10/26/20

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

Covid-19 caused a surge in mobile malware infections
In 2020, the average monthly infection rate in mobile networks was 0.23%. In February and March, however, the monthly mobile infection rate increased by almost 30% over the previous months, largely due to the significant escalation of cyber security incidents related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Info-stealers and spyware are on the rise
There is a strong trend toward info-stealers and mobile spyware, which make up 35.76% of all Android infections.

Trojans are now the malware of choice
The share of malware detected as Trojans jumped to 74% from just 34% in 2019, largely because the exceptional circumstance of this year have made phishing campaigns the best way to delivery malware directly to users. The relative share of worms and viruses has decreased in 2020.

Dirk Schrader, Global Vice President at New Net Technologies (NNT), says, "It's no surprise that IoT devices are the crown jewels for cybercriminals. Businesses around the world are transforming their processes, their production lines using digitalized assets. Having control over these assets means that a cybercriminal's hand is - literally - at the main switch of a digitally transformed company. The danger of being shut down almost completely is the reason why companies are more likely to pay even higher ransoms." securitymagazine.com

Retail, Hospitality and Travel Hit by 64 Billion Credential Stuffing Attacks
Over 60% of credential stuffing attacks detected over the past two years have been targeted at retail, travel and hospitality businesses, according to security vendor Akamai's latest report, Loyalty for Sale.

During the period July 1 2018 to June 30 2020, it detected over 100 billion credential stuffing attempts. Almost 64 billion of these were aimed at cracking open user accounts in the retail, travel and hospitality sectors. Further, retail accounted for the vast majority (90%+) of the attacks aimed at these verticals.

Such attacks remain popular given the continuous surge of breached log-ins onto underground sites and the potentially rich pickings to be found inside cracked accounts.

"Criminals are not picky - anything that can be accessed can be used in some way," said Steve Ragan, Akamai security researcher and report author. "This is why credential stuffing has become so popular over the past few years. These days, retail and loyalty profiles contain a smorgasbord of personal information, and in some cases financial information too. All of this data can be collected, sold and traded, or even compiled for extensive profiles that can later be used for crimes such as identity theft." infosecurity-magazine.com

Ransomware trends in Q3: a new attack every day
Digital Shadows released its quarterly research report focusing on the latest trends in ransomware. Unfortunately, for vulnerable organizations everywhere, Digital Shadows Photon Research team found that ransomware as a market and community on the dark web has expanded since Q2.

New variants of ransomware, as well as data leak sites (which host and/or advertise stolen information), are popping up every week, including some operated by the notorious Conti ransomware operators. These are the same folks who are suspected to be responsible for Ryuk malware.

A disturbing dimension of this trend is the rise of these data leak sites. While a few major players still dominate market share, the explosion in alternatives - including the Conti-affiliated Netwalker blog, which quickly captured 17% of the market, making it the second most popular blog - indicates an active community growing in a lucrative business.

In the second quarter of 2020, Maze, DoppelPaymer, and Sodinokibi seemed to rule the ransomware scene with reports of ransomware attacks every day. securitymagazine.com

Controlling How Tech Giants Use Data
Privacy ballot measure in California could have ripple effect across the U.S.
California enacted the country's toughest privacy law in 2018, but the Golden State isn't done considering new privacy regulations. Voters are now weighing a proposition that supporters say will give you more control over how tech giants use your data.

Like 2018's California Consumer Privacy Act, the new ballot proposition could prompt companies to change privacy policies across the board. Called the California Privacy Rights Act, the proposition could also revive efforts to pass similar bills in statehouses across the country.

At issue is whether the privacy protections will be effective, and whether the potential costs of running a new state agency, which the initiative calls for, are worth it at a time when the state's budget is threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. Voters will also sort through the reasons why some privacy advocates don't love the law. cnet.com

2020: The Year Everyone Became an IT Employee
The pandemic has rendered IT roles more demanding and more important than ever before. And every employee has essentially become an extension of the IT team.

Consider an IT admin that previously supported one office with 50 employees. Today, that admin is supporting the same 50 employees spread across as many locations, using different networks and a wide variety of (mostly unsecured) devices. Troubleshooting is infinitely more challenging in this paradigm and, while the volume of IT work has exploded, the size of most teams remains unchanged. informationweek.com

Cryptocurrency vs Cash: A Security Breakdown

Update: Chicago, IL: Two men convicted in 2017 $200,000 Hinsdale jewelry store robbery
Two Illinois men stole more than $200,000 in merchandise from a Hinsdale jewelry store in 2017, a federal jury decided this week. According to the office of U.S. Attorney John Lausch, Jr., 26-year-old Tobias Diggs and 31-year-old Joshua McClellan were convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, transportation of stolen goods and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. A federal judge has not yet scheduled a date to determine their sentences. Authorities said two other people participated in the robbery. A warrant has been issued for a 42-year-old man from Chicago, who is considered a fugitive, and the fourth person has not been identified. wgntv.com

Manteca, CA: 4 arrested are in Organized Retail theft group
Four members of what the Manteca Police Department called an organized retail crime group from Modesto were arrested last week outside the Walmart Supercenter on Main Street there. The investigation found the group was "printing false purchase stickers for Walmart to avoid paying for the merchandise in the store," the Police Department said in a post on its Facebook page Friday. "$1,500 worth of electronic merchandise was found in their vehicle." Modesto residents Angelina Alvarez, 32, Kaitlyn Stolze, 28, Carl Goodman, 39, and Robert Gonzalez, 40, were booked at the San Joaquin County Jail on various organized retail theft charges.  modbee.com

Blue Mound, TX: Porsche, Mercedes and Corvette stolen from Carvana Dealership lot worth over $100,000
Carvana is a company known for selling amazing vehicles at discounted rates online. Carvana gets robbed often too. On October 18, 2020, at 12:03 a.m. three suspects entered a secure area of the Carvana car lot in Blue Mound, Texas. The suspects stole a silver Corvette convertible, a black Mercedes CLS550, and a silver Panamera GTS Porsche by smashing through a locked gate. The total value of the three vehicles combined is over $100,000.  newsmaven.io

St. Louis County, MO: 4 men accused of operating car theft crime ring
Four young men are accused of operating a car theft ring in St. Louis County and may be responsible for crimes dating back to May. Carlos Murrietta, 18, faces three counts of receiving stolen property in Manchester and 19 charges in other jurisdictions, according to the Manchester Police Department. In one instance, on Oct. 2, Murrietta and two others used a garage door opener in an unlocked vehicle to open a garage and steal a car in Manchester. Surveillance cameras caught the incident and the officer was able to identify Murrietta.

Murrietta was also among three suspects who were arrested and charged in connection with a robbery that injured a woman in the parking lot of a Town and Country Schnucks in September. Jae'von Renfroe, 18, has been charged with tampering and receiving stolen property. According to charging documents, Renfroe used stolen credit cards to purchase $1,487 worth of Apple products from the Target store in Kirkwood in August. The credit cards were stolen from an unlocked car in Manchester. wfmynews2.com

Westchester County, NY: Woman now facing $659 theft charges from Macy; in jail on unrelated charges
A woman already in the Westchester County Jail for an unrelated arrest is facing new charges after allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from Macy's at the Jefferson Valley Mall. dailyvoice.com

Palm Coast, FL: Trio accused of stealing 65 vape pens in snatch-and-grab robbery at smoke shop; selling on Snapchat

Lincoln, NE: Super Saver shoplifter wanted on 6 warrants arrested; assault on associate in attempt to flee

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights
 

	Division Safety and Loss Prevention Manager Atlanta, GA - posted October 5 Under the guidance of the Directors of Loss Prevention (LP) and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), the Loss Prevention & Safety Manager is responsible for overseeing and championing initiatives and company programs, processes and controls that builds a culture around continuous improvement in safety/environment incidents, loss prevention, and security outcomes...
	Regional Asset Protection Manager Emeryville, CA - posted October 2 The Regional Asset Protection and Safety Manager will lead the Region in shrink reduction and profit maximization efforts. The position will proactively seek to bring economic value to the company, promoting profitable sales and world class customer service while ensuring a safe place to work and shop...
	Asset & Profit Protection Investigations Analyst San Francisco, CA - posted September 24 You should have strong analytical skills, be a quick learner, and drive to innovate with both technology and processes. They will be personable, open to learning, collaborating with others, and apt to saying "yes" or "I'll find a way", rather than "no" or "that's impossible"...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Pittsburgh, PA - posted September 10 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...
	Customer Success Specialists Multiple Locations - posted October 9 The role of the Customer Success Specialist is to engage, empower, and excite our community. As a Customer Success Specialist, your primary responsibility is to ensure both retailers and law enforcement, who make up our community, have great experiences and achieve real crime reduction outcomes from using our platform. Apply Here
	Sales Representatives NuTech National - posted October 13 NuTech National, an established and rapidly growing 40+ year electronic security company is expanding our National Sales Team. Seeking motivated, driven and successful sales reps to expand our national retail and governmental vertical markets. Top pay, benefits and signing bonus available. Please apply to melissa@nutechnational.com

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