Checkpoint Systems Completes Eti-Textil Acquisition
We are pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Eti-Textil, a full capability trim manufacturing business with production locations in Spain and Morocco. Eti-Textil manufactures a range of garment trim products which includes printed tags and woven labels along with their in-house RFID capabilities and has an excellent reputation for speed, service & quality.

We are happy to say that the experienced management team will remain with the business and it will be part of Checkpoint’s Apparel Labeling Solutions (ALS) Division. Miguel will lead Checkpoint’s apparel label business for Iberia and Morocco. checkpointsystems.com

ISCPO Global Supply Chain Security Conference

One Month to Go - March 3-5, 7-Eleven Store Support Center, Irving, TX.

Join our 6th annual conference to meet fellow LP and Risk Management professionals looking for new connections, the latest research, and the most effective best practices when it comes to global supply chain security and protection. The ISCPO is the ONLY professional organization that advocates security and risk management across the global supply chain. So be part of the conversation. Be part of the industry. And get ready to elevate your career. Register NOW

This is it - the ONLY professional organization and conference that advocates security and risk management across the global supply chain.
 

NRF 2020: Computer Vision Discerns the Center of the Retail Store

By Tony D'Onofrio, Global Retail Influencer

Having split my career between security and information technologies, for some time I have prognosticating the rise of the camera as a powerful sensor to redefine and enhance consumer experiences. At NRF 2020, computer vision was 'visible' everywhere.

Robots loaded with cameras to verify planogram compliance, floor spills, out-of-stocks, engagement with consumers, were prevalent both with large and emerging companies. AI and machine learning were common integration themes in most of the computer vision demonstrations. At this NRF you also saw the technology combined with RFID and 5G. In the Innovation Lab startups area, variations of drones - the flying kind and even one running in a shelf tunnel - made a computer vision appearance.

Facial recognition also increased its presence at NRF 2020 including face-pay, security applications including one for directly protecting high theft items, shopping cart push-out protection, sentiment detection, and FaceID solutions designed to improve consumer engagement.

Computer vision is critical to retail because:

● It is increasingly being applied at the consumer decision-making center of the physical store which for too long has been highly under sensored. This is an important first step that will eventually lead to much improved differentiated digital consumer conversations.

● Decreasing friction in the shopping experience directly increases opportunities for retail theft. Security risks are also increasing in areas where traditional technologies have struggled to respond. Computer vision combined with AI have capabilities to address these challenges. tonydonofrio.com
 

Coronavirus Update

Coronavirus Live Updates: Wuhan Ordered to Round Up Infected People
The lockdown is unprecedented in scale and experts have questioned its effectiveness. Wuhan and Hubei Province have borne the brunt of the epidemic as the sudden shutdown of transportation links into and around the area slowed the shipping of vital medical supplies. The fatality rate in Wuhan is 4.1 percent and 2.8 percent in Hubei

“This is almost a humanitarian disaster” China professor who cited insufficient supplies of medical equipment, food and other necessities. “The Wuhan people seem to be left high and dry by themselves.”

Wuhan is told to round up infected residents for mass quarantine camps.

Death toll in China rises to 564 as lockdown enters third week.

225 cases outside the country, and one death.

W.H.O. will host a meeting of scientists who remain perplexed by the virus.

The number of Americans quarantined on military bases continues to rise. Now 543 - Two more flights expected this week.

Virus’s spread raises fears about Tokyo Olympics. nytimes.com

United States Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA's new webpage focuses on protecting workers from exposure to the novel coronavirus.

This webpage provides information for workers and employers about the evolving coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The information includes links to interim guidance and other resources for preventing exposures to, and infection with, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

In addition to this OSHA guidance, employers and workers should consult interim CDC guidance specific to 2019-nCoV. CDC also provides tips on what the general public should do during the ongoing outbreak. osha.gov

Coronavirus restrictions are taking a toll on fashion brands
 

United States: FCPA 2019 Year In Review

DOJ & SEC Collected Record $2.65 B in Corp. FCPA Fines & Penalties
Walmart Paid $282.7M in Fines & Penalties & Ranked 5th Overall in 2019

In the third year of the Trump Administration, the biggest Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") headlines were record corporate fines and penalties, and a banner year of individual FCPA enforcement highlighted by three DOJ trial victories. The DOJ clarified aspects of its FCPA corporate enforcement policy and provided additional guidance regarding effective corporate ethics and compliance programs. Abroad, the DOJ and SEC continued to coordinate with foreign authorities, publicly acknowledging cooperation from 26 countries and territories.

The dollar value of FCPA settlements soared to $2.65 billion, more than two-and-a-half times the $1.03 billion collected in 2018, and surpassed the previous record of $2.43 billion set in 2016, the last full year of the Obama Administration. To date, the Trump Administration's DOJ and SEC have entered into 35 corporate FCPA resolutions and collected more than $4.5 billion in fines and penalties. mondaq.com

FCPA Corporate Enforcement Actions, 2019 - Only 1 retailer on list of enforcements.

Victoria’s Secret Refused to Act to Protect Women, Models Say

The Model Alliance Sends 100 Signature 'Lack of Action' Letter to CEO

New Allegations of Sexual Misconduct Surfaced Over Weekend

The Model Alliance, an organization that advocates for the protection of models, sent a letter to Victoria’s Secret Chief Executive Officer John Mehas on Wednesday, calling what it described as the retailer’s lack of action to shield women from abuse “utterly unacceptable.” It’s signed by more than 100 people, mostly models, including stars like Christy Turlington Burns and Edie Campbell.

Models and executives were bullied and harassed for decades due to an “entrenched culture of misogyny” at the lingerie chain, owned by L Brands Inc., according to a New York Times investigation published last weekend.

“The time for listening is long past,” they wrote in the letter. “It’s time for Victoria’s Secret to take action to protect the people they profit from. Human rights violations can’t be stopped with a corporate rebranding exercise.”

Models also sent a letter to Mehas last August calling for Victoria’s Secret to guard them against harassment.

In Wednesday’s letter, the group said it met with representatives of the chain in September and proposed changes to protect models and other employees from workplace harassment.

Victoria’s Secret made it “abundantly clear,” according to the letter, that it wouldn’t take the allegations seriously, and that management wouldn’t take any concrete steps to address the problem. Instead, the company told the group the business is “in the process of continued learning and listening,” the group said.

“This is an opportunity for Victoria’s Secret,” Sara Ziff, executive director of the Model Alliance, said in an interview. “It should be both a wake-up call and opportunity for them to do the right thing.” bloomberg.com

Clearview AI CEO claims First Amendment protects scraping of public biometric data

Industry Backlash Against Clearview Scrapping Images

Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That appeared on CBS This Morning for an interview with correspondent Errol Barnett, after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Google and YouTube demanding the company stop taking images from the companies’ platforms.

Barnett was matched by the company’s software with images of him scrapped from websites, within seconds, even with half of his face partially covered with his hand.

Ton-That notes in the interview that the system is used only for investigations following a crime, and can not be used as “a 24/7 surveillance system.”

Gizmodo suggests that while Clearview’s practices may not be illegal, they may open the company up to civil liability under the vaguely-worded 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). A decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a data-scraping suit by LinkedIn against hiQ last year that data scraping does not necessarily violate the CFAA also declined to weigh in on First Amendment protection.

Former Facebook CISO and current Stanford Internet Observatory Director Alex Stamos Tweeted that Clearview may be liable for BIPA and copyright violations.

Twitter demanded two weeks ago that the company stop scraping its platform and delete images it had taken from the social media platform. biometricupdate.com

Mafia Informant in Witness Protection Just Couldn't Resist The Big Time Fraud - Arrested Yesterday

Son & Mother Arrested For $65M+ Branded Restaurant Fraud Scheme
on Toby Keith & Others

Opened 20 'Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill' & A Rascal Flatts

Frank Capri, 52, of AZ., and his mother Debbie Corvo, 68, AZ., appeared in federal court following their arrest earlier today. Facing a 16-count wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the operation of various branded restaurant locations across the US. justice.gov

Mafia informant profits from broken restaurant projects named after country music stars. He was part of the Lucchese crime family in New York City before he entered the Federal Witness Protection Program with a new name.

Taking money from broken restaurant-development projects across the country, Capri was behind the collapse of a restaurant chain named after country music recording star Toby Keith. Starting in 2009, Phoenix-based companies controlled by Capri opened 20 restaurants under the name Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill.

Read the full story of how a Mafia guy got away with it all the while in Witness Protection. Did the FBI turn a blind eye?

Shoplifting is out of control in Scotland, new industry research reveals
Scottish Grocers’ Federation’s chief executive, Pete Cheema, said: “Our new Retail Crime Report 2020 report – which is now backed up by five years’ worth of evidence – shows that shoplifting is now essentially out of control and the authorities have simply lost their grip on it. The Protection of Workers Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament is a step in the right direction and we urge MSPs to support it.”

The Scottish Parliament Economy Committee is currently taking evidence on the Protection of Workers Bill and SGF give evidence directly on the 3 March. talkingretail.com

The Science Behind Marijuana Testing at Work
Quest Diagnostics, which conducts drug testing for employers, reported in 2019 that many employers are dropping marijuana from their preemployment screening drug tests. But employers who do continue to test for marijuana have seen an increase in the number of employees and potential employees testing positive for the drug, says Dr. Barry Sample, director of science and technology for employer solutions at Quest Diagnostics.

"For the general workforce test, if we look at the positivity rates in recreational use states and medical use states, there's very little difference in positivity," he explains. "Where you see the difference, really and not surprisingly, is in the recreational use states and the nonrecreational use states."

Sample adds that tests only show whether someone has used marijuana—not if that individual is under the influence.

"What you need to remember is it doesn't matter if it's urine, oral fluid or hair testing—it just reflects use," he says. "It doesn't inform you whether someone was impaired or what their usage patterns are." shrm.org

Bernie Madoff Seeks Prison Release, Saying He's Dying Madoff asked Fed. judge Wednesday to let him out of a 150-year sentence after serving just over a decade, saying he's expected to die soon due to complications from kidney failure. law360.com

Kroger Named Top Corporation For Women-Owned Businesses
 

Quarterly Results
Yum Brands Q4 comp's up 2%, revenue up 9%
   Taco Bell comp's up 4%
   KFC comp's up 3%
   Pizza Hut comp's down 2%
 

New Survey Reveals CISO Stress and the Toll it Takes
The CISO Stress Report: Life Inside the Perimeter, One Year On from Nominet found that the vast majority of CISOs (88 percent) remain moderately or tremendously stressed, a small decrease from 91 percent in 2019. However, this stress is now taking a greater toll on CISOs’ mental and physical health, and their personal relationships.

Key findings:

• 48 percent of CISOs said work stress has had a detrimental impact on their mental health, almost twice as high as last year (27 percent). 31 percent also reported that their stress had impacted their physical health.

• 40 percent of CISOs said that their stress levels had affected their relationships with their partners or children

• 32 percent said that their stress levels had repercussions on their marriage or romantic relationships and 32 percent said that their stress levels had affected their personal friendships

• The number of CISOs turning to medication or alcohol has increased by a quarter year on year, from 17 percent in 2019 to 23 percent in 2020

The research also found that the board does take security seriously, with 47 percent saying that cybersecurity is a “great” concern to them. They are actually more likely than CISOs to think that cyber threats are a “high” or “very high” risk to their business (90% vs 66%). They are also aware of the high-pressure nature of the CISO’s job, with 74 percent saying they believe their security team to be moderately or tremendously stressed. However, many still hold the CISO responsible for a breach and expect them to deliver more value to the business. securitymagazine.com

How can we harness human bias to have a more positive impact on cybersecurity awareness?

What are some of the most important things you’ve learned over time when it comes to security culture? How important is it and why?

A positive and robust security culture is absolutely fundamental to the overall security maturity of an organisation. An organisation’s culture sets the tone for what is normal and accepted; it’s not what is written in a policy, it is what influences how people actually behave. From a security point of view, this is absolutely crucial and extremely influential.

Different cultures will influence whether people do what they should when it comes to security, for example a culture in which leadership demonstrate a strong commitment to, and respect for, security is much more likely to result in positive security behaviours than one in which leadership are dismissive of security.

The phenomenon of social proof, in which people model their behaviour on how others act (especially those in positions of authority or those they particularly admire), means that the role of leadership in security culture is vital. People in an organisation look to those in leadership to see how they should behave.

If leaders are seen to follow security policies and good practices, such as wearing identity badges and challenging tailgating, then others throughout the organisation are more likely to follow suit. A culture of fear in an organisation is very destructive. If people feel they are going to be blamed for clicking a link in an email they then suspect was phishing, for example, they are less likely to report such incidents when they happen. A culture of fear does not reduce the number of incidents, it just drives them underground and reduces the likelihood of people reporting those incidents. helpnetsecurity.com

Scientists test forensic methods to acquire data from damaged mobile phones
Criminals sometimes damage their mobile phones in an attempt to destroy data. They might smash, shoot, submerge or cook their phones, but forensics experts can often retrieve the evidence anyway. Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have tested how well these forensic methods work.

Accessing the phone’s memory chips
A damaged phone might not power on, and the data port might not work, so experts use hardware and software tools to directly access the phone’s memory chips. These include hacking tools, albeit ones that may be lawfully used as part of a criminal investigation.

“Our goal was to test the validity of these methods,” said Rick Ayers, the NIST digital forensics expert who led the study. “Do they reliably produce accurate results?”

To conduct the study, researchers loaded data onto 10 popular models of phones. They then extracted the data or had outside experts extract the data for them. The question was: Would the extracted data exactly match the original data, without any changes?

The methods - Data extractions helpnetsecurity.com

Retailers Can Make Claim for DoS Attack
Notification Advisory for Victims Affected by Bukoski’s Dos-For-Hire Booter Service
David Bukoski, 24, of Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced for operating a long-running Denial of Service (DoS) for-hire service, known as Quantum Stress, which allowed paying users to conduct wide-ranging attacks on individual and corporate victim domains and networks, preventing them from being able to access the internet.

The government is asking that members of the community who believe they may be a victim
of Bukoski’s criminal activities, to please contact (907) 271-3041 to reach the
Victim-Witness Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska.

The investigation revealed that Bukoski made a number of different subscription plans available to his approximately 70-80,000 subscribers between 2011 and 2018, all of which entailed payment by the subscriber in exchange for some period of access to attack infrastructure controlled by Bukoski.

Retailers Can Make Claim for DoS Attack if Your Website Was Down. justice.gov

Michigan man gets 1 yr & 1 month fed prison, to pay $208,718 restitution in cryptocurrency scam