Are Gun Retailers Partly Responsible for Mass Shootings?
Gun industry faces wave of lawsuits that could reshape how firearms are sold

If successful, these suits, stemming from this year’s mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Highland Park, Illinois, may reshape how guns are sold to Americans.

The survivors and families of victims of recent mass shootings in Texas and Illinois are taking on gun companies and stores in dozens of lawsuits, alleging the businesses bear responsibility for the massacres.

Last week, survivors of the July 4 mass shooting at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois, sued gun maker Smith & Wesson Brands, two gun retailers and others for their alleged role in the attack that left seven dead and more than 40 injured.

The gun industry, under federal law, has broad immunity from the fallout of mass shootings. Experts say plaintiffs face an uphill battle. But survivors, victims, family members and gun law advocates see an opportunity to hold manufacturers and dealers liable by calling into question their sales and marketing practices. If successful, these suits may reshape how guns are sold to Americans.

“This is a company that chooses to stay ignorant of the harm they cause communities like Uvalde so they can continue to recklessly market their products and make millions,” said Stephanie Sherman, who is representing the families, in a press release. cnbc.com

Memphis, TN: TN Governor launches $100M violent crime intervention fund to help police agencies
Law enforcement agencies across Tennessee can apply for grants to strengthen public safety in their communities. The grants are part of Governor Bill Lee’s $100 million Violent Crime Intervention Fund.

“As Americans face rising crime nationwide, Tennessee is equipping law enforcement with the tools needed to keep every community safe,” Lee said. “Unprecedented times call for unprecedented support. I invite all police departments and sheriff’s offices to engage this opportunity so the state can thoughtfully invest these dollars in proven methods that will curb violent crime and strengthen public safety. Every Tennessean deserves to feel safe in their community, and our local law enforcement agencies deserve access to the resources needed to deliver that quality of life.”

The fund was included in the state’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget to support local law enforcement’s work to reduce violent crime and strengthen public safety. Eligible uses of funding include evidence-based crime intervention models, hiring and training of specialized violent crime units, purchase and application of technology and equipment, and law enforcement-led partnerships with community organizations to disrupt and prevent violent crime, the governor’s release said.  fox13memphis.com

Oregon sheriff criticizes new bail reform policies

The Other Side's View: One more time — the problem isn't bail reform

US: 98.7M Cases - 1M Dead - 95.9M Recovered
Worldwide: 628.4M Cases - 6.5M Dead - 607.7M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 811

Warning Sign for the U.S.?
WHO says new COVID-19 wave emerging in Europe
A new wave of COVID-19 cases appears to be spreading in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) say.

WHO’s regional data showed that only Europe recorded a rise in COVID-19 cases in the week that ended October 2, clocking an increase of 8 percent from the week before.

“Although we are not where we were one year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over,” the WHO’s Europe director, Hans Kluge, and the ECDC’s director, Andrea Ammon, said in a joint statement on Wednesday

“We are unfortunately seeing indicators rising again in Europe, suggesting that another wave of infections has begun,” they said. foxnews.com

These Remote Tech Workers Secretly Juggle Multiple Jobs
Working from home makes it easier to take on several full-time posts. The extra cash is nice—but simultaneous Zoom meetings can be tricky.

Is pandemic finally over? We asked the experts.

New study indicates one in 20 people suffer from long-term effects of COVID

US's estimate for uptake of the new covid booster was off by more than 90%

Your Colleagues Across the Pond - Register Now
ECR Group Video: Building the Business Case for IP Networked Cameras

October 18 at 8:00 a.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. UK time

For many retailers, the biggest investment in video systems happened nearly 20 years ago, when systems were analogue, and monitoring and recording was primarily undertaken on site: a 'cloud' was just a big puffy thing in the sky. For many video capability leaders, the challenge now is about how they upgrade to new technologies, take advantage of networking, consider video analytics, mitigate against a cyber-attack and figure out the role of Cloud computing and storage.

In this session, two retailers will share how they have tackled this transformation: how they learnt from others, recruited a project team, assessed their current and future needs, put together their vision, and five-year plan, and most importantly, persuaded the business to invest.

   Click here to register

DOJ's Corporate Crime Crackdown
Companies are in for a 'rude awakening'

DOJ Encouraging Self-Disclosure as Guilty Pleas in Corporate Crimes Down 70%

Only 90 guilty pleas by corporations were submitted in 2021, dropping from 304 in 2000, per a U.S. Sentencing Commission report.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is taking steps against corporate crimes, as a recent report from the sentencing commission shows a sharp decrease in guilty pleas by corporations. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and company have announced on multiple fronts that these numbers aren’t being taken lightly.

Although Monaco is fairly new in the role, appointed in April of last year, Monaco has made it clear in her short tenure that organizations that have been skating the line of legality are in for a rude awakening.

“Companies cannot assume that they are entitled to a non-prosecution agreement or a deferred prosecution agreement, particularly when they are frequent flyers,” Monaco said while speaking at New York University about corporate criminal enforcement. “We will not shy away from bringing charges or requiring guilty pleas where facts and circumstances require. If any corporation still thinks criminal resolutions can be priced in as the cost of doing business, we have a message — times have changed.”

Two tactics the department is looking into combating the issue of enforcement are speedier trials and self-policing by corporations. While telling audience members at NYU “speed is of the essence” when it comes to trials, Monaco dedicated a large portion of her speech to the importance of self-policing.

The clearest path for a company to avoid a guilty plea or an indictment is voluntary self-disclosure, Monaco said. The Department is committed to providing incentives to companies that voluntarily self-disclose misconduct to the government. In many cases, voluntary self-disclosure is a sign that the company has developed a compliance program and has fostered a culture to detect misconduct and bring it forward. cfo.com

Robots, Not Guards, Patrolling Many Businesses
These 5-foot-1 security robots are patrolling workplace hallways. Here's how companies are using them to protect offices and employees.

Despite surveillance concerns, security teams rave about the robots' ability to protect employees.

For some, the phrase "robotic security guard" conjures up images of dystopian all-seeing machines or the omnipresent "Big Brother" from George Orwell's novel "1984."

While not quite as menacing, the robotics startup Cobalt makes 5-foot-1 robots meant to replace human security guards. They patrol offices and report any observed anomalies. Cobalt's human security analysts can also communicate with office workers through a screen on the robot and assess the more complicated situations the robots encounter.

Cobalt's robots are fitted with more than 60 sensors, including thermal cameras, temperature and humidity sensors, and badge readers. The robots integrate into a company's security network, allowing them to respond automatically to triggered alarms. Using their knowledge of past security incidents, the robots can determine whether a situation needs to be escalated — for example, if the robot spots a broken window versus a faulty alarm.

According to Mike LeBlanc, Cobalt's president and chief operating officer, the company's value proposition became clearer during the pandemic, since the robots could replace unwieldy security teams that were no longer necessary in empty offices. In large workplaces, robots were able to more efficiently patrol multiple floors and respond faster to alarms. In smaller offices that required only a single guard, robots could take over all security tasks, from managing visitors to escorting employees to their cars late at night.

"There's such high turnover in security guards," LeBlanc said. "So the robots are actually able to fill these posts at a lower cost. People love that they can automate this and get the same thing every time, rather than paying more for someone where they're going to have varied results."

Employee privacy concerns: businessinsider.com

Apple Retail Workers Push for Union
Oklahoma City Apple employees take steps to unionize
Meetings have been going on since last month, when a majority of the employees signed a petition to join the Communication Workers of America union. While Apple has received union-busting complaints from both the Penn Square Labor Alliance and the National Labor Relations Board, employee and union organizer Michael Forsythe said social media — in this case, Discord — allows them to share information without fear of retribution.

"Management has to do all their union busting within a 4 to 8 hour shift that every employee has every day. If we have a digital space like this, we have control of that 24/7," Forsythe said.

Forsythe said the PSLA has learned from their colleagues in Atlanta, where the first Apple Store petitioned for a union in April and Towson, Maryland, where the first Apple Store won its union election in June. Much of this momentum follows CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees and their decision to focus on Apple retail workers earlier this year. publicradiotulsa.org

Kroger-Albertsons Merger Coming?
Albertsons merger with Kroger could be announced this week
Kroger and Albertsons are reportedly in talks over a proposed merger that would swell the combined chain to a footprint of 5,000 stores.

Starbucks closes first unionized cafe location in Colorado Springs

Some Apple workers in Australia vote to strike over pay, benefits

Consumer prices rise 0.4% in September, up 8.2% from a year ago
 

The Path to CISO Success
Why CISO roles require business and technology savvy

Listening and communicating to both the technical and business sides is critical to successfully leading IT teams and business leaders to the same end-goal.

When it comes to achieving the true, executive role and reporting to the CEO and board, business skills rule. That doesn’t mean, however, that most CISOs know nothing about technology, because most still start out with technology backgrounds.

Yet only a small core of CISOs (working primarily for the Fortune 500) rise to the executive level with the combination of business and technical responsibilities that come with the role. So, instead of bashing a CISO’s lack of IT skills, the real need lies in developing business skills for the technologists coming up the ranks.

Expected CISO people, process, technology skill mix can vary

“There is no one correct answer about how technical a CISO needs to be. My advice is that CISO’s must remain current on emerging technology, vendor strategies, and be able to ensure that technical projects and their implementation don’t generate more risk for the organization,” advises Renee Guttmann, a virtual CISO advisor and former CISO of several Fortune 50 companies.

Since the vast majority of CISOs start from a technical background, the onus is on them to learn the proper business leadership and high-level communication skills required to interface with stakeholders and CEOs, VC firms, outside investors, regulators.

Would-be CISOs: Find a champion, be a champion

West recommends seeking out peers and leaders who can communicate to the business side as well to their IT teams. As an example, he points to a boss whom he considered a mentor, who was a proven technology leader but not a security pro. Yet he was able to fix a broken security program that nobody else could. West attributes his mentor’s success at the time to telling good stories to leadership and board of directors.

Multiple paths to CISO success: csoonline.com

Email Defenses Under Siege
Phishing Attacks Dramatically Improve

About 1 in 5 phishing email messages reach workers' inboxes, as attackers get better at dodging Microsoft's platform defenses and defenders run into processing limitations.

This week's report that cyberattackers are laser-focused on crafting attacks specialized to bypass Microsoft's default security showcases an alarming evolution in phishing tactics, security experts said this week.

Threat actors are getting better at slipping phishing attacks through the weak spots in platform email defenses, using a variety of techniques, such as zero-point font obfuscation, hiding behind cloud-messaging services, and delaying payload activation, for instance. They're also doing more targeting and research on victims.

As a result, nearly 1 in 5 phishing emails (18.8%) bypassed Microsoft's platform defenses and landed in workers' inboxes in 2022, a rate that increased 74% compared to 2020, according to research published on Oct. 6 by cybersecurity firm Check Point Software. Attackers increasingly used techniques to pass security checks, such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF), and obfuscate functional components of an e-mail, such as using zero-size fonts or hiding malicious URLs from analysis.

Microsoft declined to comment on the research. However, the company has warned of advanced techniques, such as adversary-in-the-middle phishing (AiTM), which uses a custom URL to place a proxy server between a victim and their desired site, allowing the attacker to capture sensitive data, such as usernames and passwords. In July, the company warned that more than 10,000 organizations had been targeted during one AiTM campaign. darkreading.com

Microsoft Warns of New Zero-Day; No Fix Yet For Exploited Exchange Server Flaws

Microsoft on Tuesday released software fixes to address more than 90 security defects affecting products in the Windows ecosystem and warned that one of the vulnerabilities was already being exploited as zero-day in the wild.

The exploited vulnerability – documented as CVE-2022-41033 – affects the Windows COM+ event system service and has been exploited in elevation of privilege attacks, suggesting it was used as part of an exploit chain detected in the wild. The latest zero-day was reported anonymously to Microsoft.

The new warning comes less than a month after Microsoft’s security response team scrambled to issue mitigations for a pair of Exchange Server flaws targeted by a nation state-level threat actor. securityweek.com

WhatsApp Users Beware: Dangerous Mobile Trojan Being Distributed via Malicious Mod

6 Things Every CISO Should Do the First 90 Days on the Job

Nationwide Credit Card Fraud Crew of 7 Hitting Sam's Club's & Other Retailers for $3M Sentenced
DOJ: Members of Multi-State Credit Card Fraud Ring Sentenced for Conspiracy, Credit Card Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft
INDIANAPOLIS – Seven individuals have been sentenced for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, with some also being sentenced for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The defendants had previously been indicated on their charges beginning in 2018.

The defendants were part of a conspiracy with at least two goals: to traffic in and use counterfeit identification documents, including driver’s licenses and tobacco licenses, as well to traffic in and use stolen credit cards and large amounts of cash – all to purchase cigarettes in bulk, electronics, and other items from Sam’s Club stores and other retail stores around the country. The conspiracy began at least as early as January 2017 and continued through September 2018, with defendants Nfa Doumbouya, Ibrahima Diallo, Souleymane Camara, Betsy DeGracia, and Anderson Tejada Rossis traveling to different locations within the United States to use stolen credit cards to buy these items. The losses caused by the conspiracy totaled over $3 million.

Nfa Saidou Doumbouya, 37, Atlanta, GA got 5 years and 2 supervised release.
Ibrahima Diallo, 36, Atlanta, GA got 5 years and 2 supervised release
Souleymane Camara, 35, Indianapolis, IN got 7 years and 2 supervised release
Mamadou Magane, 32, Atlanta, GA time served and 3 years supervised release
Betsy Marie DeGracia, got 2 years and 3 years supervised release
Anderson Tejada Rossis got 3 years probation
Michel Lamah, 31, Indianapolis, IN got 3 years and 3 years supervised release justice.gov

Smash-and-Grab Crew Gets Prison for Terrorizing Employees & Customers in 52 Robberies in Southern Calif.
DOJ: Inland Empire Man Gets 5 Years in Federal Prison for Two-Month 52 ‘Smash-and-Grab’ Robbery Spree Targeting Cellphone Stores
LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for committing 52 smash-and-grab robberies of T-Mobile and AT&T cellphone stores throughout Southern California during a two-month crime spree, using hammers to smash display cases to steal iPhones and other merchandise.

Tony Tyron Lee Stewart, 22, of Highland, was sentenced to 60 months, and also ordered to pay $333,122 in restitution.

On January 15, 2022, Stewart and two co-conspirators – Rayford Newsome, 21, of Compton; and Jerome Gregory Belser, 21, of San Bernardino – robbed T-Mobile stores in Long Beach, Carson, Inglewood, Encino, and Camarillo.

In addition to these robberies, from November 11, 2021 to January 13, 2022, Stewart and other members of the conspiracy committed smash-and-grab robberies at cellphone stores in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Kern counties.

The robberies – several of which occurred on the same date – resulted in a loss of approximately $293,444. In addition, the robberies caused approximately $46,376 in damage to the stores.

On September 9, Judge Kronstadt sentenced Belser to 70 months in federal prison. Newsome’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 5, 2023, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. justice.gov

AT&T Store Employee & Co-Conspirator SIM Swapping Accounts
DOJ: San Antonio Pair Plead Guilty to SIM Swap Scheme
Andrew Percy Trujillo, 22, along with his co-defendant Zena Elisa Dounson, 34, of San Antonio, devised a scheme to SIM swap mobile customers’ phones at a local AT&T store. Dounson was employed at the store and allowed Trujillo to add himself as an authorized user to multiple victims’ AT&T accounts where Trujillo then ported a victim’s SIM card credentials to his own devices’ SIM cards. This caused calls and texts to the victims’ phone numbers to be sent to devices controlled by Trujillo rather than the rightful owners. Co-conspirators were able to access the victims’ various cryptocurrency accounts and transfer out at least $250,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

Trujillo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse as well as wire fraud. Dounson previously pleaded guilty to the same offense on September 27, 2022. The co-defendants are currently set for sentencing on January 5, 2023. Both defendants face up to five years in prison. justice.gov

DOJ: San Diego, CA: Owner of Telecommunications Store Convicted for his Role in a Robbery Spree Targeting Other Telecommunication Stores
Adde Munin Adde, the owner of a telecommunications store in San Diego County, pleaded guilty today in federal court, admitting that he received stolen electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets that were unlawfully obtained through robbery. The robbers targeted telecommunication stores such as Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, and used what appeared to be firearms to violently demand cell phones, tablets, and electronic devices. The firearms were later determined to be BB guns. Altogether, six defendants have been convicted for the robberies: Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Zielinski, Marqwell Green, Jose Manuel Garcia, Lavonte Green, Keon Glover, and Kameron Moore. Five of the defendants have been sentenced to multi-year terms.
“Owners of pawn shops and those who sell cell phones, jewelry, and other commonly-stolen items should take notice of this conviction,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “When you buy stolen merchandise, you create a market for those who obtain the merchandise through violent means. As part of our fight against violent crime, we will prosecute you, along with those who commit the violent crimes, to the fullest extent permitted by law,” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case. justice.gov

Arden, SC: Thefts led authorities to more than $120,000 in stolen goods at Arden pawn shop
A series of thefts led Buncombe County Sheriff’s detectives to an area pawn shop where, on Wednesday, they confiscated a cache of stolen items. The thefts, which started in mid-July and continued through last week, happened at area Target, Lowe’s and Walmart stores. Detectives from both the sheriff's office and Asheville Police Department have connected the dots to the series of thefts, which led them to Denny’s Jewelry and Pawn in Arden on Tuesday, Oct. 11. "It's easy cash; you steal it from one place, sell it at a discount," said BCSO Capt. Angie Tullis. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, sheriff’s detectives confiscated items ranging from household goods to lawn equipment and power tools. The sheriff’s office has also estimated the value of the stolen goods to be somewhere in the range of $120,000 to $150,000. To date, there have not been any arrests, though detectives expect to wrap up their investigation in the next week, after which more details will be available. wlos.com

Appling, GA: Amazon employees arrested for stealing over $20 thousand in electronics
Two Appling Amazon warehouse employees are behind bars for theft. A loss prevention employee contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office after observing the employees stealing merchandise from Amazon. Police say they reviewed surveillance video of 21-year-old Malik Stone and 33-year-old Nathaniel Jones taking items and smuggling them out of the business. The first incident occurred on September 22nd and continued until October 10th. Over the course of three weeks, Jones and Stone had stolen about $22,013 worth of merchandise combined. wjbf.com

Matthews, NC: Duo steals $25K+ worth of jewelry from North Carolina store
Two suspects who stole over $25,000 worth of jewelry in a smash-and-grab job in Matthews are wanted, Matthews Police said Tuesday. Officers released surveillance video of the two suspects entering the unnamed store and said that while the woman browsed the store, the man pried open the jewelry counter and stole over $25,000 worth of items. The date on the surveillance video is from July 30 at about 9 p.m. Both suspects appear to enter the store with a baby stroller but exit without it. wbtw.com

Many, LA: Many Louisiana Police recover $6500 of merchandise stolen in Texas
Chief Cheryl Wooley announced the recovery of approximately $5000 with of stolen property. On October 6, 2022, Officers made a traffic stop which led to the recovery of items stolen locally and around the state from such businesses as Academy Sports,Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot and other businesses and businesses in Marshall and Longview Texas. One person was arrested, from Tallulaha, Louisiana . The person arrested also had warrants for theft of approximately $11,000 worth of stolen merchandise.  dailynewsandmore.com

Houston, TX: Caught on camera: Suspects rush into cellphone store, stealing cash, phones and employee’s purse

Daviess County, KY: DCSO seeking to identify 3 theft suspects; $1500 of merchandise stolen from Rural King

Greece, NY: Greece Police using Social Media tips to locate, arrest Larceny suspects