10/23/19

LP, AP & IT Security's #1 News Source

2019 GLPS - Group LP Selfies
Your Team - Your Pride - Our Industry
Building Industry Pride - One Team Selfie at a Time
 

Protecting Walmart: Q&A with Retail Cyber Security Veteran

Mike Smola, former Senior Director - Data Assurance and Cyber Intelligence Team at Walmart, is a veteran of building and leading security teams in retail. In a Q&A interview with his new company Flashpoint, Mike talks about his 25+ years experience in the operations and security field, which includes working with other retailers like Foot Locker, Finish Line, and Starbucks.

You spent more than a decade of your security career at Walmart. What does it take to protect a Fortune 1 enterprise and global retailer?

Like many global enterprises, Walmart's business model is very complex - far more complex and with far more assets, systems, and endpoints than most people realize. Prior to joining the company I had no idea of the extensive breadth of its retail verticals. As a security practitioner, it was important for me to learn about these verticals and understand what the key stakeholders in each of them were most concerned about and challenged by from a business perspective.

After I accomplished this, I was able to build internal capabilities tailored to the needs of each vertical and ultimately offer security as a service to the entire enterprise. One of the most important parts of this process was establishing a capability matrix that included a mix of internal resources augmented with the right external resources to meet enterprise security needs.

While at Walmart you successfully started, developed, and led various security teams and programs. What advice would you give to other security practitioners in the retail industry who are looking to start initiatives or mature capabilities at their organizations?

First and foremost, do everything you can to identify and deeply understand your organization's priorities from a business perspective. As a security practitioner, your top priorities initially may likely differ from the C-suite's top priorities. However, once you align your objectives to the organization's priorities, you can effectively build a capability matrix to align to any business vertical need.

If your CEO's top priority is to become profitable in a new region, for example, ask yourself this: what security threats, challenges, or related issues might hinder our ability to be profitable in that region? And what can we do to mitigate the risks posed by those issues? Once you've asked and answered these sorts of questions, build your capabilities internally to address them. Not only can this approach help you achieve better alignment with -- and buy-in from -- the rest of the business, but it can also enable you to better prioritize your own objectives accordingly.

Read the full interview here: flashpoint-intel.com

'Cybersecurity Impact on Physical Security' Tops List of Security Megatrends
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has released a list of 10 trends that form the basis of association's annual Security Megatrends report defining the top factors influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry. The Security Megatrends are the top forces at play in security, expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry, according to SIA. The trends are said to play an instrumental role in the insights and discussions at SNG.

For the second year in a row, cybersecurity was identified as the predominant trend shaping the security industry and a major concern for C-suite executives, government buyers, enterprise organizations, integrators and more.

Moving up the list from being ranked fifth in SIA's 2019 Security Megatrends report to ranked second for 2020 was the trend of artificial intelligence (AI). Respondents noted AI's role underlying advancement behind nearly all technology promises.

A resounding number of respondents called for facial recognition to be added as a 2020 Security Megatrend, bringing the newcomer to the no. 3 position. Also new to the 2020 Megatrends are national security concerns and identity as the new perimeter.

The 2020 Security Megatrends are:

securitysales.com   Read last year's full Security Megatrends report here.

First Three Quarters of 2019:
7.2 Billion Malware Attacks, 151.9 Million Ransomware Attacks
In the first three quarters of 2019, 7.2 billion malware attacks were launched, as well as 151.9 million ransomware attacks, marking 15 percent and five percent year-over-year declines, respectively. According to the SonicWall report, while attacks may be trending down currently, the reality is the number of attacks is still very high and more nefarious than ever, even evading traditional sandbox technology.

Key findings include:

● IoT malware jumped to 25 million, a staggering 33 percent increase
● Encrypted threats spiked 58 percent through the first three quarters
● Web app attacks are on the rise, showing a 37 percent increase over the same period last year
● Malware volume reaches 7.2 billion, a 15 percent year-over-year drop
● Ransomware attacks reaches 151.9 million, a 5 percent year-over-year decrease
● 14 percent of malware attacks came over non-standard ports  securitymagazine.com

Ransomware Hits B2B Payments Firm Billtrust

Travel Reservations Platform Autoclerk Leaks 179GB of Customer, US Government Data

About 50% of Apps Are Accruing Unaddressed Vulnerabilities

FTC issues its first ban on 'stalking' apps
 

Seafood fraud common in Canada's cities, Oceana Canada study finds
More than 60% of products mislabeled in Montreal
More than 60 per cent of seafood products tested at Montreal grocery stores and restaurants were mislabelled, according to an update of a study that tracks rates of fish food fraud in Canada. "The numbers reflect that this is an ongoing problem," said Sayara Thurston, a seafood fraud campaigner with Oceana Canada, which conducted the investigation.

A commercial lab in Guelph, Ont., used DNA barcoding to analyze the samples and determine the identity of each species. It found 31 products were a different species than was claimed, 21 were mislabelled and three contained species not authorized for sale in the country. The results, when combined with previous investigations since 2017, found 47 per cent of the 472 fish samples to date were mislabelled in Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.

A 2018 report found a mislabelling rate of 44 per cent in data from five of the cities, excluding Montreal. Victoria clocked in the highest rate of mislabelling at 67 per cent, while Vancouver's was the lowest at 26 per cent. Seafood fraud includes swapping cheaper fish and passing them off as more expensive fillets, or putting false, incomplete or misleading information on a label.

This type of fraud also presents a potential health risk with consumers possibly exposed "to parasites, allergens, contaminants, aquaculture drugs and pesticides used in industrial farming operations, or natural toxins found in certain species," according to the report.

Food fraud is not limited to the seafood industry, but is particularly problematic there because of a complicated supply chain. ottawamatters.com

Cannabis retailers battle regulations, black market
British Columbia retailers face toughest regulations in Canada
Despite Byzantine regulations, a robust black market, financing hurdles and wary landlords, retail sales of cannabis products in B.C. have a bright future, according to the Vancouver-based president of the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers.

"There is room for change and growth, but the future of the industry is full of potential, and I am feeling very positive about the evolution of the sector," Jeremy Jacob told Business in Vancouver. But Jacob conceded that B.C. cannabis retailers face higher obstacles than in any other part of the country, and it is showing up at the cash register.

B.C. has the lowest sales of legal cannabis of any province, according to Statistics Canada, and the second-lowest cannabis store density in the country. As Jacob explained, B.C. retailers must find a location, persuade the landlord to take a risk on them, secure financing from tentative lenders and address all the regulatory provisions, all before they secure permits.

Once open, B.C. retailers also face regulations unique in Canada. For example, any cannabis taken from sealed containers for customers to smell must be destroyed. As well, retailers are limited to ordering product once a week, regardless of consumer demand for certain strains. biv.com

Montreal to ban stores from dumping unsold clothes, food as part of waste plan
Montreal is hoping to stop perfectly good food and unsold clothing from ending up in landfills as part of a plan to significantly cut waste by targeting the source. The city's point person on the environment announced the proposed measures Thursday as part of a five-year master plan for waste management between 2020 and 2025.

Food waste is a widespread issue across the country: according to a study commissioned earlier this year by Toronto-based charity Second Harvest, one-third of Canada's discarded food could be recovered. Quebec already has a supermarket recovery program in place that some stores take part in, sending food to various shelters. Lavigne Lalonde said the city wants to work with the province to ensure such programs are expanded.

Montreal will also move to forbid clothing and textile companies from throwing out unsold clothes, instead encouraging them to give unsold products to community organizations or introduce them into the circular economy so they can be reused. nationalpost.com

Cargo thieves in the Peel Region give fleet-tracking market a boost
Market expected to top $15 billion by 2024 as cargo thefts spike
Last year, 341 cargo thefts were reported in the Peel Region, according to Peel Regional Police. In comparison, the entire state of California reported only 208 cargo thefts in 2018, the California Highway Patrol said. To fully understand how bad the situation is, one should look at the population sizes of the two regions: Peel has a population of just under 1.4 million while California is the most populous U.S. state with 40 million people.

Market intelligence provider Industry Research reported in June that the global fleet management solutions market was worth $5 billion in 2018, and is expected to top $15 billion by 2024. Fleet tracking now covers all aspects of transportation. Fleet tracking mainly involves the monitoring of trailers, chassis and containers using a variety of technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) platform. trucknews.com

Canadian Cybersecurity Legislation Lacking, Survey Finds
A survey by Keyfactor revealed that 87 percent of surveyed cybersecurity professionals think more privacy and security legislation is required to better protect Canada's businesses and consumers. According to the survey, 58 percent of respondents think regulators and elected Canadian officials are not doing enough to standardize security guidance on measures like data encryption.

"Many of today's large-scale breach events are the result of basic security measures that are overlooked or neglected," said Hickman. "Attackers looking for low-hanging fruit are commonly able to infiltrate a business's network - and its customers - by compromising vulnerable IoT (Internet of Things) devices or stealing highly sensitive keys and digital certificates." securitymagazine.com

SnapPay Launches Facial Recognition Payment Technology in North America

Loblaw gathered too much personal info in $25 gift card offer: privacy commissioner

Sleep Country Canada Continues Rapid Expansion Amid Market Domination

A year after pot legalization, lack of retail shops puts a damper on sales
 

View Canadian Connections Archives

The problem with Amazon's speedy shipping, in one graphic

"The quota system pushes you to really not work at a pace that's normal, but at a pace where you're almost running for the entire 10 hours."

Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, say they package about four online orders every minute. If they stop for a few seconds outside of their designated breaks, it hurts their performance evaluations. So they're bending, twisting, running, and lifting boxes for 10 to 12 hours a day - just to get a package to a customer's door within a day or two.

Sixty-six percent of the 145 Staten Island workers surveyed (a total of about 2,500 employees prepare orders at Amazon's warehouse in Staten Island) said they experience physical pain while performing their regular work duties and 42 percent said they continue experiencing pain when they aren't working. vox.com

Want Proactive Fraud Prevention? Start With the Customer Account
The average consumer today can reload their Starbucks mobile wallet while they wait in line for coffee, book a last-minute ticket for a day trip to SFO, and come home to their groceries delivered and even organized in their fridge - all with the press of a button. Consumers trust the figurative (and sometimes literal) fulfillment of their lives to merchants. With this trust comes great responsibility to provide the best customer experience possible.

But what happens when a consumer's trusted merchant has suddenly approved $2,000 worth of transactions they didn't approve of? Will they blame the faceless fraudster who stole their identity? Claim some responsibility for using the same password on every single account they open (including their account with the public library)? Or will they blame the merchant they trusted with their personal data, which (in their opinion) didn't take the extra measure to care for it?

From the second a customer lands on a merchant's site, the business should begin managing the delicate balance between providing a best-in-class customer experience and preventing fraud loss. Beyond standard post-authorization fraud assessment, what can a business do to get ahead of the problem? They can start with the customer account. mytotalretail.com

Drones will land ecommerce deliveries in your backyard soon

Manteca, CA: $100,000 ring stolen in jewelry store heist
The attempted heist of a ring worth more than $100,000 ended with a suspect hiding the precious piece of jewelry inside his body to avoid detection, Manteca city officials said. Johnny Jordan Cruz Thymiakos, 20, and Shevvy Jared Franklin, 21, made arrangements to buy a diamond ring worth more than $100,000 at an area jewelry store, officials said. While the ring's authenticity was being verified, one of the men met with the victim while the other stayed in a car outside the store. After the store said the ring was legitimate, a suspect took the ring and both men fled in a car. The ring was recovered then by medical officials. kcra.com

Richmond, VA: Man pleads guilty to $25,000 armed robbery of Sprint store, armed drug trafficking
A Norfolk man pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges in connection to a violent armed robbery of a Sprint Store in Colonial Heights and three separate instances of armed drug trafficking. Rodgers stole more than 70 products valued at approximately $25,000, including 22 Apple iPhones, 8 LG cellular telephones, 6 Samsung cellular telephones, and an Apple Watch. Court documents show Rodgers and his co-conspirator ordered two employees to the back of the store at gunpoint, where the robbers forced them to lie on the floor.

During an investigation into the armed robbery, police identified Rodgers as a suspect. An investigation also linked him to a drug trafficking investigation in Norfolk. According to court documents, Rodgers engaged in several armed drug transactions including the sell of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and firearms to cooperating sources. wtvr.com

Oro Valley, AZ: PCSD deputy arrested for organized retail theft, fraud schemes;
Suspected of switching barcodes, shoplifting multiple times from Walmart
A Pima County sheriff's deputy was arrested Monday for allegedly shoplifting at a Walmart in Oro Valley, officials said. Ryan Fuller, 35, turned himself in to the Oro Valley Police Department on Monday and was booked into the Pima County jail, said Carmen Trevizo, a department spokeswoman. He was arrested on suspicion of one count of organized retail theft and four counts of fraudulent schemes.

Fuller is suspected of shoplifting more than once at the Walmart near East Tangerine Road and North Oracle Road, Trevizo said. "Basically it was like a barcode switch," she said. "He was allegedly scanning barcodes that were not consistent with the product." The Police Department published a Facebook post last week asking the public to help identify a man suspected of shoplifting, Trevizo said. He has been with the department for just over three years, Jelineo said. tucson.com

Prescott Valley, AZ: Three people arrested in retail thefts from four different stores
 

Click to enlarge map

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights

 

NEW	Area LP Manager Sacramento, CA The Area Loss Prevention Manager (ALPM) drives shrink improvement and asset protection programs for two (2) to four (4) Districts which contain approximately 25-65 Ulta Beauty Stores. The Area Loss Prevention Manager is responsible to assess store procedures, promote awareness and methods to prevent, protect and control losses...
NEW	Regional Asset Protection Manager (North East) Boston, MA The successful candidate will be responsible for the management of the Asset Protection function in their assigned area. Guide the implementation and training of Asset Protection programs, enforcement of policies and procedures, auditing, investigations and directing of shrink reduction efforts...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Charlotte, NC Our Area Loss Prevention Managers ensure safe and secure stores through the objective identification of loss and risk opportunities. Our Area Loss Prevention Managers plan and prioritize to provide an optimal customer experience to their portfolio of stores. They thrive on supporting and building high performance teams that execute with excellence...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Seattle, Portland or Salt Lake City Our Area Loss Prevention Managers ensure safe and secure stores through the objective identification of loss and risk opportunities. Our Area Loss Prevention Managers plan and prioritize to provide an optimal customer experience to their portfolio of stores. They thrive on supporting and building high performance teams that execute with excellence...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Calabasas, CA Our Area Loss Prevention Managers ensure safe and secure stores through the objective identification of loss and risk opportunities. Our Area Loss Prevention Managers plan and prioritize to provide an optimal customer experience to their portfolio of stores. They thrive on supporting and building high performance teams that execute with excellence...
	Loss Prevention Operations Specialist Tucscon, AZ The Loss Prevention Specialist will oversee the Burglar/Fire Alarm and overall Physical Security function for stores including CCTV for all new stores, renovations, acquisitions, closing, existing stores and warehouses. In addition, this position supports the security/property control component for the Corporate Headquarters main campus...
	Region Asset Protection Manager Jacksonville, FL Responsible for managing asset protection programs designed to minimize shrink, associate and customer liability accidents, bad check and cash loss, and safety incidents for stores within assigned region. This position will develop the framework for the groups' response to critical incidents, investigative needs, safety concerns and regulatory agency visits...
	Region Asset Protection Manager Charleston, SC Responsible for managing asset protection programs designed to minimize shrink, associate and customer liability accidents, bad check and cash loss, and safety incidents for stores within assigned region. This position will develop the framework for the groups' response to critical incidents, investigative needs, safety concerns and regulatory agency visits...
	Brand Protection Specialist New York, NY The role of the Brand Protection Specialist is to deter shrinkage, and to assist in educating the store teams regarding the prevention / deterrence of both internal and external theft and fraud, while serving as an Ambassador to the brand and the department...
	Manager of Loss Prevention & Security Wawa, PA The Manager of Loss Prevention and Security serves as the subject matter expert in the area of Loss Prevention and Physical Security for the Company with focus on developing and driving solutions that will create an optimum associate and customer experience in a safe and secure environment...

Featured Jobs

To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs, Click Here

View Featured Jobs   |   Post Your Job
 

We want to post your tips or advice... Click here

Not getting the Daily? Is it ending up in your spam folder?
Please make sure to add d-ddaily@downing-downing.com to your contact list, address book, trusted sender list, and/or company whitelist to ensure you receive our newsletter. 
Want to know how? Read Here