to continue using them. Even so, the vendors below are helping the global community better cope with the COVID-19 crisis at a time of very high demand for their offerings.

CSO will add new free COVID-19-related services as we learn of them. Vendors offering help may contact CSO using this link. csoonline.com

8 key security considerations for protecting remote workers

Many security and IT teams suddenly have to support and protect employees who must work remotely due to the COVID-19 crisis. Make sure you cover these areas.

Your boss just called and all your employees are mandated to work from home for the next two to three weeks due to the potential COVID-19 pandemic. What could go wrong? What risks are you now bringing to the firm? These are the actions should you take immediately to ensure you can allow your workforce to work remotely and securely.

1. Determine what endpoint protection you will require for home users
2. Review what software remote employees need
3. Ensure remote access does not introduce more risk
4. Implement two-factor authentication (2FA)
5. Use a virtual private network (VPN)
6. Assess the impact to firewalls, conditional access policies and other logging
7. Educate employees on COVID-19 scams
8. Update acceptable use policies for employees

Planning for the future

While this is a stressful time given the uncertainties, it's also a great time for seeing how ready your organization is for emergencies and other remote worker needs. Even if you don't tell everyone to work from home, take the time to think about if you could make everyone work from how and how well you could do it. Review the CIS Telework and Small Office Network Security Guide to see if there are any other security issues you should be monitoring. csoonline.com
 

COVID-19 Response: 5 Tips for Securing Remote Workplace

Phil Reitinger of Global Cyber Alliance on Mitigating Overlooked Vulnerabilities

It's no exaggeration to say that, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have the largest-ever global remote workforce. And with it comes an expanded attack surface that requires extra attention. Phil Reitinger of the Global Cyber Alliance shares five tips for securing the remote workforce.

"If there's one thing we know about cyber adversaries, it's that they're adaptive and reactive," Reitinger says. "What COVID-19 gives the adversaries is an opportunity both to phish - to sort of weaponize the desire for information - and at the same time a new set of [prospective victims] to target."

In an interview with Information Security Media Group (see audio link below photo), Reitinger discusses:

● Threats and threat actors looking to prey on unsecured workplaces;
● The most commonly overlooked vulnerabilities;
● Coronavirus implications for 2020 election security. 14 minutes govinfosecurity.com

U.S. government, tech industry discussing ways to use smartphone location data to combat coronavirus
The U.S. government is in active talks with Facebook, Google and a wide array of tech companies and health experts about how they can use location data gleaned from Americans' phones to combat the novel coronavirus, including tracking whether people are keeping one another at safe distances to stem the outbreak.

Public-health experts are interested in the possibility that private-sector companies could compile the data in anonymous, aggregated form, which they could then use to map the spread of the infection, according to three people familiar with the effort, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the project is in its early stages.

Analyzing trends in smartphone owners' whereabouts could prove to be a powerful tool for health authorities looking to track coronavirus, which has infected more than 180,000 people globally. But it's also an approach that could leave some Americans uncomfortable, depending on how it's implemented, given the sensitivity when it comes to details of their daily whereabouts. Multiple sources stressed that - if they proceed - they are not building a government database.

A task force created by tech executives, entrepreneurs and investors presented a range of ideas around disease mapping and telehealth to the White House during a private meeting Sunday. washingtonpost.com