Texas Mall Mass Shooting Fallout Continues

Stores & Malls Are Become Frequent Mass Shooting Targets
When the mall is the target: The state of retail and mass shootings

Stores and malls are especially vulnerable to random attacks like the recent killing of eight people at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas.

On Thursday, five days after a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle and other weapons opened fire and killed eight people, the Allen Premium Outlets near Dallas remains closed until further notice. The Simon Property Group-owned mall has been turned into a place of memorial and mourning.

It was yet another bloody episode at a retail venue that sent shoppers and store employees panicking and left behind casualties and destruction, including numerous fatalities. Gun violence in general is happening more often at stores and shopping centers. When it comes to mass shootings in public like the one in Texas last week, the location itself is the target, experts say.

The target

Retail venues have endured them in every decade of the past 60 years or so, though more than half occurred in the last 15 years, according to the Violence Project, which gathers a variety of statistics on the issue.

In Allen, there were red flags about the gunman, including "neo-Nazi ideation" and the fact that the U.S. Army let him go after basic training, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Hank Sibley told reporters on Tuesday. He obtained his eight weapons legally, had no criminal history and once had a security guard license.

"To me, it looks like he targeted the location rather than a specific group of people," Sibley said. "He was very random in the people he killed, it didn't matter the age, race or sex. He just shot people, which is horrific in itself."

The frequency of these incidents is accelerating, according to Michael Lawlor, a criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven. "By and large, these happen in places where people gather - maybe a hospital, a church, a school, a shopping mall, a bank," he said by phone.

In a report on security released in September, the National Retail Federation noted that "mass violence/active assailants" is a growing concern of 57.9% of its members, gun violence is a growing concern for 52.6%, and guest-on-associate violence is a growing concern for 77.6%.

Response & Prevention: retaildive.com


MEDIA STATEMENT: Allied Universal Mourns Loss of Security Professional in Allen Premium Outlets Mass Shooting
IRVINE, Calif. - May 8, 2023 - "The Allied Universal® team lost one of its own during a mass shooting in Allen, Texas, on May 6, 2023.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Christian LaCour, our security professional who was tragically killed while protecting the customers and employees of the Allen Premium Outlets.

All other security professionals assigned to the location are safe, accounted for and being offered grief counseling and additional support. Security professionals from nearby areas are commended for covering their shifts so they can grieve and begin to heal.

Allied Universal's top priority is safety - the safety of our team members and the communities we serve. Our thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones and the community of Allen." aus.com


Allied Universal's CEO's Heart Felt Comments Hit Home For Entire Industry
Media Statement on Security Amidst Recent Rise of Mass Shootings from Steve Jones, Global CEO of Allied Universal
"Security guards are unsung heroes who run to danger instead of away from it.

It takes a brave, selfless person to move in danger's direction. To protect others before protecting themselves.

When danger arises, they are first on the scene - even before first responders.

Last May, one of our security professionals lost his life when a gunman opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. He was a 30-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department.

This weekend, one of our security professionals was tragically killed in the line of duty while protecting shoppers and employees in Allen, Texas. This young man suffered a senseless death in sacrifice to others.

All too often, the media reports negative stories about security guards as part of an agenda that I struggle to understand. They don't report on the heroic actions of security guards. The lives saved. The plots thwarted. The crimes deterred.

In just the last few months, our security guards have administered life-saving medical aid, extinguished fires, foiled human trafficking, prevented suicides and removed firearms from public spaces.

Security guards aren't perfect. They're human like all of us. Focusing solely on their faults and flaws is unbalanced and is a disservice to the importance of public safety.

This is a call to reexamine how society views and portrays the millions of men and women who work every day to make the world safer.

To security guards reading this: There is no greater purpose than safeguarding customers, communities and people. You serve a great purpose. I'm proud of you. You are valued. Thank you." -- Steve Jones, Global Chairman and CEO, Allied Universal aus.com


Could Texas Mall Mass Shooting Spur Gun Violence Legislation?
After Mass Killings in Texas, Frustration but No Action on Guns

The drumbeat of mass murder has fueled a new openness to gun regulation among some Texans, but it has done little to reshape the political realities in the State Capitol.

This time the violence erupted at a popular shopping center in the Dallas suburb of Allen, where a 33-year-old gunman armed with what officials said was an AR-15-style rifle swiftly killed eight people and wounded at least seven others, including at least one child, before a police officer fatally shot him on Saturday.

The killings came just over a week after a mass shooting in rural San Jacinto County, north of Houston, where five people living together were killed by a neighbor after they asked him to stop shooting his gun in his front yard. And they occurred a little less than a year after the massacre at Uvalde, where two teachers also died.

Among some Texans, the drumbeat of mass murder has fueled rising frustration and a slight openness to more gun regulation in a state where even Democrats proudly discuss their firearms. But the violence has done little to reshape the political realities in the State Capitol, where Republicans control both legislative chambers and all statewide offices.

In the past two years, as the state has been shaken by more than a dozen mass killings of four or more people, Texas has increased access to firearms, doing away with its permit requirements to carry handguns and lowering the age when adults can carry handguns to 18 from 21.

On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, attended a vigil for the victims of the shooting at the shopping center, Allen Premium Outlets, but said earlier that there would be no new effort by his administration to limit access to firearms - because it would not work. nytimes.com


Already 10,000 Cases of Larceny in San Francisco in 2023
It's already sent nearly two dozen retailers out of the city

Almost Two Dozen Major Retailers Have Fled Downtown San Francisco Amid Skyrocketing Crime
Since 2020, 23 retail stores have closed in downtown San Francisco, with many citing the increase in crime and the inability to keep their customers and employees safe, according to The San Francisco Standard.

Coco Republic, a furniture store, announced its closure Wednesday in a press release, stating it will be closed by the end of July or whenever inventory is sold out, according to KRON 4 News. The store joins other retailers like Whole Foods, Anthropologie, Nordstrom and T-Mobile that have closed their doors since 2020 due to crime, the San Francisco Standard reported.

There have been over 10,000 cases of larceny or theft in San Francisco already in 2023, according to data from the San Francisco police department. Critics have pointed to laws such as Proposition 47, a statewide ballot initiative which passed in 2014 and made theft of under $950 a nonviolent misdemeanor, as contributing to the increase in crime.

"There's no deterrent in the state of California to discourage theft at this point," said Mike Leininger, a retired police officer to NBC Bay Area.

Employees at one of the few remaining stores in the area, Target, estimate that there are at least 10 thefts a day, according to The San Francisco Standard.

In a press release Wednesday, Coco Republic cited "well documented" issues and "despite taking numerous precautions in and around their San Francisco store to protect customers and employees, Coco Republic has concluded that it is impossible to continue to keep the location open."

Many of the stores have cited safety concerns as reasons for closing up shop.

"A growing number of retailers and businesses are leaving the area due to the unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area," said a spokesperson for Westfield Mall after the departure of Nordstrom.

Stores aren't just pulling out of the downtown area; the vacancy rate for commercial real estate in San Francisco is the highest it's ever been, at about 30%, according to CBRE, an investment firm. dailycaller.com

   RELATED: Target in San Francisco slammed by '10 thefts a day,' employees say


All-of-the-Above Approach Needed to Defeat ORC
Opinion: Taking a bite out of organized, retail theft
Today retail crime, organized and rampant, is plaguing retail businesses of all sizes locally and nationally. In a 2022 survey of 700 small businesses by Business.org, 54% reported a rise in shoplifting with 23% saying they were robbed daily. This has little to do with individual shoplifters although they are still around. It is driven by organized theft operations. It's a New Mexico problem too.

Organized retail theft started to rapidly increase in the pandemic. Most retail stores began to scale back the number of employees as shoppers stayed home. Online shopping for everything exploded.

This same opportunity for shoppers also presented an opportunity for theft rings. Individuals get recruited to go in and empty stores of beauty products, detergents, food, medicines and more. They get paid when theft operations turn around and resell the products online. Amazon, ebay and other sites give thieves a quick way to resell stolen goods. No tax ID numbers or verification required.

This scourge of crime has costs for everyone. Large retailers like Walgreen's and Wal-Mart are closing stores. When Wal-Mart determines a store is underperforming it is closed. The store is likely underperforming because it has repeated, costly retail theft that affects profitability.

As the problem has increased so have the coalitions working to find solutions. Retailers, lawmakers, business groups and law enforcement are working together to address the problem.

In 2022 with the support of local and state officials, the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce started the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association. This allows statewide and multi-state sharing of crime data. Local law enforcement stepped up arrests.

Retailers nationwide are rolling out more sophisticated sensors, parking lot security cameras, and facial recognition software to flag repeat offenders. And they successfully lobbied Congress for legislation requiring online sellers (aka Amazon) to collect tax ID numbers for high volume sellers.

This year the New Mexico Legislature passed HB 234, crafted by the New Mexico Chamber, legislators and law enforcement. It creates a new crime of aggravated shoplifting, a third degree felony, for use of a deadly weapon or committing assault at any point during the crime. And the law clearly defines a new crime of organized retail crime to address gangs or theft rings. currentargus.com

   RELATED: Albuquerque Police Department cracks down on shoplifting


LA Sheriff Faces "Defund the Police" Mantra at Public Hearing Yesterday
LASD sheriff asks for 1,100 deputies, more academy classes from county's $43B budget
LOS ANGELES - As part of a public hearing Wednesday, May 10, on Los Angeles County's proposed $43 billion budget, Sheriff Robert Luna asked for enough funding to recruit 1,100 deputies, double up on captains at problem Sheriff's Stations, purchase a jail management system and supply new Tasers to deputies on patrol.

In his first budget meeting with the board since taking office in early December, Luna said the 1,100-person vacancy among sworn officer positions is taking a toll on the department's deputies, who do mandatory overtime.

Dozens of speakers recited the mantra "defund the police," saying extra funds allocated to law enforcement should be redirected to social program efforts such as hiring mental health and healthcare workers and increasing the number of affordable housing units and community gardens. police1.com


"We're in the midst of a fraud epidemic in the supply chain"
TIA warns of $800M broker fraud - Bad Actors Are Proliferating
Transportation Intermediaries Association President and CEO Anne Reinke testified that better oversight enforcement by FMCSA of illegal brokers is vital.

"We're in the midst of a fraud epidemic in the supply chain," Reinke said, and it is costing brokers, carriers, shippers and consumers roughly $800 million. She told the hearing that while TIA successfully advocated for a national consumer complaint database at FMCSA to report fraud, over 80,000 complaints in the database have never been investigated and no penalties have been assessed.

"Unfortunately, due to a lack of enforcement, there are a proliferation of bad actors in the supply chain illegally brokering freight, registering as carriers using hundreds of different motor carrier numbers, and conducting outright fraud, theft and holding freight hostage, without legal consequences," she said.

Reinke also emphasized her support for the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act, legislation reintroduced in the current Congress that would require more rigorous oversight of unsafe carriers as an interim measure while FMCSA works on a longer-term overhaul of its safety rating system. freightwaves.com


Mail Theft & Check Fraud Have Both Doubled
High-Tech Banks Grapple With a Rise in Old-Fashioned Crime: Check Fraud
Check fraud might seem old-fashioned in the digital era, but it's on the rise as criminal gangs become increasingly sophisticated.

In 2018, check fraud made up 47%, or $1.3 billion, of banks' fraud losses-a jump from $789 million in 2016, according to a 2020 survey released by the American Bankers Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group for the industry. That was closely followed by debit card fraud losses, which accounted for 44%, or $1.2 billion, in 2018. The figures are the most recent available, according to the ABA.

Theft of checks mailed through the U.S. Postal Service has jumped significantly over the past 18 months. In 2022, banks filed 680,000 check-fraud reports, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, part of the Treasury Department. That's almost double the 350,000 fraud reports filed in 2021.

FinCEN in February issued an alert about the rise in check fraud in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law-enforcement arm of the postal service. USPIS said it received approximately 300,000 complaints about mail theft from March 2020 through February 2021, more than double the number from a year earlier.  wsj.com


Everseen Raises $71 Million to Battle Retail Theft With AI

Grocery store courtesy clerk fired after being assaulted three times at work

LP's Changing Role Amid Complex & Persistent Threats
Podcast: The state of retail security with NRF's David Johnston

Retail Gets Real episode 307: An inside look at current priorities and challenges in the retail loss prevention and asset protection community and what to expect at this summer's NRF PROTECT

Retail leaders dealing with loss prevention and asset management have never had to face as many comprehensive, complex and persistent threats as they are right now.

From pandemics to geopolitics to high volume cyberattacks, global corporations and their security professionals face more operational, financial and reputational challenges than ever before, with increasing speed and magnitude, says David Johnston, NRF's vice president of asset protection and retail operations, on this episode of Retail Gets Real.

The role of loss prevention and asset protection changed rapidly in the last five years and even more during COVID-19, he says.

"Loss prevention and asset protection is one of the few areas of the business that has probably the largest operational or tactical impact to the entire business. It's at the physical locations and through the supply chain. It's in the digital and ecommerce side. Now we're getting into a lot of the political and the cultural, with the civil unrest," as well as environmental health and safety requirements during COVID-19.

The industry continues to evolve, says Johnston, a 30-year veteran of retail security. "We've moved from security to loss prevention to asset protection. The way I view the industry now is, we're at what's known as the enterprise security risk management phase."

Issues and solutions around loss prevention, asset protection, digital fraud and cyber risk will be delved into at the upcoming NRF PROTECT event. "We're tackling the issues of today," he says. "We're talking organized retail crime, we're talking workplace violence. We're talking online digital fraud, cybersecurity threats."

Listen to the full podcast to hear about Johnston's retail career path from selling athletic shoes to global loss prevention leader, NRF and K2 Integrity's new comprehensive report on organized retail crime, and Johnston's memories from his first NRF conference in 1998. nrf.com


Kroger CEO vows legal fight for Albertsons deal if necessary

A merger between Kroger and Albertsons would create a company with almost 5,000 stores.

Kroger Co. said it's committed to hunkering down for a long legal battle if US regulators attempt to block its $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons Cos.

"Usually you wouldn't commit in advance to litigate," Kroger Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen said in an interview Wednesday at Bloomberg headquarters in New York. "In this case, we both committed to litigate in advance"

Kroger and Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons are in talks with possible buyers as the grocers seek to divest as many as 650 stores. But it's too early to say whether the pair will seek to sell everything to a single buyer or offload stores to multiple companies. dallasnews.com


CVS Fined $6.5 Million
CVS fined millions for selling expired baby food, formula in California
Pharmacy and grocery retailer CVS has been ordered to pay $6.5 million in penalties for selling expired items in its stores, including over-the-counter drugs, baby food and infant formula.

On Thursday, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced that his office, as well as 11 other DA's Offices across the state, settled a civil lawsuit against the retail chain.

The original complaint was filed in Santa Cruz County Superior Court and alleged that CVS and its subsidiaries had sold the expired items over a span of four years, despite California law that prohibits the sales of formula and baby food past its "use by" dates.

When informed of the lawsuit, CVS investigated internally and cooperated with prosecutors to identify what went wrong and has since established a new system to verify expiration dates and re-trained existing employees on the proper procedure for handling expired product. msn.com


Robot Baristas Coming to NYC - You Can't Unionize That!
NYC's first coffee shop run by a robot barista is coming to Brooklyn
New York City's first coffee shop run by a robot barista is coming to Brooklyn - but some neighbors aren't hot on automatons coming for their service jobs.

The two-armed robot at Botbar in Greenpoint will have a creepy dystopian skill set that includes dancing, waving and churning out up to 50 espresso drinks an hour when the shop opens in two weeks, according to eater.com.

"Humans can be unpredictable; let the robot make your coffee," proclaims a sign announcing Botbar is "coming soon" to Manhattan and Bedford avenues.

The gadget, dubbed "ADAM," sits atop a counter and responds to orders placed by coffee buffs on a nearby touch screen, the outlet reported. It makes beverages ranging from cappuccinos to bubble tea while dancing and gesturing at customers between orders.

But neighbors and coffeehouse employees smell trouble brewing -saying it's the latest example of bots putting people out of work. nypost.com


Job Satisfaction Hits 36-Year High
Driven by remote work & rising wages

Workers Are Happier Than They've Been in Decades

Labor shortages and shifting expectations lead to improvement for millions, survey shows

Job satisfaction hit a 36-year high in 2022, reflecting two effects of the tight pandemic labor market: The quality of jobs improved as wages and work flexibility increased, and workers moved into positions that were a better fit.

Last year, 62.3% of U.S. workers said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to new data from the Conference Board, up from 60.2% in 2021 and 56.8% in 2020. The business-research organization polled workers on 26 aspects of work, and found that people were most content with their commutes, their co-workers, the physical environment of their workplace and job security.

Among the happiest workers: people who voluntarily switched jobs during the pandemic and individuals working in hybrid roles with a mix of in-person and remote work. Men's satisfaction was higher than women's in every component, especially in areas such as leave policies, bonus plans, promotions, communication and organizational culture. wsj.com


LPF Announces LPC & LPQ Professionals for March & April
The Loss Prevention Foundation would like to recognize and congratulate the following individuals who successfully completed all of the requirements set forth by the board of directors to be LPQualified (LPQ) and/or LPCertified (LPC). View Full List Here


SpartanNash rolls out autonomous inventory robot Tally in 15 stores

Warby Parker plans to open 40 new stores in 2023 sees 900 in future

Convenience chain adds Amazon palm pay

10 Questions about Your Organization's COVID-19 Response


Quarterly Results

Warby Parker Q1 store sales up 28%, ecommerce sales down 8%, sales up 12.2%

Carrols Restaurant Group (1,000 Burger Kings) Q1 comp's up 11.7%, sales 11.4%

Wendy's Q1 U.S. system-wide sales up 8.6%, Inter. up 21%, Global up 10%

Ahold Delhaize Q1 U.S. comp's up 6.2%, U.S. ecommerce sales up 11.9%, U.S. sales up 5.7%, Group sales up 9.4%

Cheesecake Factory Q1 CF comp's up 5.7%, North Italia up 9%, total sales up 9.1%

Fiesta Restaurant Group Q1 Pollo Tropical comp's up 9.7%, total sales up 8.1%

Tapestry Q3 Coach up 7%, Kate Spade down 1%, Stuart Weitzman up 7%, sales up 5%

The REALREAL Q1 GMV up 4%, Consignment sales up 22%, total revenue down 3%

Office Depot Q1 Business Solutions up 3%, Stores down 8%, sales down 3% (73 less stores)

Dillard's Q1 comp's down 4%, total sales down 4%

Allbirds Q1 sales down 13.4%

Ransomware Payments Spiking
Flood of ransom payments continues as officials mull ban

The revived debate over the viability of a ransom payment ban comes down to the cost ransomware is causing organizations globally.

As the White House floats the possibility of a ban on ransom payments, the number of organizations hit by ransomware that ultimately pay a ransom remains high.

Nearly half, 46%, of organizations hit by ransomware during the past year paid a ransom to recover data, according to research Sophos released Wednesday.

Sophos' survey of 3,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 14 countries pinned the median ransom payment at $400,000 during the past year.

Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 observed a median ransom payment of $350,000 in a ransomware report it released in March. A study BakerHostetler released earlier this month pinned the average ransom payment at $600,000, a 15% increase from the previous year.

Between 2020 and 2022 there were 6,516 ransomware attacks around the world, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, said Friday during a presentation at the Institute for Security And Technology's Ransomware Task Force event.

Researchers, including Jack Cable, senior technical advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, traced more than $80 million in ransom payments to Conti and its predecessor - a five-fold increase from previously known figures.

Sophos' survey found organizations with the largest revenue were most likely to pay the highest ransoms with median ransom payments of $1 million for organizations reporting at least $1 billion in annual revenue. That number rises to $3 million for organizations with more than $5 billion in annual revenue.

The proportion of organizations paying seven-figure ransoms jumped from 11% in 2022 to 40% in 2023, according to Sophos. cybersecuritydive.com


Ransomware Gang Ran Into Wrong Security Vendor
Trying to Extort Executives & Threatened CEO's Family

Ransomware Group Tries and Fails to Extort Security Vendor Dragos
cybercrime group that managed to compromise the cloud-based resources of a cybersecurity vendor tried to extort the company by threatening family members, the company has revealed.

Operational technology (OT) security specialist Dragos said it was hit on May 8 after threat actors compromised the email account of a new sales employee prior to their start date.

They subsequently used the employee's personal information to impersonate them and complete some basic onboarding, according to the vendor's report on the incident. This got them as far as access to the company SharePoint account and contract management system, but no further.

However, after failing to deploy a ransomware payload or steal more sensitive information, the group apparently resorted to trying to extort Dragos executives to avoid public disclosure

Although no Dragos contact responded, the group repeatedly tried to up the pressure, contacting multiple publicly known Dragos employees and trying to use knowledge of family members to force a response.

"The criminals obviously grew frustrated because we never attempted to contact them," Dragos co-founder and CEO, Robert Lee tweeted. "Paying was never an option. They continued to call me, threaten my family, and the family of many of our employees by their names."

In the end, the vendor's multi-layered security approach appears to have prevented a more serious compromise.

Once the hackers were identified via the vendor's security information and event management (SIEM) tool, it blocked the compromised account and activated third-party incident response and MDR. Security controls prevented any malicious actor lateral movement, privilege escalation, persistent access or changes to the firm's infrastructure, Dragos said. infosecurity-magazine.com


New Phishing-as-a-Service (PaaS) Tool
Plug-and-Play Microsoft 365 Phishing Tool 'Democratizes' Attack Campaigns

New "Greatness" phishing-as-a-service used in attacks targeting manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and other sectors.

A previously unreported phishing-as-a-service (PaaS) tool allows even script kiddies to build compelling, effective phishing attacks against businesses.

Researchers at Cisco Talos detailed their findings on "Greatness," a one-stop-shop for all of a cybercriminal's phishing needs. With Greatness, anyone with even rudimentary technical chops can craft compelling Microsoft 365-based phishing lures, then carry out man-in-the-middle attacks that steal authentication credentials - even in the face of multifactor authentication (MFA) - and much more.

The tool has been in circulation since at least mid-2022 and has been used in attacks against enterprises in manufacturing, healthcare, and technology, among other sectors. Half of the targets thus far have been concentrated in the US, with further attacks occurring around Western Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa.

How Greatness Works

To a victim, Greatness will come in the form of an email with a link, or usually an attachment disguising an HTML page. Clicking on the attachment will open a blurred image of a Microsoft document behind a loading wheel, giving the impression that the file is loading. But the document never loads. Instead, the victim is redirected to a Microsoft 365 login page.

That might seem suspicious if not for the fact that the victim's email address, as well as their company's logo, are already pre-filled on the page, lending an air of legitimacy to the whole affair.

At this point, the man-in-the-middle scheme begins. The victim submits their password to 365, not knowing they're helping to log in their own attacker. Even if a victim has MFA implemented, it's no problem. 365 requests a code, the victim submits it, Greatness intercepts it, and the ruse continues. Greatness collects its authenticated session cookies and passes it on to the threat actor via Telegram or its admin panel. darkreading.com


R&H ISAC and PCI SSC Present: Tips for Transitioning to PCI DSS v4.0 - A Conversation with Target
In this episode, Retail & Hospitality ISAC podcast host Luke Vander Linden is joined by co-host Alicia Malone, senior manager of public relations at PCI SSC, Kandyce Young, manager of data security standards at PCI SSC, and Tony James, director of cyber security at Target to discuss the rollout of PCI DSS v4.0. Questions relating to the rollout?

Register here for the RH-ISAC and PCI DSS v4.0 webinar on May 25 at 3 p.m. ET. More information about PCI SSC and the new version of PCI DSS v4.0 can be found on the following resources page. blog.pcisecuritystandards.org


CISA Addresses 'Cyber Poor' Small Biz, Local Government
Relatively few organizations have the resources for security programs and security professionals, so the US cyber agency is putting programs in place to help them, while striving to understand the scope of the problem itself.

CISOs confront mounting obstacles in tracking cyber assets

20 Biggest Cybersecurity Companies In the World

Burbank, CA: Burglars steal $70,000 worth of merchandise in pair of late-night break-ins
The Burbank Police Department is trying to track down a group of burglars that broke into a pair of businesses. While the two burglaries happened about two miles away from each other, and on two separate days, police believe they may be connected. The latest break-in occurred at about 1:45 .m. on the 3500 block of West Magnolia Boulevard. The thieves rammed a dark-colored pickup truck to break through the shoe store's security gate and made off with about $70,000 worth of merchandise. "We carry very special items, so one item could be worth $2,000-$5,000," said owner Miki Guerra. Despite the loss, Guerra opted to look at the brighter side. The crew struck once before just a day ago in the 1400 block of North Victory Boulevard. According to authorities, the break-in happened at about 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The group of over a dozen suspects pried open the doors of F22 Studios. Then, they broke through some drywall and forced their way inside.  cbsnews.com


Riverside County, CA: Smash-and-grab crew use car to plow into Corona store, steal $65K in merchandise
Surveillance video captured the moment more than a dozen thieves used an alleged stolen vehicle to crash into a camera and electronics store in Riverside County and make off with thousands of dollars in merchandise. The incident occurred on April 17, just before 6 a.m., at Mac Star Cameras & Electronics in Corona, according to the store's management. n just three minutes, the burglary crew made off with some $65,000 worth of merchandise and left the stolen vehicle used to break-in behind, the store's manager told KTLA, and added that this is the seventh time the camera and electronics establishment has been robbed in the two years it's been open. No arrests have been made in any of the cases.  ktla.com


St Louis, MO: Update: Man stole about $35K in flooring from Home Depot, then sold it on Facebook, feds say
A man defrauded Home Depot and the Missouri Department of Labor as part of two different schemes, according to federal authorities. In one scheme, authorities said he stole about $35,100 of vinyl flooring from the home improvement store chain. In another, the man is accused of defrauding Missouri's Division of Employment Security out of $142,423. Now, the 36-year-old man from Ste. Genevieve County has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to steal money and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a May 10 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.  yahoo.com


Enfield, CT: California Men Charged In Fraudulent Gift Card Case At Enfield Target
A pair of men from California were arrested Wednesday afternoon in connection with a scheme involving the placement of fraudulent gift cards inside the Target store at Enfield Square. Police were called to the store around 3:25 p.m. for a reported larceny, and made contact with loss prevention personnel who had detained the two men after they had attempted to put the fraudulent cards on hooks for sale. If used by an unsuspecting consumer, the cards would allow the suspects to transfer any funds put on the card back off the card to an account they had access to, Police Chief Alaric Fox said. Following a lengthy investigation and interaction with Target personnel, additional gift cards were located and the men were arrested, Fox said. Guangming Li, 28, of Los Angeles and Linjian Li, 32, of San Gabriel, were charged with multiple counts of first-degree larceny and payment card theft, as well as organized retail theft and sixth-degree larceny. Each was held in lieu of $750,000 bond.  patch.com


Cleveland, OH: Duo breaks into Great Northern Mall, steals thousands of dollars in merchandise
The duo of theft suspects who broke into a store at Great Northern Mall are on the loose, North Olmsted Police confirmed, and detectives need help identifying them. Det. Lt. Dan Barrett said the break-in happened at JCPenney after closing and stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.   cleveland19.com


Boise, ID: Woman arrested after returning stolen merchandise to store
Authorities in Idaho said a woman was arrested for returning stolen merchandise, stealing more items, and then pawning the goods. The Boise Police Department's Organized Retail Crime Unit said 38-year-old Katie Fullmer is facing multiple charges. Police said Fullmer entered a business without any merchandise, selected items she then fraudulently returned, and received approximately $54 in store credit. She then she used the store credit to purchase items from the store, authorities said.   abcnews4.com


York County, PA: Repeat shoplifting suspects identified, wanted in York Co.
Three people accused of stealing from multiple stores across four different counties have been identified according to police. York Co. police were originally looking for the trio after a string of thefts including at the Weis Market on Lombard Road. Police say the three were also identified after stealing over $2,000 of cosmetics May 1 at the Giant on Palomino Road in Dover Township.  local21news.com


Elkins Park, PA: Man a suspect in credit card fraud incident, $8K in Lowe's merchandise stolen

Chicago, IL: HQ Sneakers and Streetwear burglarized 2 time in 24 hours, after Grand Opening 2 weeks ago