DHS Issues National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin
The United States remains in a heightened threat environment. Lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat to the Homeland. Domestic actors and foreign terrorist organizations continue to maintain a visible presence online in attempts to motivate supporters to conduct attacks in the Homeland. Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence, citing factors such as reactions to current events and adherence to violent extremist ideologies. In the coming months, threat actors could exploit several upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence, including certifications related to the midterm elections, the holiday season and associated large gatherings, the marking of two years since the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and potential sociopolitical developments connected to ideological beliefs or personal hostility. Targets of potential violence include public gatherings, faith-based institutions, the LGBTQI+ community, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents. dhs.gov

Duration

Issued: November 30, 2022 02:00 pm
Expires: May 24, 2023 02:00 pm

Additional Information - How We Are Responding - Resources to Stay Safe

Date Issued: November 30, 2022 02:00 pm ET
View as PDF: National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin - November 30, 2022 02:00 pm

More information is available at: www.dhs.gov/advisories. To receive mobile updates: twitter.com/dhsgov

Security Systems Solution Provider President Defrauds United States
Holding Corporations Personally Responsible - DOJ's Corp. Criminal Enforcement Program in Action

Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Lying About Origin of Chinese-Made Products
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas

Grand Prairie, TX.,: Suhaib Allababidi, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. His company, 2M Solutions Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of filing false or misleading export information.

Mr. Allababidi, the owner and president of 2M Solutions, admitted that the company - which provided security cameras, solar-powered light towers, digital video recorders, and other electronics to various U.S. government agencies - claimed that its products were manufactured in the United States, when in actuality they were manufactured in the People's Republic of China by Chinese companies.I

In order to secure contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Allababidi represented that 2M was "a USA Manufacturing Company." In actuality, 2M did little to no manufacturing but instead regularly purchased products from Chinese companies, removed labels indicating the true country of origin, and replaced them with labels indicating they were manufactured in 2M's Grand Prairie facility. On its packaging, 2M included logos including the American flag in the shape of a map of the U.S. and the words "Made in the USA."

By falsely representing that its products were manufactured in the United States, 2M was able to secure contracts subject to the Buy America Act (BAA), a law which generally prohibits United States Government agencies from purchasing products made outside the United States with some limited exceptions.

2M also pled guilty to submitting false information in relation to products exported to foreign customers. In contravention of export laws, the company submitted false information to the Automated Export System, a government-run platform that collects export information and distributes it to multiple federal agencies to assure compliance. The company falsified the description of items exported, misrepresented the ultimate recipient of the items, and falsely stated that no export license was needed for shipments that required a license.

Mr. Allababidi now faces up to five years in federal prison. 2M faces fines of up to $1 million or twice the amount of criminally-derived property, whichever is greater. justice.gov

Apple Sued Over Deadly Storefront Crash
Lawsuits claim negligence in Hingham Apple store crash
The family of a man who was badly hurt when an SUV crashed into an Apple store in Hingham, killing one person and injuring 20, sued the company, the driver and the property owners Tuesday in one of the first lawsuits filed over the crash.

Matthew Timberger, of Falmouth, suffered broken bones and other serious injuries when the vehicle drove into the store on Nov. 21, the lawsuit said. He and his family accuse the driver of negligently operating the vehicle, and Apple and the property owners of negligently failing to place barriers that might have prevented a car from entering the store.

"The frontage of the Apple Store features tall glass windows and doors, reaching all the way to the ground. These glass windows and doors are not designed or engineered or reinforced in such a way where they would act as an effective barrier against a moving motor vehicle," the lawsuit said.

Doug Sheff, an attorney for the family, said that while there were no protective barriers in front of the store, the shopping plaza did have them in front of electrical fixtures and trash receptacles behind the building. Two store employees have also sued over the crash, though they did not name Apple as a defendant.

Driver Bradley Rein has pleaded not guilty to charges that he was reckless when the SUV crashed through the window. wbur.org

Biometric point-of-sales vendor gets patent for fingerprint retail payment system
A U.S. patent has been awarded to a company making fingerprint scanners that can be used to biometrically confirm a person's identity.

OVE, based in San Francisco, has been awarded patent number 11,514,454 for a system it already is marketing. It involves a $149 Touch & Go scanner integrated with a vendor's point-of-sale setup, a shopper's mobile device and a wireless connection.

The company recently came out of stealth, and reveled that it uses payment software from Plaid. Ovo has used ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in the past, according to a blog post, but the patent also mentions capacitive biometric sensors made by Fingerprint Cards and data processing units from STMicroelectronics in possible embodiments of the invention.

Last year, Technavio forecast that biometric point of sale terminals grow by a compounded annual growth rate of 36 percent from 2020 to 2025. biometricupdate.com

IFSEC Global: The Video Surveillance Report 2022

IFSEC Global takes its annual look at the video surveillance market, as we capture, analyse and reveal the views and trends directly from security and facilities professionals in the Video Surveillance Report 2022.

Thanks to responses of over 400 security, facilities and IT professionals from across the security supply chain, we also examine the trends in hardware purchasing decisions for those purchasing, specifying or installing video surveillance devices. The evolution of AI into the industry continues at pace, it would appear, with user awareness growing of how security cameras can now be used for so much more than, well... security.

Finally, we also take a 'deep dive' into key vertical trends this year - asking industry professionals in education, healthcare, logistics and retail sectors what they use video surveillance for, and what demand looks like in these individual sectors.

There's plenty of insight for anyone involved in the installation, management, operation, distribution and sale of video surveillance devices within the Video Surveillance Report 2022, so what are you waiting for? Download and read today!

Simply complete this short form to download this FREE trend report. Click Here: ifsecglobal.com

Apple, Nike, SpartanNash Among Most Flexible Companies
Flexibility and Wellbeing: The 25 Most Flexible Companies
The last three years of Indeed commissioned research conducted by Forrester asserts that flexibility at work is foundational to optimal workplace wellbeing. Before the pandemic forced many employers into remote or hybrid work models, flexibility (time and location) was the top cited reason among people considering new work opportunities.

The findings from the same survey in 2021 and 2022 suggest that changes at work in relation to time and location flexibility brought on by the pandemic were what many were looking for. Time and location flexibility dropped to the fourth most cited reason to consider new work opportunities in 2021 and third in 2022.

Below is the list of the companies rated highest for flexibility over the last year. The list is in order starting with the highest-rated company.
 

NRF Urges Congress to Avert Rail Strike
NRF: Retailers Encouraged by House Approval of Agreement Averting Rail Strike
"America's railroads serve nearly every sector of our economy and provide access to global markets. The freight rail system is a lifeline for many industries, ensuring the transport of not only retail goods, but also essential food and energy supplies.

"We commend the swift action of the House to approve this critical piece of legislation and prevent a potential catastrophic freight rail shutdown that could cost the economy $2 billion a day. It is imperative that the Senate now acts immediately to approve the measure and send it to President Biden's desk. Until the Tentative Agreement is in place, U.S. economic security remains in jeopardy."

Today, NRF sent a letter to Capitol Hill urging members of Congress to approve H.J. Res. 100. Last week, NRF relaunched a grassroots campaign where more than 500 advocates have contacted lawmakers to pass legislation to prevent a rail strike. nrf.com

Walmart saw a big dip in customers shopping at its stores on Black Friday

U.S. gas prices have fallen to lowest level since February

Bracing for 'Wave' of Holiday Cyberattacks
Retail braces for wave of holiday phishing, ransomware scams

Hackers are ramping up their phishing and ransomware campaigns targeting the retail sector as the holiday shopping season kicks off.

The big picture: The ongoing economic downturn is prompting more shoppers to look for online discount codes and more hackers to trick these consumers with phony deals, threat analysts tell Axios. Ransomware gangs are also predicted to target small to medium-size businesses that could be more likely to pay off hackers to prevent an operational outage during the holiday season.

Why it matters: While the retail sector has gotten better at defending its systems against cyberattacks in recent years, no company can ever be considered completely hackproof. Traditional phishing lures - where hackers impersonate retailers in emails to collect consumers' login information and credit card numbers - are nearly impossible for retailers to track unless a consumer reports them.

Threat level: This year's economic downturn and the return of in-person holiday gatherings are exacerbating the existing threats that retailers have long had to fight, says Ashley Allocca, a threat analyst at cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint.

Phishing is also one of the "most popular hacking services advertised within illicit communities" this year, according to a report from the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) published earlier this month.

Details: Hackers rely on employees and consumers being too busy during the holiday seasons to spot scam emails. Phishing campaigns can lead to consumers entering their credentials and credit card info into fake sites or employees accidentally downloading ransomware at their organization.

Reports of imposter websites, which mimic well-known retailers and place fake product listings that consumers purchase, also rise during the holidays. axios.com

Cyberattacks: Top 2023 Risk for U.S. Companies
Internal audit leaders flag cyberattacks as top 2023 risk: ManpowerGroup
Internal audit leaders at U.S. companies flagged cyberattacks as the top risk in 2023 while describing plans to focus on averting data loss and detecting malware and other intrusions, ManpowerGroup found in a survey released Tuesday.

"Shifting to remote work appears to be driving the need to have better data loss prevention, while attention to intrusion detection and vulnerability management is being driven by increasingly successful and damaging cyberattacks," according to the report by Jefferson Wells, a unit of ManpowerGroup.

Internal audit leaders said one quarter of their staff work remotely while more than half balance in-office and remote work, Jefferson Wells said. Two-thirds of internal audit leaders plan to conduct an attack and penetration review during the next 12 to 18 months.

By some measures damage from ransomware and other cyberattacks hit unprecedented levels during the past several months.

U.S. financial institutions reported a record surge in ransomware payments last year, with nearly 1,500 filings valued at a total of nearly $1.2 trillion - a 188% increase compared with 2020, according to the Treasury Department.

U.S. companies are often in cyberattack cross-hairs. Cybercriminals targeted U.S. businesses in nearly half of all publicly acknowledged ransomware attacks globally between January 2020 and July 2022, according to data collected by NordLocker. cfodive.com

'Ransomware Cartel' Threatens to Inflict as Much Damage as Possible
What is Ransom Cartel? A ransomware gang focused on reputational damage

Ransom Cartel ups its game by threatening to send sensitive information to victim's partners, competitors, and news outlets to inflict as much damage as possible.

Ransom Cartel, a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation, has stepped up its attacks over the past year after the disbanding of prominent gangs such as REvil and Conti. Believed to have launched in December 2021, Ransom Cartel has made victims of organizations from among the education, manufacturing, utilities, and energy sectors with aggressive malware and tactics that resemble those used by REvil.

The group employs double extortion, combining data encryption with data theft and subsequent threats to release stolen information on their data leak website. However, the group goes one step further and threatens to send sensitive information to the victim's partners, competitors, and news outlets in an attempt to inflict as much reputational damage as possible.

Initial access and lateral movement toolset

Ransom Cartel attackers make heavy use of stolen credentials for gaining initial access to victim organizations. This includes credentials for various services that are accessible from the internet, remote desktop protocol (RDP), secure shell protocol (SSH), and virtual private networks (VPNs). The group's affiliates -hackers who distribute the ransomware for a hefty cut of the ransom payments - obtain these credentials themselves or acquire them from initial access brokers on the underground market.

Once inside a corporate network, the goal of Ransom Cartel attackers is to steal additional credentials and gain access to Windows and Linux VMWare ESXi servers. The attackers were seen using an open-source tool called DonPAPI that can locate and dump credentials stored using the Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI). csoonline.com

The Growing Threat of Deepfakes
Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes
'Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes' is the first report produced through the Observatory function of the Europol Innovation Lab. The Europol Innovation Lab's Observatory function monitors technological developments that are relevant for law enforcement and reports on the risks, threats and opportunities of these emerging technologies.

The report provides a detailed overview of the criminal use of deepfake technology, including their potential use in serious crimes such as CEO fraud, evidence tampering, and the production of non-consensual pornography. It also elaborates on the challenges faced by law enforcement in detecting and preventing the nefarious use of deepfakes. It shows that law enforcement, online service providers and other organisations need to develop their policies and invest in detection as well as prevention solutions for misinformation, and policymakers need to adapt to the changing technological reality as well.

Contributing to this report, law enforcement practitioners helped identify a series of challenges that they will have to contend within the decade ahead. In particular, they identified risks associated with digital transformation, the adoption and deployment of new technologies, the abuse of emerging technology by criminals, accommodating new ways of working and maintaining trust in the face of an increase of disinformation. The findings of this report are based on extensive desk research and in-depth consultation with law enforcement experts through strategic foresight activities. These strategic foresight and scenario methods are one means by which the Europol Innovation Lab researches and prepares for the potential impact of new technologies on law enforcement. europol.europa.eu

Cyberattackers Selling Access to Networks Compromised via Recent Fortinet Flaw

The vulnerability, disclosed In October, gives an unauthenticated attacker a way to take control of an affected product.

Fortinet customers that have not yet patched a critical authentication bypass vulnerability that the vendor disclosed in October in multiple versions of its FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitch Manager technologies now have an additional reason to do so quickly.

At least one threat actor, operating on a Russian Dark Web forum, has begun selling access to multiple networks compromised via the vulnerability (CVE-2022-40684), and more could follow suit soon. Researchers from Cyble who spotted the threat activity described the victim organizations as likely using unpatched and outdated versions of FortiOS. darkreading.com

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3rd suspect in Normal retail theft investigation faces murder charges in Champaign
A third suspect has been arrested in Normal related to the investigation of suspicious vehicles at the Shoppes at College Hills. Normal and Bloomington police responded to reports of two suspicious vehicles in the Target parking lot Monday afternoon. Upon arrival, Normal police said Target employees reported they suspected four people inside the store were going to commit retail theft. Officers located the reported suspicious vehicles. One of the vehicles had tape covering its license plate, and police learned it had been involved in a recent armed robbery in Champaign. Police said suspects seen outside the store tried to run from officers. Eventually three suspects were taken into custody, two outside and one inside the store. A 35-year-old Champaign woman was arrested in connection to a prior retail theft and a preliminary charge of obstructing justice. Police said she also had multiple outstanding warrants from multiple counties. A 40-year-old Champaign man was arrested on preliminary charges of resisting arrest and obstructing identification. A 17-year-old male from Champaign was also taken into custody with an active warrant charging him with first-degree murder in Champaign. He is suspected in a Nov. 4 shooting in Champaign, in which an 18-year-old woman died of multiple gunshot wounds. The incident remains under investigation.  pantagraph.com

Colorado Springs, CO: Five arrested in targeted Retail Theft Enforcement
The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) arrested five people on Wednesday, Nov. 30, after a targeted retail theft deployment on the city's south side. CSPD said the city continues to experience a rise in retail crime, and noted that there has also been an increase in aggressive behavior toward store employees during the thefts. In response to those statistics, CSPD conducted the deployment on Nov. 3, in partnership with loss prevention employees at retail stores. CSPD said they made five arrests, with four of the people arrested being charged with new cases associated with retail crime. According to CSPD, the arrests cleared 11 warrants, including one felony and 10 misdemeanor warrants. $650 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered through this deployment, and CSPD said one local business reported that 3 of those arrested were among their top repeat offenders. fox21news.com

Hialeah, FL: Surveillance video captures brazen crook stealing dozens of items from Burlington store
Police in Miami-Dade County are searching for a crook who grabbed as much as he could get his hands on from a department store before literally dragging the stolen loot out of the front door. Surveillance video captured the criminal in action. There have been a lot of shoplifting cases but this one may take the cake. "Very brazen thief. Right now we have a saturation of officers out there in uniform and when you see something like that they need to be caught," said Hialeah Police Sgt. Jose Torres. It happened a Burlington store in Hialeah on Black Friday. "He's doing his holiday shopping on the dime of the store. This is something we won't tolerate," said Torres. "The Hialeah Police Department is actively working to stop these types of crimes." Officers have a clear surveillance shot of the man's face. They also have his car on video. He appeared to get away with a ton of pocketbooks, and in the video it looks like he stuffed whatever he could into two large bags. "Look at this guy," Torres said. "Give us a call and we would be more than glad to get him off the street."  local10.com

Nashville, TN: Suspected serial thief arrested again after stealing from Home Depot multiple times
A 28-year-old man accused of stealing at least $50,000 worth of merchandise from a home appliance store over multiple incidents has been taken into custody. In incidents that date back to July and September, an arrest affidavit states 28-year-old Travis Thomas Jr. was seen on multiple occasions stealing and attempting to steal power tools from the Home Depot on Powell Avenue in the One Hundred Oaks area. Store officials told officers they saw Thomas Jr. cut the lock on a locked storage container in an attempt take the power tools that were inside. Thomas Jr. was approached by store security and left the $3,500 worth of tools in the store, according to an arrest affidavit. Meanwhile in July, an affidavit states Thomas Jr. was seen doing the same thing to two locked storage containers that were not open to the public. In this incident, officials say Thomas Jr. took the $1,615 worth of tools that were inside and walked out the store. Store officials told officers that Thomas Jr. was identified by loss prevention at the Home Depot based on previous interactions. In November, Metro police asked for the public's assistance in locating Thomas Jr. after investigators discovered he stole more than $50,000 of merchandise from Home Depot. wkrn.com

Voorhees Township, NJ: Police ID 3 Philly men charged in $40,000 Armed Robbery of Voorhees Verizon store
The Voorhees Township Police Department has announced charges against three armed robbery suspects who tied up Verizon workers and stole thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise. The three men, all from Philadelphia, have been charged with robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit robbery, terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. The robbery took place around 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Verizon Wireless store on Route 73. Voorhees police say four armed suspects tied up the employees inside the store and got away with an estimated $40,000 worth of stolen items. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, one of the stolen devices had a tracker which helped authorities follow the suspects' car, a sedan with Florida plates. 6abc.com

San Pedro, CA: Burglars steal $75, 000 of merchandise from San Pedro shoe store
The store's owner said much of the stolen merchandise was for Black Friday customers who bought online from the store. This is the second time he's been robbed in four years. cbsnews.com

Schenectady, NY: Duo allegedly steal over $3,000 worth of goods from beauty store

Erie, PA: Millcreek Police investigating $600 theft from Millcreek grocery store

Roseburg, OR: Man jailed for $400 Theft turned Robbery at Coastal Farm & Ranch store

Hilliard, OH: Couple accused of stealing $350 worth of merchandise

Lexington Park, MD: Sheriff Seeks Identity of Theft Suspect At Big Lots Store

Port Townsend, WA: Safeway shoplifters facing 2 felony charges; $2500 of merchandise recovered