11/14/19

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

Lead from within: The bottom line is that conflict will always exist, but a satisfactory resolution and positive outcomes are within your power. lollydaskal.com

Arctic Blast Spreads Shivers from Maine to Deep South

2 Time-and-Attendance Biometrics vendors named in Illinois privacy lawsuits

Judge Limits Phone Searches at U.S. Borders

SoNo Mall Construction Worker Fell to His Death Tuesday @ 2:30am

Arby's Apologizes for 'Insensitive' Sign That Said 'Only Well Behaved Children Are Welcome'


Quarterly Results

Canada Goose Q2 wholesale revenue up 22.2%, retail store and online sales up 47%

Grocery Outlet Holding Q3 comp's up 5.8%, net sales up 13.1%

Walmart Q3 U.S. comp's up 3.2%, U.S. eCommerce up 41%, total revenue up 2.5%
   Sam's Club Q3 comp's up 0.6%, eCommerce up 32%,
   Walmart International net sales up 1.3%

Canada's Loblaw Companies retail comp's up 2.2%, revenue up 2.3%
   Food retail (Loblaw) comp's up 0.1%
   Drug retail (Shoppers Drug Mart) up 4.1%

Dillard's Q3 comp's flat, net sales down 2.2%

ADT Commercial Purchases Critical Systems of Georgia
 

ADT Commercial is expanding its presence in Atlanta with the purchase of Critical Systems.

About Critical Systems: Headquartered in Marietta, Ga. and established in 2002, Critical Systems specializes in enterprise-class fire alarm, fire suppression, life safety and integrated building security solutions for high-rise properties, healthcare campuses and mission-critical data, manufacturing and distribution facilities in Atlanta and its suburbs.

"Critical Systems brings the power of nearly two decades of experience integrating sophisticated fire, life safety and security systems to help protect some of Atlanta's most high-risk commercial facilities and will be instrumental in helping drive our commercial growth platform across the Southeast," said executive vice president, ADT Commercial, Dan Bresingham.

"The addition of Critical Systems to our team deepens the range of services we can offer customers in Atlanta and the region whether providing fail-safe emergency communications systems in high-rise buildings or special hazard fire suppression at data centers, Critical Systems has the distinctive and specialized skills and service mindset to deliver peace of mind to commercial customers," said senior vice president field operations, ADT Commercial, Michael McWilliams.

President of Critical Systems Bill Van Loan is enthusiastic about the additional resources and reach that aligning with ADT Commercial can provide to customers.

"Combining the professionalism and know-how of our well-trained technicians with the backing of ADT Commercial reinforces our commitment to customers especially for large, complex systems or multi-site projects," Van Loan said.

"Worst Year on Record" For Breaches & Records
5,183 Breaches - 7.9 Billion Records Exposed in 2019 Already
Today, we released our Q3 2019 Data Breach QuickView Report and continuing off Q1 and Mid-Year expectations, breach activity in 2019 is on track to being "the worst year on record".

Within the first nine months of 2019 there have been 5,183 breaches reported with 7.9 billion records exposed, and we are on track to reach 8.5 billion. Compared to the mid-year of 2018, the total number of breaches was up 33.3% and the total number of records exposed more than doubled, up 112%.

Just six breaches accounted for 3.1 billion records exposed between July 1st and September 30th.

The Q3 2019 Data Breach QuickView Report covers the data breaches reported between January 1st and September 30th, 2019. Key findings state that by NAICS economic sector, medical services, retailers and public entities experienced the most breaches, but when all business related sectors are combined, general business remains the most breached organization type. Looking further into data breach landscape, hacking remains the top breach type for number of incidents while Web has exposed the most records this year. riskbasedsecurity.com

Survey Finds Nearly 3 in 4 Retailers Have Been Attacked by Cybercriminals
Biggest Challenges: Lack of Personnel - Budget - Knowledge

The online threats facing retailers are becoming more complex and threatening, new research from the Ponemon Institute finds. The 2019 Global State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses measured responses from over 2,000 IT and IT security professionals around the world, 239 of which were from the retail industry. Some top-line findings include:

● 61% of retailers experienced a cyberattack within the past year, with 72% being attacked in their organization's lifetime.

● 50% of retailers reported having no response plan for a data breach, 11% higher than the all-industry average.

● The average attack involving the loss of customer or employee data results in 7,772 individual records lost or stolen, with an average cost of $1.9 million from the disruption of normal operations.

When asked what factors are contributing to these attacks, budget was a top concern for retailers. Only one in three believes they have adequate budget to achieve strong IT security, while over half do not. However, 93% of retailers spend less than 20% of their overall IT budget on security, with an average spend of 11.5%. Insufficient personnel (91%), insufficient budget (51%) and no understanding of how to protect themselves from cyberattacks (40%) were the most commonly cited challenges preventing fully effective security posture. prnewswire.com

3 Reasons You Should Be Offering Cloud-Based Access Control
Johnson Controls Martin Renkis, GM Cloud Solutions
Cloud-based access control can make life easier for both the security integrator and the end user, as well as open up new markets and opportunities to integrators.

To understand how cloud-based access control can help boost your business, you first have to define what it is - and what it isn't. While cloud-based "as-a-service" business models are beginning to proliferate across the security industry, when it comes to access control, the terms "hosted" and "managed" seem to be more common; and while these can be cloud-based, they are not necessarily the same thing as cloud-based Access Control as a Service.

"Everybody is used to the term "VSaaS" [for video as a service], but you don't see ACaaS as much," says Martin Renkis, general manager, cloud solutions, global security products, Johnson Controls, Milwaukee. "There is a big difference between ACaaS and hosted or managed access ... Hosted or managed access control could be the same as taking your current system you have in your building that is residing on a server, unplugging it, walking it down the street to a data center and plugging it in ... All you are doing is moving the hardware off-site."

"What I call a cloud solution is unlimited in scale and I can instantly add or delete services on-demand. That is the number one differentiator between a true cloud-play and a hosted/managed play. True cloud is dynamically scalable."

1 It Saves the Integrator Time & Money
2 It Makes Customers Happier
3 It Creates RMR & Opens New Business Opportunities

Renkis takes it even further. "I would posit that cloud-based solutions are significantly more secure than on-premise solutions. The amount of investment that Johnson Controls makes in cyber security - along with our partners like Microsoft, Google and Amazon - is significantly more than any single company is going to be doing on its own.

Many experts agree that cloud technology is at least as secure, if not more secure than the typical on-premises solution.

While both types need to be cyber-secured equally, there is one advantage to cloud architecture, Stamatelos says. "With access control in the cloud, any time we have an upgrade we simply push it to the customer so they are always up-to-date."

Every platform will say they are secure, but what backs that claim? Look for organizations with experience and resources that invest significantly in cyber security annually. Consider asking how much they spend on cyber security and data privacy every year, as well as if they have a designated cyber team and how large that team is. You and your customer's business can be dramatically affected by a cyber attack or a data privacy leak. It's important to learn more and challenge your cloud partner to support you.

- Contributed by Martin Renkis, general manager, Cloud Solutions, Global Security Products, Johnson Controls sdmmag.com

This unusual new ransomware is going after servers
An unconventional form of ransomware is being deployed in targeted attacks against enterprise servers - and it appears to have links to some of the most notorious cyber-criminal groups around.

The previously undetected server-encrypting malware has been detailed in research by cybersecurity analysts at Intezer and IBM X-Force, who've named it PureLocker because it's written in the PureBasic programming language.

It's unusual for ransomware to be written in PureBasic, but it provides benefits to attackers because sometimes security vendors struggle to generate reliable detection signatures for malicious software written in this language. PureBasic is also transferable between Windows, Linux, and OS-X, meaning attackers can more easily target different platforms. zdnet.com

Microsoft Will Apply California's Privacy Law Nationwide
Company's Move Could Influence Other Technology Companies

New Ransomware-as-a-Service Offered at Deep Discount: Report

These 2 States Are Sabotaging Their Respective Marijuana Industries
There are two states that are sabotaging their respective cannabis industries due to their slow rollout of physical dispensaries.

California
High tax rates are definitely one problem in California. With the addition of an excise tax and wholesale tax, atop California's already robust state and local tax, the aggregate tax on legal marijuana can reach as much as 45%. This makes it very difficult for legal cannabis to compete with the black market on pricing. But an arguably bigger problem for California is that it has so few open dispensaries throughout the state, and in key markets.

Illinois
Illinois' restrictive retail licensing approach that's designed to deter business monopolies and oligopolies may actually incentivize consumers to shop in the illicit market. Illinois has capped the number of retail locations that can be opened by a single company at 10, once the green flag waves on recreational sales. That means a maximum of 110 retailers can sell recreational pot on Jan. 1, 2020. Even with regulators expected to award 75 new retail licenses by May 1, 2020, we're only talking about a maximum of 185 licenses in the state by the end of 2020. The cannabis legislation passed by Illinois in June stipulates that the state cannot have more than 500 open dispensaries. In short, the state doesn't even have a chance to reach four open dispensaries per 100,000 residents. fool.com

Turning Over A New Leaf: The Push To Nix Old Pot Convictions
New York state, for instance, said it will automatically expunge convictions for possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana as part of a decriminalization bill signed by the governor in July. But opposition and inertia have stymied similar measures in a number of other jurisdictions, with critics saying avenues for expunging old convictions already exist and the new laws only serve to let people off the hook for activity that was illegal at the time.

Since 2012, 11 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of cannabis, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, while another 15 have decriminalized it, usually meaning possession of small amounts is treated as a violation of the law subject only to a fine rather than time in prison.

But while arrests have fallen in some places, that's little help to the many people convicted of marijuana-related crimes in years past. Over the past four years, at least 15 states have enacted laws providing for the expungement of those convictions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. law360.com

California's Mandated Track and Trace System: Is it Helpful or Harmful?
The California Cannabis Track-and-Trace (CCTT) system, which became operational for businesses with full annual licenses in January 2019, is a major milestone to further legitimize our industry. However, the newly mandated regulations have done more to hinder the legal marketplace than boost it. Convoluted daily logistics, lack of complete accountability, as well as the limited availability of the required unique identifying tags are just a few examples of CCTT's bureaucratic red tape. This has caused companies to incur extra costs and delays in introducing their products to shelves.

It is essential to have a streamlined process for states to record the inventory and movement of cannabis products through the commercial supply chain for safety and quality control, as well as so we can be privy to supply, distribution and demand data that can help licensed companies compete with the illicit market. But there needs to be changes and updates to address the issues plaguing California's Metrc-powered system. cannabusinessexecutive.com

Amazon fired me for failing drug test even though I'm a medical marijuana patient, N.J. man's lawsuit says
The man, who is only identified in court documents as D.J.C, charges that his civil rights were violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act when he was terminated from the Amazon warehouse on Route 27 in Edison. His lawsuit says he was prescribed medical marijuana after being diagnosed with anxiety and a panic disorder.

The lawsuit said the man was "deprived of his salary, benefits, financial security, loss of enjoyment of work, suffered and continues to suffer compensatory and pecuniary damages and losses, emotional distress, anxiety, sleeplessness, humiliation, embarrassment, nervous anguish, mental and emotional upset, and has had his civil rights violated." nj.com

Cannabis Trade Federation Statement Regarding the CDC's Breakthrough in the Investigation into Vaping-related Lung Illnesses

Cannabis Dispensary Compliance Director job for Green room - based in Chicago, IL

Not Stopping Counterfeits & Gray-Market Goods Has a Price
Has Big Fashion Had Enough? Nike Takes a Stand
'Nike to Stop Selling Directly to Amazon'
The sneaker giant agreed in 2017 to sell products to Amazon in exchange for stricter policing of counterfeits and restrictions on unsanctioned sales. It was part of Amazon's effort to court big fashion brands to sell their products through its website.

Nike officials were disappointed the deal with Amazon didn't eliminate counterfeits and give the brand more control over gray-market goods that account for many of the Amazon listings, these people said.

While rivals such as Adidas AG and Under Armour Inc. sell directly to Amazon, many big fashion brands have resisted. A few have reversed course. The owner of Birkenstock pulled its products in 2016, saying Amazon wasn't doing enough to police the gray market and counterfeit sellers.

Amazon has made the process to list products so simple that counterfeiters have been exploiting the marketplace.

Amazon said it invested more than $400 million last year to police its website. The company said in 2018 it stopped more than 1 million suspected bad actors from opening seller accounts and blocked more than 3 billion suspected bad listings before they were published to the site. wsj.com

Manager, Corporate Security Operations For Netflix in Los Angeles
The Manager, Corporate Security Operations will lead a high impact corporate security operations team focused on protecting Netflix personnel, corporate sites and assets worldwide. This position will be based in Hollywood, CA and reports to Netflix's Director, Corporate Safety & Security. indeed.com

Facebook Pulls 1.7B Fake Accounts

Inside Walmart's Corporate Culture Clash Over E-Commerce

Walmart Partners With Apple to Allow Voice Orders Through Siri

Exchanged Over 10,000 Counterfeits
For the Real Thing at Apple Stores & Shipped Them Back to China
'Fourteen Indicted in $6 Million Counterfeit iPhones Scheme; Biggest Fraud of its Kind in Southern District'
During a coordinated takedown that began early this morning, investigators executed 11 search warrants - including at two businesses plus several homes and vehicles located in Mira Mesa and Mission Hills - and seized an estimated $250,000 in cash plus 90 iPhones which are being evaluated to determine authenticity. As of today at noon, 11 of 14 defendants are in federal custody. Three are fugitives, including Xiamon Zhong, who is believed to be in China; Charley Hsu of San Diego; and Hyo Weon Yang of San Francisco.

According to the indictment, the organization - led by three brothers - imported more than 10,000 counterfeit iPhones and iPads from China, exchanged them for the real thing at Apple stores throughout the United States and Canada, and then shipped the authentic devices back to China and other foreign countries to sell at a premium.

Apple conservatively estimates that the loss associated with the counterfeit items that were fraudulently exchanged at Apple Stores for genuine Apple productss exceeds $6.1 million.

The Liao brothers - alleged ringleaders Zhiwei, Zhimin and Zhiting - were arrested by FBI agents this morning along with their wives. The brothers are naturalized U.S. citizens born in China. Other defendants include mostly U.S. citizens, mostly naturalized, from China, Vietnam and Russia. justice.gov

San Diego, CA: Former Navy Warehouse Manager Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $2.5 Million in Goods from the U.S. Navy & Reselling Online
Herbert Gutierrez, former warehouse manager at the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command Warehouse in San Diego, pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $2.5 million worth of goods from the Navy warehouse where he worked at the time. According to his plea agreement, Gutierrez stole the items over a nine-month period, from July 2018 to April 2019. He advertised items from the warehouse for sale online, including through such websites as eBay, and then allowed private individuals into the Military Sealift Command (MSC) warehouse yard during work hours and after hours to take the government property, load it onto trucks, and haul it away. For example, in February 2019, Gutierrez allowed a utility truck and a tractor-trailer to enter the MSC warehouse after hours - and when they left, the vehicle contained over $1 million in stolen copper nickel tubing. Gutierrez could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. nbcsandiego.com

Metro Denver Man Pleads Guilty To Gun Store Thefts And Carjacking
Defendant part of violent "smash and grab" organization
Jonathan Estrada, a/k/a Hight, age 20, of Denver pled guilty yesterday to thefts of firearms from federal firearms licensees and carjacking. Estrada was part of a violent "smash and grab" organization that stole vehicles and burglarized federal firearms licensees (FFLs).

September 19, 2017, Estrada and another individual burglarized the Reloader's Corner, an FFL in Arvada, Colorado. Seventeen firearms were stolen. On January 18, 2018, Estrada and five others burglarized Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply, an FFL in Littleton. They stole thirteen AR-15 style firearms. justice.gov

Fargo, ND: 'Shoplifting boosters' take $7k of clothes from West Acres, Target

St Charles County, MO: Man arrested for $2,400 Target store theft/ assault was already on probation for other crimes

Concord, NC: Woman stole more than $1,800 of merchandise from Victoria Secret in Concord Mills Mall

Olympia, WA: 3 men arrested for stealing $800 in merchandise from JCPenney at Capital Mall
 

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