The Fight Against Ransomware
U.S. to Target Crypto Ransomware Payments With Sanctions

Biden administration hopes to disrupt digital finance infrastructure that facilitates ransomware cyberattacks, a threat traced to Russia

Hit them where it hurts: The government hopes to choke off access to cryptocurrency in certain situations in a bid to limit the potential payoff from ransomware, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Treasury Department plans to impose the sanctions as soon as next week, the people said, and will issue fresh guidance to businesses on the risks associated with facilitating ransomware payments, including fines and other penalties. Later this year, expected new anti-money-laundering and terror-finance rules will seek to limit the use of cryptocurrency as a payment mechanism in ransomware attacks and other illicit activities. wsj.com

Consumer-Focused Labeling Program for IoT Devices
IoT 'Nutrition' Labels Aim to Put Security on Display

NIST has laid the groundwork for an easy-to-understand way to communicate to consumers the security of software and connected devices.

An all-out effort to develop a consumer-focused security labeling program will likely initially focus on Internet of Things (IoT) devices and could include many technology products used by small businesses as well.

The "Workshop on Cybersecurity Labeling Programs for Consumers: Internet of Things (IoT) Devices and Software," held this week by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is the government agency's latest step in creating a consumer labeling program to communicate the security capabilities of applications and connected devices, an effort mandated by the Biden administration's Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, issued in May 2021. The initiative includes government agencies, private industry, and academic experts, with the groups rushing to create requirements and institute pilot programs because the first deadline - the identification of the criteria and components of such a label - must be completed by February 2022.

The goal is to improve the security of products by giving consumers and small businesses the information they need to make security a factor in their purchasing decisions, says Warren Merkel, leader of the standards services group in the Standards Coordination Office at NIST.

"The overall opinion seems to be the magical, 'If it is done right, it is a good thing,'" he says. "I do think there is appropriate concern about what the requirements are and ... that we are not adding a bunch of requirements that differ from what is being done globally. There is not a strong feeling that this is a bad idea, but I think everyone thinks this needs to be done in a way that is attainable." darkreading.com

Few Organizations are Actually Preparing for a Ransomware Attack
Although executives of organizations report that ransomware is their number one security concern, and 87 percent of them expect an increase in cyber-attacks against their organizations over the next year, only one-third of them said they had conducted a tabletop exercise to prepare for a ransomware attack.

According to a survey of 50 executives, Deloitte found that although ransomware and cyber-attacks remain a top concern for executives, 54 percent of the executives surveyed stated that the organization had an incident response plan, but not specifically for a ransomware attack. Further, only one-third had actually conducted an internal simulation of a ransomware attack in order to prepare for such an eventuality.

Now is the time to schedule your tabletop exercise to test your Incident Response Plan and your team. jdsupra.com

How Enterprises Can Tackle Misinformation in the Workplace
As the line between our personal and professional lives remains blurry, leaders need to arm their people with the tools and understanding they need to identify and combat misinformation.

Pervasive, Seductive Falsehoods at Work

Misinformation that we pick up in our "off hours," through social media or unreliable news sources, for instance, can cross the threshold from our personal to our working lives very easily. Rumors, for one, can destabilize share prices, but misinformation can also tear down morale or inspire vigilantism.

This became especially apparent when a pharmacist and avowed "conspiracy theorist" sabotaged more than 500 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine, rendering them unusable.

In the end, it doesn't matter if people are misinformed individually in their personal lives or collectively within their specific roles at work. If they are influenced by misinformation, they cannot help but carry their misinformed views into everything they do -- including the decisions they make on behalf of their employer.

For corporate leaders to get ahead of misinformation, they must treat it as seriously as other complex and corrosive workplace issues, like sexual harassment or racial discrimination. They must start with their most important asset -- their people. They need to build processes, taking programmatic approaches to stop the spread of falsehoods internally, and ensure that their people never lose trust in the facts that their business needs to run. And they need to base those processes in technology that ensures that a single source of truth in the organization that is uniformly recognized and understood. The following are details on three ways to tackle misinformation: informationweek.com

What businesses need to know about data decay
 

1 Million Amazon Job Seekers
Amazon Career Day Sees Over 1M Job Applicants
More than one million people from more than 170 countries applied for jobs at Amazon during its virtual Career Day 2021, the Seattle-based retail behemoth said on Friday (Sept. 17).

The event featured more than 2,000 Amazon recruiters doling out career advice to people through more than 30,000 individual coaching sessions, including advice on starting, transitioning and growing their careers at Amazon or elsewhere.

"We know a lot of people are looking for work right now, and many more are hoping to change their careers," said Beth Galetti, Amazon's senior vice president of people experience and technology, in the company announcement. "We are paying close attention to this and we feel uniquely positioned to help - not only because of the tens of thousands of jobs that we have open, but also for the opportunity we offer people to build a meaningful career. We think Amazon is a great place to work for those who crave the freedom to invent, the chance to make a big impact and an inclusive workplace to do so."

More than 220,000 job seekers logged onto the Career Day 2021 site and got advice from, among others, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, top Wall Street executive Carla Harris and New York Times best-selling author David Epstein.

Amazon has seen more than 500,000 people apply for jobs in corporate, tech and hourly roles in the U.S. since announcing Career Day 2021 on Sept. 1, with software development, IT, support engineers and operations management among the most popular for job seekers. pymnts.com

Amazon faces Teamsters union drive at 9 Canadian sites
The Teamsters Union has launched campaigns to organize employees in at least nine Canadian facilities of Amazon, according to Reuters interviews with union officials.

The influential union took the first step earlier this week to organize employees at one of Amazon's Canadian facilities, and the interviews reveal it is widening such efforts across the country, where the e-commerce company employs about 25,000 workers and plans to add 15,000 more.

The campaigns could be seen as a bet by the Teamsters that early success unionizing employees in a more labor-friendly market such as Canada will inspire similar results south of the border, where Amazon has so far fended off unionization attempts. nypost.com

Amazon opens 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Jessup

DOJ: 101 Indicted in Transnational Cell Phone Trafficking Conspiracy

"Operation Cash Out" Uncovers Illicit Sales of Over 70,000 Stolen Cellular Devices Valued at Nearly $100 Million

SHERMAN, Texas - A federal grand jury in Sherman has returned a seven-count superseding indictment charging 101 individuals in a cell phone trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei on August 26th.

According to the superseding indictment, members of a multi-layered criminal organization stole personal electronics, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, and smart watches, within the North Texas area and then exported those items overseas for resale. As detailed in the superseding indictment, the defendants' organization included runners, suppliers, device traffickers, and exporters. The defendants are alleged to have stolen electronics by armed robberies as well as through various fraud schemes.

The superseding indictment alleges that in late October 2020, a series of armed takeover-style robberies began to take place at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon retail cell phone stores in the Dallas area. According to the superseding indictment, a total of 23 armed takeover robberies were committed or attempted at various retail cellular phone stores located in Dallas, Corinth, Balch Springs, Seagoville, Greenville, Colleyville, Flower Mound, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Houston, Fort Worth, and Garland. The estimated loss associated with those robberies exceeds $500,000.

In December 2020, four members of the robbery crew were arrested following the armed robbery of an AT&T cell phone store in Fort Worth. Investigation revealed that these individuals were connected to a cell phone business in Dallas known as Global One Wireless. The owners of Global One Wireless - Plano brothers Abdul Basit Bhangda, 30, and Arsalan Bhangda, a/k/a Adam, 36 - allegedly acted through a parent corporation, RJ Telecom, to sell stolen products abroad by shipping the merchandise to foreign import companies located in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.

According to the superseding indictment, the conspirators also utilized compromised store employees to activate phones using fake identities or fraudulently adding lines to legitimate customer accounts. Other schemes allegedly involved the use of fake identity information as well as legitimate customer information to swap SIM cards, enabling the defendants to verify banking information through text messages and withdraw funds from customer accounts.

The superseding indictment alleges that nearly $100 million of products were sold to foreign importers. The investigation has revealed that approximately 20,000 products were acquired by identity theft. The overall estimated losses exceed $42 million.

To date, 73 individuals have been arrested. Law enforcement officials have also seized more than $6 million in assets, including cash, bank accounts, real estate, and stolen goods recovered from a warehouse. The superseding indictment seeks the forfeiture of all property and funds derived from or traceable to the charged conduct. justice.gov

Colorado Man Imprisoned For Selling $3.5M Of Stolen Goods Online
A 36-year-old Aurora man was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to 66 months in federal prison following a decade-long operation to sell stolen goods via online marketplaces. Saurabh Chawla pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen goods and tax evasion. According to court documents, Chawla purchased stolen goods valued at $3.5 million between 2009 and 2019 with the help of three primary co-conspirators: James Bender, Kristy Stock and Joseph Kukta.

In a press release, federal prosecutors said Bender controlled and operated multiple online eBay and Amazon accounts, including "HiddenGemFurniture" ("HGF"), "EddiesAffordableGear" ("EAG") and  "AffordableGoodies4You" ("AG"). The 36-year-old Baltimore resident offered use of his accounts in exchange for a cut of the Chawla's sales. With Bender's help, Chawla offered and sold a large amount of stolen goods and merchandise for sale through HGF, other eBay stores, and other online marketplaces. At one point, Chawla had 400 active listings for goods and products on eBay.

Stock, according to prosecutors, was a New Mexico public school employee responsible for overseeing a program to provide Apple iPods intended to benefit underprivileged Native American children in New Mexico. The 46-year-old Stock stole more than 3,000 iPods purchased by the school district, valued at more than $1 million, and sold them to Chawla. Stock admitted that she received more than $800,000 in illegal proceeds from selling the stolen iPods. denver.cbslocal.com

West Valley UT: Man arrested for organized retail crime, caught with over $80,000 in stolen goods
A man has been arrested for conducting an organized retail crime scheme and was found with more than $80,000 worth of stolen retail goods. The Utah Attorney General Office's Economic Crimes Unit, C.A.S.E (Crimes Against Statewide Economy) has identified the suspect as 45-year-old Oscar Martinez. Martinez reportedly asked people struggling with drug addiction to steal the merchandise on his behalf, then paid them a fraction of what he would make by reselling them.

Officials say Martinez asked people who were struggling with drug addiction to steal the merchandise on his behalf, then paid them a fraction of what he would make by reselling them. The pilfered goods were typically from big-box retailers around town. Martinez has been conducting this scheme for over a year, authorities say. The Attorney General's Office says organized retail theft has been plaguing retailers nationwide, with an estimated loss of millions of dollars in stolen merchandise every month. abc4.com

Cabarrus County, NC: Home in Harrisburg housed more than $250K in stolen merchandise from major retailers
Deputies say a home in Cabarrus County was housing more than $250,000 worth of stolen merchandise from major retail stores. Officials executed a search warrant on Valhalla Drive in Harrisburg on Thursday, Sept. 16 around 6:30 p.m. The search warrant was in regard to a large-scale retail theft ring that was operating out of the residence on Valhalla Drive. As a result of this search warrant, deputies say a large amount of stolen goods were discovered inside of the residence of which a value of recovered items has yet to be determined but it is believed to be in excess of $250,000. Victims of this retail theft ring include Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Kroger's and many other large retailers. Many of these retailers have participated in this investigation. Due to this being an ongoing criminal investigation, deputies say names of those involved in this theft ring are being withheld pending the conclusion of the investigation but several arrests have already been made. wbtv.com

Cleveland, OH: Thieves steal more than $3,000 in merchandise from gas station

Cleveland, OH: Suspects accused of stealing $307 in DVDs from Walmart