A Sincere Thank You to the Supply Chain and Service Workers
CIS Security Solutions is open for business and has plenty of inventory. We are taking all the recommended precautions, necessary to ensure a clean and healthy environment at our offices and warehouse, and we have implemented social distancing and staggered shifts so we may continue to serve our clients.

CIS would like to say Thank You to the men and women who are keeping us all supplied with the items we need to get through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read the full letter here from Peter Morello, President, CIS Security Solutions Inc.


Coronavirus Update: A Message From CONTROLTEK
At CONTROLTEK, the health and well-being of our employees, customers and partners are our top priorities. We continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak and we are taking necessary actions to manage our response to this pandemic. Our comprehensive Business Continuity and Health Emergency Event plans ensure safety of our employees and consistent service for our customers in emergency situations.

Following is a brief update on the steps we’re taking to do our part in minimizing the current outbreak and to balance the safety of our employees and commitment to our customers. Read more here
 

Coronavirus Update: March 24

US: 44K+ Cases, 537 Dead -- Globally: 382K+ Cases, 17K+ Dead

Coronavirus Could Overwhelm U.S. Without Urgent Action, Estimates Say

Click here to track U.S. & Canada coronavirus store closings 201 closures in U.S., 93 in Canada (Updated Daily)

First Coronavirus Cancelled the Trade Shows.
Now, It’s Taking Over the Convention Centers

National Guard converting NYC’s Javits Center, host of annual NRF Big Show,
into 1,000-bed emergency hospital - the first of four opening in NY state.

Hospital Ship Mercy Heading to L.A. - New Field Hospitals - Drive Thru Testing


 

Stay @ Home Orders - Social Distancing Lockdown
Atlanta 14-day Order, Dallas & Houston, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Ohio, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, ILL., Kansas City, Denver, Boulder, New Jersey, Delaware, Louisiana, Indiana, Michigan, the entire UK, Australia, India.

Trump says he hopes to have economy reopen by Easter -- Sunday, April 12th

His most concrete goal to date for easing off restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Trump said his task force would consider ways to “allow local economies to cautiously resume their activity at the appropriate time” after the end of a 15-day period during which the administration urged Americans nationwide to avoid restaurants and bars, limit non-essential travel and keep in-person gatherings to 10 people or less.

He suggested the time for workers to return to their jobs was a matter of weeks, not months, even as lawmakers and public health experts warn the virus could remain a problem into the summer.

“We can socially distance ourselves and go to work,” he said Tuesday, adding that workers can wash their hands more frequently or stop shaking hands to try and limit the spread of the virus. thehill.com

Editor's Note: See below article. This is all based on the Task Force's ability to track data by zip code and continue under the surveillance and or the mitigating models. Both of which have varying degrees of restrictions.

Next Monday is the BIG Day
Trump's Press Conference Last Night
Trump, V.P. Pence, COVID Task Force Dir. Dr. Birx, AG Barr, and an Admiral in charge of logistics held a press conference last night that really dealt with the 15 day program, the collection of data from around the world, the DOJ's warning of prosecution for industrial sized hoarding, and the distribution system for PPE nationwide.

It became quite evident that Dr. Birx felt much better about the data collection efforts worldwide and domestically. To the point that she appeared confident that by Monday, March 30, the end of Trump's 15 day initial program that's focused on mitigation, might be able to be modified to a surveillance and mitigation model where they loosen restrictions in some parts of the country while maintaining the mitigation restrictions in 'hot spots', with a part of NYC area being the 'global hot spot' now where 28% of those tested showed positive for COVID.

Birx went on to state that by Monday they hope to have the data to a point that they can flex the response by zip code.

Trump certainly is anxious to get the country back up and running and as quickly as possible and repeatedly said we can do two things at once, referring to Birx's comments above. Which means Monday we may see some loosening of restrictions while the 'hot spots' get intensive response. Two hospital ships are on their way to LA and NYC, and the Army engineers are erecting multiple field hospitals in NYC and Seattle areas.

Bottom line is they appeared and sounded confident that what they've done may be working. But it's still too soon to absolutely commit. Just my thoughts. -Gus Downing

On Another Note: Some Clothing Retailers Won't Make it Out Without a Bailout
It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that given the current retail landscape and yesterday's claim from over 20 clothing CEO's in the NY Times article, that "we will fail."

As you can't expect, what was the weakest link in retail, being the mall-based clothing retailers, cut off their cash flow, stop the flow of goods, while continuing to fund payroll, and expect them to easily open right back up with outdated seasonal merchandise. That's the trifecta of doom.

So the question is who does survive? As this round of bankruptcies will be the bloodiest and maybe the final blow of the weakest. Just my thought. -Gus Downing
 

The Global Hot Spot
New York City Police Step Up Patrols to Enforce Social Distancing
New York City will deploy police officers and workers from other government agencies to parks and playgrounds to enforce social distancing rules and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday evening.

Mr. de Blasio said the city is focused on education and warnings this week. If that approach doesn’t work, authorities could impose tougher restrictions such as potential sanctions and the closure of playgrounds.

“This week’s going to be decisive,” he said.

NYPD officials said Monday that officers had visited almost 6,000 bars, restaurants and clubs, beginning over the weekend, to ensure owners are complying with directives to serve only takeout food. They also visited 1,600 supermarkets and pharmacies.

There are now almost 21,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in New York state, with 157 deaths. New York City is the U.S. epicenter of the virus, with more than 12,000 confirmed cases and around 100 deaths in the city.

New Jersey has among the highest number of cases in the nation after New York, with about 2,000 people confirmed to be battling the disease. On Sunday, New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner ordered the release of up to 1,000 inmates from state jails to limit crowding and slow the spread of infections. wsj.com

Coronavirus: Survival Mode for L.A.'s Homeless ...Means More Grocery Store Thefts
While millions in Los Angeles try to adapt to "safer at home" restrictions, the city is seeing an uptick in thefts -- specifically homeless people trying to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Several grocery store employees around L.A. tell us they're having a bigger problem than usual with homeless people stealing food. The general belief is with L.A. residents hunkered down at home, the homeless can no longer panhandle for money -- so, they're shoplifting out of desperation to eat.

We're told some Hollywood-area grocery chains have added extra security in an effort to thwart more thefts, and some LAPD officers have given store managers their direct lines to report major issues.

While grocery stores are remaining open as an "essential business" ... we're told most are allowing 50 households in when the store first opens, and then an additional 25 households every 10 mins afterward.

We broke the story ... cops in L.A. and NYC have also been instructed to pay extra attention to non-essential stores that are now empty to combat burglaries. tmz.com

Recurring Theme in News Nationwide
Coronavirus Has Police, Judges Weighing Arrests and Jail Time
Law-enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and throughout the state of Ohio are being advised by courts and prosecutors to arrest only those who pose a threat to society and to issue summonses for non-violent offenses. The justice system is doing all it can to reduce the number of inmates in the county's two jails amid the coronavirus pandemic. govtech.com

Coronavirus: California Prisons Hunker Down Along with the State
 

#SupermarketSuperheroes
Coronavirus: Boom and Bust Across Retail
Grocery clerks are the new heroes of the coronavirus pandemic, and supermarkets are scrambling to hire more of them to meet spiking demand. But front-line workers are tiring of abuse from frantic shoppers, and some are getting worried about their health after learning that at least two supermarket employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

How are employers protecting this precious resource? Most grocery chains, large and small, have reduced store hours to give employees more time to restock, sanitize their workplaces and even "rest." They are providing more hand sanitizer and posting signs about hand washing. Most grocers have implemented new or expanded sick-leave policies that make at least some accommodations for coronavirus illness or quarantine.

#SupermarketSuperheroes. "Retail workers are like the band that continues playing while the Titanic is sinking," posted one fan.

A Mix of Pride and Fear

Some grocery workers are soaking up the new recognition. "I can't tell you how many times in the past my job has been a joke to family and friends," tweeted one store manager. "Respect your retail workers. We're out here on the front lines of this, making sure everyone can still eat."

Recently released OSHA guidelines on the coronavirus called for employers to explore ways "to increase the physical distance among employees and between employees," a challenge in a supermarket environment. One positive trend for workers may be the grocery pickup and delivery services being offered by a growing number of supermarkets. But those services are strained right now, with wait times of a week or longer.

Unprecedented Hiring Push for Stores and Distribution Centers

Greg Ferrara, president of the National Grocers Association, which represents independent grocers employing nearly 1 million workers, has been touting employment opportunities at his member companies and urging newly unemployed people to apply for jobs.

"Please spread the word to anyone impacted by this crisis," he urged on Twitter. "Out of work or need to pick up work? We'd love to have you and keep you employed!" shrm.org

Coronavirus Sparks Hiring Spree for Nearly 500,000 Jobs at Biggest Retailers
While small firms are under pressure to let people go, large sellers of food and other essentials are bulking to meet rising demand.

Editor's Note: In effect, we're moving half a million closer to the virus. WSJ presented it's movement impact in an info graphic. Quite alarming. See it Here

A Legal Prospective:
Can companies be held liable when their employees fall ill with the coronavirus?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause, employers are required to “furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.”

While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has not released specific standards covering COVID-19, Michelle Strowhiro, a partner in the Los Angeles office of McDermott Will & Emery, contends that employers could face risks under this clause if they don’t take steps to protect their workplace and ensure it is not exposed to individuals who may have contracted the virus.

In addition, Strowhiro said that in certain health care settings and other workplaces where employees could encounter blood-borne pathogens, federal workplace safety law further requires the employer to “make an immediate confidential medical evaluation and follow-up available for employees that have had an exposure incident.” abajournal.com

U.S. Department of Labor Releases Guidance for Preparing Workplaces for Coronavirus

The U.S. Department of Labor has resources to help workers and employers prepare for the COVID-19 virus

Workplace Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has resources to help employers and workers prepare for and respond to coronavirus in the workplace.

• OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 – Developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help employers respond in the event of coronavirus in the workplace.

• Temporary OSHA Guidance on Respiratory Protection Standard – This guidance provides suggestions and options to help increase the availability of N95 filtering facepiece respirators for healthcare providers.

• COVID-19 Webpage – Provides infection prevention information specifically for employers and workers.

Wages, Hours and Leave - Unemployment Insurance Flexibilities - Support for Dislocated Workers and States - News - General Resources dol.gov

The New Work @ Home Consequences
Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns, New Online Behavioral Shifts Are Beginning to Take Shape
No doubt you're spending more time reading news content online - in fact, according to comScore, the number of minutes spent by readers on news sites has increased by 46% on the same period last year. You're probably also spending more time in social apps - but are there any new behaviors that you've taken up in the last few weeks, like, maybe, Zoom hangouts or participating in more local groups?

The loss of community connection leaves a significant gap, at a time when people need to feel connected the most - and as such, it's no surprise to see online communities filling this void, and becoming more active, essential virtual meeting spaces.

The interesting consideration stemming from this will be how such interaction extends, especially beyond this period. You would expect that the longer the crisis goes on, the more reliant people will become on such groups, and as that happens, that could lead to significant interactive shifts, moving more and more of our community engagement into digital realms, and further altering how people communicate, maybe forever. socialmediatoday.com

Editor's Note: Same thing applies to shopping. This will lead to the biggest leap to online shopping in history and the non-essential brick and mortars will have a mountain to climb when they open back up.

Bill Gates warned in 2015 that the world was not prepared for a pandemic - and he appeared to be right
When Bill Gates was asked this week what the world should do to stop another pandemic, he pointed to a 2015 talk where he described just that. Gates then said that the world needs to invest in better health systems, increase international collaboration, keep trained medical staff in reserve, and invest in vaccine research. He said failing to do that, particularly for a virus with characteristics like the new coronavirus, could cost millions of lives and trillions of dollars. His comments seem prescient with the coronavirus now in 160 countries, hammering the global economy, and responsible more in excess of 9,000 deaths. businessinsider.com

STOP Shaking Hands - Do The WHO Elbow Bump
Also, experts emphasized, Americans should be taught to take seriously admonitions to stop shaking hands and hugging. The “WHO elbow bump” may look funny, but it’s a legitimate technique for preventing infection. nytimes.com

California National Guard Called Up for Food Distribution

Furloughs, Layoffs or Pay Cuts?

States Waving One-Week Waiting Periods for Unemployment Benefits

Instacart to hire 300,000 more personal shoppers

Bed Bath & Beyond to Temporarily Close All Stores Until April 3

McDonald's Closing all UK & Ireland Stores
 

COVID-19 in Canada - 2,000+ Cases, 24 Deaths

Canadian Retailers Say Government Support Needed or Industry Will Collapse
A group of prominent Canadian retailers are not satisfied with the measures brought in by the federal government to stop the bleeding in the industry as a result of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The retailers say more needs to be done to help the multitude of staff that has either already been laid off or will be laid off in the near future. And retailers who are in a crisis situation right now with limited cash flow are also hoping the federal government comes to their aid so they don’t have to close their doors permanently. retail-insider.com

Quebec and Ontario put security on essential services list
 

Former Uber Self-Driving Car Executive Signs Agreement To Plead Guilty To Theft Of Trade Secrets From Google
Anthony Scott Levandowski submitted documents today requesting that the court accept his plea of guilty to theft of trade secrets charges.

Levandowski, 40, of Marin County, worked in Google’s self-driving car program for approximately seven years and acknowledged that during this time, he was aware his employment agreement required that he keep Google’s valuable non-public information confidential. While Levandowski was considering leaving Google, and prior to his departure in 2016, he obtained and stored thousands of files he intended to use the Google Drive files for his personal benefit.

Within months after Levandowski’s departure from Google, he created a new company that was then purchased by Uber. Levandowski admitted he continued to download files from Google with the intent to use it for the benefit of himself and Uber. In sum, Levandowski admitted a reasonable estimate of the loss attributed to his conduct is up to $1,500,000.

A federal grand jury indicted Lewandowski on August 15, 2019, charging him with 33 counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets. Should the court accept his plea to one count and the court dismisses the remaining 32 counts, Levandowski will face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution. justice.gov

Texas Man Charged with Operating Multi-Million, Nationwide Warranty Fraud Scheme Targeting Cisco Systems
The charges state that Williams and a co-schemer obtained serial numbers to products manufactured by Cisco. He then allegedly utilized false email addresses and false names to submit false warranty claims to Cisco using those serial numbers, pretending to own Cisco products that were under warranty and supposedly not working. Next, Williams provided Cisco customer service representatives with descriptions of the non-existent defects that he knew could not be solved by troubleshooting and would therefore require replacement with new products. Cisco shipped the replacement products to Williams and his co-schemer on the expectation that the defective products would be returned.

The charges allege that Williams and his co-schemer successfully obtained 157 warranty replacement products from Cisco in this manner, each with a retail value of between $3,693 and $34,500. They had the products shipped to addresses throughout the United States, including in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; Las Vegas, Nevada; Henderson, Nevada; La Jolla, California; San Diego, California; Arlington, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Fort Worth, Texas. Williams and his co-schemer then traveled to these addresses, picked up the products, and resold them to computer resellers. Williams allegedly failed to return the supposedly defective Cisco products, despite his promises to do so -- because he never owned them in the first place.

Williams faces a total maximum sentence of 193 years’ incarceration, a five-year period of supervised release, and a fine of $2,750,000. justice.gov

GNC downgraded after saying it probably can't pay its debt

Neiman Marcus Said to Mull Bankruptcy to Ease Crushing Debt Load


Quarterly Results
Tiffany Q4 comp's up 3%, net sales up 3%, full yr comp's down 1%, net sales unchanged at $4.4B
 

Pitfalls to Avoid in the COVID-19 Rush to Work from Home

The Second Wave of Help Desk Calls - Be on the Lookout - Hackers are @ the Door

Many workers had to make the change almost overnight, packing up the contents of their desks, grabbing their laptops, and setting up at the home office the next day. It's been a disruption to how many people typically work, and how many organizations typically work. That means it will bring a host of new issues.

"There's a second wave of support conversations that are going to pop up," said Christy Wyatt, CEO of Absolute, which provides technology to help companies manage their fleets of desktops and laptops. In the best of times VPN software can get out of date, and even road-warrior expert users need help. Add into the mix all these work-from-home newbies who have never used a VPN before, and IT support can expect to be busy.

"There's just going to be a lot of phone calls coming into the help desk about why can't I get my email, why can't I get online, why can't I seem to connect to the network," Wyatt said.

Still, some workers may be faced with the prospect of packing up that desktop PC at their office and setting it up in the home office. However, Wyatt warned, "those devices were never equipped to operate off the network." They may not include WIFI capabilities, for example. They may not be equipped with VPN software.

Operating as if you can't physically touch that machine is the new normal.

One more key piece of advice: Organizations and workers should also be extra vigilant when it comes to security right now, Wyatt warned, because hackers also have some extra time on their hands. Plus, workers who are already distracted by their disrupted routines and new work environments may be more likely to click on some email that seems like it's from the IT department, but it turns out to be a phishing attack. darkreading.com

Editor's Note: Given the hackers' social engineering skills and the help desk technician's increased workload and unfamiliarity of the entire company workforce, this is the perfect time for a really good hacker to pass off as an employee and gain access. They're going to try - because they're at the door loaded with information from social media about your employees and executives. And maybe armed with deep fake audio and maybe even deep fake video. This is when it could happen.

Cloud Security Planning in the Time of Social Distancing
With organizations compelled to push work out to remote users and locations, cloud security becomes a very tangible matter.

The rapid move to remote work can raise security questions for organizations that must now lean heavily on their cloud resources. In some cases, teams may be relying on familiar systems and platforms that were established well in advance because of accelerated digital transformation and cloud migration. For other organizations, this may feel like a trial by fire. Security solutions company Optiv and enterprise software developer Atlassian offer some insight on what organizations should consider when it comes to cloud security concerns during the COVID-19 outbreak. networkcomputing.com

COVID-19 Phishing Schemes Escalate; FBI Issues Warning

Latest Schemes Target At-Home Employees; Some Spoof Health Agencies

As the global COVID-19 pandemic worsens, security firms and law enforcement, including the FBI, are warning of increasing phishing and other cybercriminal scams targeting a largely at-home workforce.

Meanwhile, researchers also are finding that cybercriminals are continuing to spoof organizations that are providing COVID-19 updates to the public. For example, IBM X-Force found recent phishing emails spoofing the World Health Organization and claiming to come directly from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the United Nations organization. govinfosecurity.com

From Russia With --- Hate
Russia Blamed for COVID-19 Disinformation Campaigns

Pro-Kremlin Outlets Complicating Public Health Response, Nation-State Watchers Warn

Disinformation campaigns with ties to Russia are continuing in an attempt to impede other governments' responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, complicating public health efforts to combat the disease, European officials warn.

The European Union's anti-disinformation unit says that from Jan. 22 to March 19, it logged more than 110 cases involving COVID-19 misinformation (see: 9 Cybersecurity Takeaways as COVID-19 Outbreak Grows).

In the case of COVID-19, the Kremlin-aligned messaging focuses most on promulgating the lie that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was manmade, EEAS says. Messaging aimed at international audiences - delivered in Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish, among other languages - focuses "primarily on conspiracy theories about 'global elites' deliberately weaponizing or exploiting the virus for their own ends," govinfosecurity.com