D&D Daily Mobile Edition

The D&D Daily Mobile Edition
LP, AP & IT Security's #1 News Source

4/22/21

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Join us as loss prevention experts share some friendly banter along with their predictions as we look at the future of security and the retail industry.

We've seen technological advances ripple through many industries, and even more rapidly within internet-based organizations. Although loss prevention can be slower to modernize (we certainly have more reasons to be cautious), the changes that have impacted other industries are heading our way, leaving loss prevention uniquely positioned to be infinitely more prepared.

What should we be doing now to keep up with trends in loss prevention technology? How do we balance the limitless potential for increased efficiency with the risks of getting caught up in the excitement of new technology?

At the end of the session, Protos Security will also give away 5 free LPC Course Scholarships to random webinar attendees! Winners will be notified the day following the webinar via email.

This webinar is presented by the Loss Prevention Foundation in partnership with Protos Security and qualifies for 1 continuing education unit (CEU) towards your LPC recertification or CFI recertification.

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Protests & Violence

Retail Response to Chauvin Verdict
NRF, Retailers Respond to Verdict in Chauvin Trial

The guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd brought responses from some of the nation's top companies and business leaders, as well as one of its leading retail trade associations.

"Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our national reckoning related to race and community policing," stated Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. "Our retail leaders have made themselves personally and professionally accountable in their effort to promote diversity, equity and inclusion for their employees, customers and the communities they serve. They are investing time and resources in support of individuals and organizations that advance awareness and action around this country's racial divide, and NRF will continue to convene companies to share best practices and learn from each other."

Here are some of the retailer responses:

Target Corp.
"Today's guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial is another sign of forward progress. As I think about the Minneapolis Police Department denouncing the brutality George Floyd faced, and the disgrace expressed by multiple witnesses, the jury's verdict reassures me that we will not go backward." -Target CEO Brian Cornell

Apple
"Today's verdict was just, but as Dr. King wrote: 'Justice for Black people will not flow into society merely from court decisions nor from fountains of political oratory... Justice for Black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society.'" -Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

Best Buy
"We still have a long way to go in our fight for racial justice in this country, and Best Buy's unwavering commitment to this work is as strong as ever." -Excerpt from a statement from Best Buy

Starbucks Corp.
"Today's jury verdict in the murder trial of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin will not soothe the intense grief, fatigue and frustration so many of our Black and African American partners are feeling. Let me say clearly to you: We see you. We hear you. And you are not alone. Your Starbucks family hurts with you."
-Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson chainstoreage.com

Minneapolis Security Fortress Coming Down As Tensions Calm
Post Chauvin trial, barriers and boards set to disappear from government buildings, businesses

Public safety officials described plans to defortify, citing calmed tensions and decreased threats of civil unrest.

National Guard soldiers will soon pack up the beige trucks dotting the Twin Cities. Workers will begin to take down barbed wire and tall fencing surrounding government buildings. Business owners and building managers will carefully remove plywood covering shop windows and office tower lobbies.

Public safety officials on Wednesday described plans to defortify the Twin Cities, citing calmed tensions and decreased threats of civil unrest after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.

Many of the 3,000 activated Guard members will be demobilized and state troopers and others who have been guarding locations such as the State Capitol will be reassigned. Residents can expect a dramatic decrease in law enforcement presence by the end of the week, officials said during a news conference about the Operation Safety Net security plan, put in place for the verdict in Chauvin's case.

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson said the barricades and fencing surrounding the government center where the trial took place will come down "within the next few days or weeks." They could return later this summer, before the trial for the other three former officers charged in Floyd's death.

Many business owners and commercial building managers said they were eager to start removing their barricades and welcome customers and workers back.

"I want us to get the boards down as quickly as possible because this is not representative of who and what we want to be as a city," said Alexis Walsko, owner and founder of Lola Red PR. startribune.com

Philly area store owners, leaders move forward after Chauvin verdict

81 'Anti-Riot' Bills Introduced in 34 States in 2021 (So Far)
Nationwide Wave of Legislation Seeks to Crack Down on Protests

As the nation reacts to the guilty verdict a jury handed to Derek Chauvin, Republican-led states are introducing punitive new measures governing protests.

Republican legislators in Oklahoma and Iowa have passed bills granting immunity to drivers whose vehicles strike and injure protesters in public streets.

A Republican proposal in Indiana would bar anyone convicted of unlawful assembly from holding state employment, including elected office. A Minnesota bill would prohibit those convicted of unlawful protesting from receiving student loans, unemployment benefits or housing assistance.

And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed sweeping legislation this week that toughened existing laws governing public disorder and created a harsh new level of infractions - a bill he's called "the strongest anti-looting, anti-rioting, pro-law-enforcement piece of legislation in the country."

The measures are part of a wave of new anti-protest legislation, sponsored and supported by Republicans, in the 11 months since Black Lives Matter protests swept the country following the death of George Floyd. The Minneapolis police officer who killed Mr. Floyd, Derek Chauvin, was convicted on Tuesday on murder and manslaughter charges, a cathartic end to weeks of tension.

But while Democrats seized on Mr. Floyd's death last May to highlight racism in policing and other forms of social injustice, Republicans responded to a summer of protests by proposing a raft of punitive new measures governing the right to lawfully assemble. G.O.P. lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 anti-protest bills during the 2021 legislative session - more than twice as many proposals as in any other year, according to Elly Page, a senior legal adviser at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, which tracks legislation limiting the right to protest.

Some, like Mr. DeSantis, are labeling them "anti-riot" bills, conflating the right to peaceful protest with the rioting and looting that sometimes resulted from such protests. nytimes.com

Incomplete Training & Missing Equipment Led to Failed Response in Portland
DHS unprepared when responding to Portland protests, new report shows
A new report from the office of the inspector general shows that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Trump administration had the legal authority to help protect federal buildings in Portland last summer, but officers were unprepared due to incomplete training and missing equipment.

Federal agents were first deployed to Portland in June 2020 to protect federal buildings, after days of overnight protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Between early June and the end of August, 755 officers from the Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the US Secret Service came the city.

The report shows the DHS was "unprepared to effectively execute cross-component activities to protect Federal buildings when component law enforcement officers first deployed."

According to the report, "not all officers completed the required training, had the necessary equipment; and used consistent uniforms, devices, and operational tactics when responding to protests." katu.com

New Limits on LAPD Crowd Control
LAPD halts use of some projectile weapons at protests after court ruling
The Los Angeles Police Department has issued an immediate moratorium on the use of certain projectile weapons at protests after city attorneys interpreted a federal court order as precluding their use under current policies, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday.

The moratorium applies to weapons that fire 37-millimeter hard-foam projectiles, which have been used by the LAPD during recent protests to clear crowds after gatherings were declared unlawful. The weapons fire five projectiles at once.

The ban applies only to public demonstrations or other crowd control settings. Other projectiles, including bean bags and other hard-foam rounds, will remain in use in such settings, but under new limits. latimes.com

Advocates fear police reform efforts could stall after Chauvin verdict

BLM Tampa plans march, rally in response to Florida's new anti-riot law

Pair of Police Killings Triggers New Protests

Elizabeth City, NC
Police in North Carolina Fatally Shoot Black Man, Prompting Protests

Shooting spurred calls for law-enforcement accountability and the release of body-camera footage

A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, spurring an outcry from community members who demanded law-enforcement accountability and the immediate release of body-camera footage.

Authorities wouldn't provide details of the shooting but an eyewitness said that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown's yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street.

Dozens of people gathered at the scene of the shooting in Elizabeth City, a municipality of about 18,000 people 170 miles northeast of Raleigh, where they expressed their anger and rallied around Mr. Brown's family members. A large crowd later stood outside City Hall while the City Council held an emergency meeting, some holding signs proclaiming "Black Lives Matter" and "Stop killing unarmed Black men." As the evening wore on, a group gathered in the parking lot of the sheriff's office and a crowd that grew to more than 200 blocked traffic on a main thoroughfare of the city, forcing cars to turn around. wsj.com

Columbus, OH
Protests, vigil take place across Columbus one day after Ma'Khia Bryant shooting
They gathered in a circle Wednesday night, the crowd more than 200 strong, standing on the broken and weedy patch of parking lot pavement and chanting the 16-year-old girl's name. A day after Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, was killed by a Columbus police officer, demonstrations spread throughout the city demanding justice and police accountability.

The shooting happened about 20 minutes before a guilty verdict was announced in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd.

Police said the shooting occurred after officers responded to a 911 call about an attempted stabbing. Body camera footage released by police late Tuesday showed officers pulling up to a chaotic scene where three girls appeared to be in the midst of a brawl. Within just a few seconds, as one of the girls involved in the fight can be seen wielding a knife as she lunges toward another girl, an officer yells, "Get down! Get down!" and then fires his weapon several times. dispatch.com thedailybeast.com

COVID Update

216M Vaccinations Given

US: 32.6M Cases - 583.3K Dead - 25.1M Recovered
Worldwide: 144.5M Cases - 3M Dead - 122.7M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 287
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID Cases on the Verge of Dramatic Decline?
Dr. Scott Gottlieb expects Covid cases in U.S. to fall 'quite dramatically' in coming weeks
The U.S. will see a significant reduction in new coronavirus infections in the coming weeks, Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted Monday on CNBC.

"I think we're going to start to see the pandemic roll over in the United States, in terms of cases coming down," Gottlieb said in an interview on "Squawk Box."

However, the former Food and Drug Administration chief cautioned that, even if the top-line number of new infections falls, "we're still going to have outbreaks in some parts of the country."

"But I think you're going to start to see cases come down quite dramatically as we get into May," said Gottlieb, who serves on the board of Pfizer, which makes one of the three Covid vaccines cleared for emergency use in the U.S. Moderna makes the other two-shot vaccine. Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine has been paused by the FDA due to cases of rare but severe blood clotting issues. cnbc.com

Significant Slowdown in Vaccinations
U.S. sees significant drop in vaccinations over past week
Daily coronavirus vaccinations have slowed significantly for the first time since February, a sign that demand is slipping even though every American adult is now eligible for the shots.

About 3 million Americans are getting vaccinated daily, an 11 percent decrease in the seven-day average of daily shots administered over the past week. The unprecedented drop is rivaled only by a brief falloff that occurred in February, when winter storms forced the closure of vaccination sites and delayed shipments nationwide.

The downturn hits as half of all eligible Americans have received at least one vaccine dose. And it coincides with the pause last week of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is under review by a panel of experts following a handful of cases of severe blood clotting.

Softening demand also appears to be a factor: Scores of counties from Iowa to Texas have begun to decline vaccine shipments, highlighting issues of hesitancy and barriers to health care that may hamper efforts to reach the levels of protection needed to halt the spread of the coronavirus. washingtonpost.com

$1.3B in Missing Vaccine Syringes
Federal Gov Awarded Firm $1.3B For Vaccine Syringes That Were Never Made

The Covid vaccines are here, but the ApiJect syringe is not yet approved by federal regulators and a new factory in North Carolina is not yet built.

A year after a Connecticut company was awarded almost $1.3 billion in federal loans and contracts to supply an essential syringe for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, no syringes have been made. The syringe hasn't received even the first of a series of approvals it needs from the federal government before it can be manufactured, and a factory promising 650 jobs remains unbuilt.

ApiJect Systems Corp. positioned itself as the company that would make the difference between a stumbling rollout and delivery of lifesaving vaccines. But as the U.S. vaccine rollout hits full stride, with about half of adults in the U.S. having already received at least one injection, the need for ApiJect's device has waned, leaving the contracts and loans in question.

The company said in a statement to NBC News that it "is working with several vaccine pharmaceutical companies to conduct the testing and regulatory reviews of Covid-19 vaccines in the ApiJect syringe."

A spokesperson for Pfizer, one of the vaccine makers, said that even if ApiJect's syringe got all the necessary approvals from the Food and Drug Administration, it would "not have any impact on our output or process." Moderna didn't respond to a request for comment, and Johnson & Johnson declined to comment. nbcnews.com

Get Ready for Yearly COVID Shots
Scientist who helped develop Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine agrees third shot is needed as immunity wanes
The chief medical officer of BioNTech told CNBC on Wednesday that people will likely need a third shot of its two-dose Covid-19 vaccine as immunity against the virus wanes, agreeing with previous comments made by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

Dr. Ozlem Tureci, co-founder and CMO of BioNTech, which developed a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, said she also expects people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually, like for the seasonal flu. That's because, she said, scientists expect vaccine-induced immunity against the virus will decrease over time.

Tureci's comments come after Bourla said in an interview that aired April 15 that people will likely need a booster shot, or third dose, of the Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated. He also said it's possible people will need to get additional shots each year. cnbc.com

California is Best in the Nation, While Michigan is Worst
California's coronavirus case rate now the lowest in the continental U.S.
California's coronavirus case rate is now the lowest in the continental U.S., an achievement that reflects months of hard-won progress against the pandemic in the aftermath of the state's devastating fall and winter surge.

The state's latest seven-day rate of new cases - 40.3 per 100,000 people - is dramatically lower than the nationwide rate of 135.3 and edged only by Hawaii, 39.1, over the same time period, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the other end of the spectrum is Michigan, which has far and away the highest seven-day case rate in the nation, at 483 per 100,000 people. Others topping that distressing leaderboard are New Jersey, 269.7; Delaware, 264.1; Pennsylvania, 248.5; and Minnesota, 238.4. latimes.com

Minnesota leaders urge caution amid signs of COVID-19 peak

How long does COVID-19 vaccine protection last?

The Post-Pandemic Work Environment
Will Working From Home Last Forever? Depends Which Industry

Which jobs are heading back to the office and which can stay home varies widely.

On one end of the spectrum are the finance and law sectors, whose workers have been less likely to work from home all along despite a high potential for their work to be done remotely. These industries are going back to the office sooner, and workers will be less likely than in other types of work to be allowed to complete their work remotely thanks to work cultures that prioritize in-person interactions, whether they're necessary or not.

On the other end are a variety of industries including tech, where some companies like Twitter and DropBox are giving employees the option to permanently work remote. Of course, even within tech there is variation. Amazon, known for its brutal corporate culture, plans to have most of its white-collar workers back in the office by early fall, saying it wants to return to an "office-centric culture as our baseline."

Meanwhile, companies that choose not to allow workers flexibility in where they work will be met with resistance. The vast majority of employees - 89 percent - say they want to be allowed to work remotely some or all of the time. So companies with stricter office rules could have trouble attracting and keeping talent, with one in four employees saying they might quit their jobs after the pandemic, mostly because they want to look for work with greater flexibility. vox.com

Retail Rents in NYC Continue to Suffer from Pandemic
Manhattan retail rents extend slide, showing Covid's full impact
Retail rents in Manhattan have continued to fall even as new businesses sprout up and vaccines spur optimism for a return of shopper traffic.

SoHo again was the hardest-hit market in the first quarter, with average asking rents falling 20% from a year earlier to $279 a square foot, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield. Recent long-term leases by luxury retailers failed to put a dent in supply: About 30% of the district's retail space is up for grabs.

Lower Fifth Avenue, running from 42nd to 49th streets, and Madison Avenue each saw rents decline more than 15% during the quarter as stores went empty. Madison Avenue had the biggest increase in supply, with the availability rate hitting 40%. crainsnewyork.com

Brooklyn retail leaders forecast post-COVID industry landscape

General Motors CEO announces remote work plan for employees

Preventing Store Closures During Disasters
Bill to prevent retail shutdowns in disasters passes Pa House
The Pennsylvania state House on Wednesday gave divided approval to a Republican-sponsored bill to let many retail stores remain open during a declared state of disaster emergency, which backers said would safely prevent smaller businesses from going broke.

The chamber voted 117-84 to allow retailers to be open if they restrict operations to a single employee and a single customer, or can fulfill drive-up sales that limit contact.

Six Democrats joined the unanimous Republican caucus in voting for the legislation. Retail stores have long reopened, but the bill would affect future disaster emergencies.

Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, said the widespread retail closures a year ago caused many to close and people lost their jobs. Roae said large retail stores were allowed to remain open, while smaller operations that could not get a waiver from the Wolf administration remained shuttered.

"With the governor's orders, we were all forced to go to be amongst hundreds of other shoppers at big box stores, rather than be by ourselves in a small retail store," Roae said. fox29.com

516,754 New Business Openings Over the Past Year
Yelp: New business openings rise nationwide

Nearly every U.S. state experienced an increase in new business openings in the first quarter of 2021.

That's according to data from the Yelp Economic Average, from Yelp Inc. The increase is a strong signal of local economic recovery with more new businesses opening than at any other period during the past 12 months, the report said.

In the last 12 months (April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021). Yelp data reveals there were 516,754 new business openings in the United States, down by only 11% year-over-year. Of the newly opened businesses, 69,001 were restaurant and food businesses, down by 14% year-over-year. New business openings spiked in the first quarter of 2021, with restaurant and food business openings, as well as home, professional, local and auto services openings above the levels of the year-ago period.

In professional, local, home and auto categories, 272,749 new businesses opened in the last 12 months, up by 2% year-over-year. Home services openings were 165,006 for the year (up 5% year-over-year), local services openings were 54,369 (up 3%), professional services openings were 51,839 (up 2%), and auto openings were 34,282 (down 4%). chainstoreage.com

Stores of the Future
Starbucks opening center to find new ways to build, operate stores

Starbucks Corp. and Arizona State University are partnering to create a facility whose goal is to positively impact the future of the planet.

The coffee giant and ASU are joining forces to create the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet, a research and rapid innovation aimed at finding new ways to design, build and operate Starbucks stores. Scheduled to open in December on ASU's campus in Tempe, Ariz., the facility will be built on the same principles as Starbucks' Tryer center, an incubation lab at the company's support center in Seattle where employees can quickly test, learn, and adapt ideas for more rapid decision making.

During its first year, the new center will be focused on greener stores. It will build-out and open-source Starbucks' Greener Stores program to continue to innovate solutions for Starbucks stores "and to inspire others to design, build and operate portfolios of buildings that minimize environmental impacts throughout their life cycle," the retailer stated. chainstoreage.com

31% of Small Retailers Can't Make Rent Payments
Nearly a third of small retailers still can't pay their rent
With some factors finally tilting in their favor after a brutal pandemic year, more retailers are showing some signs of recovery in recent months, with 31% of small retailers still unable to pay their rent this month, according to an April rent report from Alignable, an online referral network for small businesses.

That's down from 50% in March, the highest for smaller retailers this year, according to the report. The picture is decidedly even worse for minority-owned businesses, as it has been: 53% couldn't pay their full rent in April, though it's an improvement from 67% in March.

The stress has meant closing up shop: Worldwide, more than 97% of the 2.4 million merchants that shuttered for good last year were retailers, restaurants and hospitality businesses with fewer than five locations, according to research from IHL Group. retaildive.com

NRF: Mother's Day Spending to Total $28.1 Billion
Mother's Day spending is expected to total a record $28.1 billion this year, up $1.4 billion from 2020, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation. Approximately 83 percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the annual holiday. nrf.com

Chipotle to open 200 new locations in 2021

At Home opens its first New York City store

Michal Lagunionek Named CEO at Lidl U.S.

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New DOJ Ransomware Task Force
Ransomware Targeted by New Justice Department Task Force

After ‘worst year ever’ for the cyberattacks, department seeks to disrupt digital ecosystem that supports them

The Justice Department has formed a task force to curtail the proliferation of ransomware cyberattacks, in a bid to make the popular extortion schemes less lucrative by targeting the entire digital ecosystem that supports them.

In an internal memorandum issued this week, Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin said ransomware poses not just an economic threat to businesses but “jeopardizes the safety and health of Americans.”

By identifying ransomware as a priority, the task force will increase training and dedicate more resources to the issue, seek to improve intelligence sharing across the department, and work to identify “links between criminal actors and nation-states,” according to the memorandum.

“By any measure, 2020 was the worst year ever when it comes to ransomware and related extortion events,” Mr. Carlin, who previously ran the Justice Department’s national-security division during the Obama administration, told The Wall Street Journal. “And if we don’t break the back of this cycle, a problem that’s already bad is going to get worse.”

Ransomware attacks, in which hackers cripple a software system until they receive a bounty, surged last year during the pandemic, along with financial demands, according to security experts and U.S. officials. The attacks have been around for decades but have flourished as society has become more dependent on technology.

Mr. Carlin said criminal hackers continue to demand ever greater sums of money from victims and reinvest those profits in cyber tools that enable more and better attacks.

The memo calls for developing a strategy that targets the entire criminal ecosystem around ransomware, including prosecutions, disruptions of ongoing attacks and curbs on services that support the attacks, such as online forums that advertise the sale of ransomware or hosting services that facilitate ransomware campaigns. wsj.com

$1.8B in BEC Costs
Business Email Compromise Costs Businesses More Than Ransomware

Ransomware gets the headlines, but business paid out $1.8 billion last year to resolve BEC issues, according to an FBI report.

If you live in the cybersecurity news cycle, you could be forgiven for thinking that ransomware is the only threat. There is always a report of another victim, a new approach, or a new crew. The FBI's 2020 "Internet Crime Report" tells a very different story, however, with reported ransomware payments being extremely low, at under $30 million, with other forms of cybercrime dwarfing this number.

It's likely that this is lower than reality, and a significant majority of the payments were paid via third parties or not reported — but it still pales beside business email compromise (BEC). Reported BEC numbers alone are over $1.8 billion for the US, and there's an additional $300 million in fraud that could be similarly attributed.

The good news is that extortionware now works like many other threats and moves through initial compromise, lateral movement, and privilege escalation. The actual encryption (and the associated data exfiltration and other pressure tactics) are simply the easy way to monetize a compromise. This means that organizations that build comprehensive strategies against modern extortionware are protected against many other potential compromises. Those that focus on only one aspect (recovering data, for instance) are left open to a classic data breach.

BEC, though, falls outside of this norm and requires a different focus. It is cyber-by-association — an attack against a person that is commonly delivered by electronic means and the focus is on creating action by deception. The attacks may involve payroll diversion, fake invoices to a supplier, efforts around mergers and acquisition, or many other techniques. The attack can be sourced from a spoofed email address or a compromised real address, or an attacker can insert themselves into a real conversation (switching to a different account) — and the attack may appear to (or be!) from another employee or a supplier. A compromised account is the most valuable because it will evade many protections by dint of being sourced on a legitimate and trusted email server. beta.darkreading.com

More Servers Linked to SolarWinds Espionage Campaign
SolarWinds hack analysis reveals 56% boost in command server footprint
A new analysis of the SolarWinds breach suggests that the attacker infrastructure behind the campaign is far larger than first believed.

The catastrophic SolarWinds security incident involved the compromise of the vendor's network and later the deployment of malicious SolarWinds Orion updates to clients that contained a backdoor called Sunburst.

On Thursday, RiskIQ researchers published a report on the network infrastructure footprint of SolarWinds-linked cyberattackers, labeling it as "significantly larger than previously identified."

Now, RiskIQ's Team Atlas has identified an additional 18 servers linked to the SolarWinds espionage campaign, a number the firm says represents a "56% increase in the size of the adversary's known command-and-control footprint." zdnet.com

Malware and ransomware gangs have found this new way to cover their tracks

This botnet is hunting for unpatched Microsoft Exchange servers

25K Illegal Cannabis Plants Worth $26M Seized in Canada
Thousands of cannabis plants seized in recent drug raids
According to Oxford County OPP, thousands of illegal cannabis plants were seized in a recent raid that resulted in 10 people being charged. According to a recent tweet by the Oxford County provincial police, officers searched a commercial address on Spruce Street in Tillsonburg on April 8.

Street crime units, including Brant, Middlesex, Haldimand-Norfolk OPP officers, the OPP West Region emergency response team and canine units were all involved in the investigation. As a result of the investigation and seizure, 10 people were charged with cultivating or harvesting cannabis at a place outside their residents, in contravention of the Cannabis Act.

The investigation is currently ongoing and more charges are pending. The individuals who were charged as part of the investigation will appear in Woodstock court at a later date.

Earlier in January, the Chatham-Kent Police Intelligence Unit has seized over 25,000 illegal cannabis plants worth $25.5 million in the past six months. According to the Chatham-Kent Police police service, they had located, investigated and dismantled four illegal cannabis grow operations in the community. datac.ca

Diversity in Cannabis Security
Inclusion & Diversity Are Key to Effective Cannabis Security

While almost every industry stresses their importance, inclusion and diversity in cannabis security is vital to the enforcement of an effective security plan. Inclusion and diversity in the workplace are not only beneficial to the employee, but also to the business and the surrounding community. Diversity produces more effective security, helps score points in certain state cannabis business applications, and aids a business in being well-received by their community.

Diversity in cannabis security does not stop after hiring because maintaining diversity in any workplace requires an environment of inclusion. Creating a positive and inclusive employee experience ensures diverse professionals feel accepted and stay with the company.

More Effective Security Team

Diversity is especially important in the security sector because modern businesses face a multitude of varying and evolving risks. A diverse security team is better equipped to protect against these risks because members are able to pull from different backgrounds and utilize their individual perspectives. As the risks faced by cannabis businesses become more diverse, so must the security teams tasked with defending against them.

A strong security team that can protect against diversion, theft, and loss is vital to any successful cannabis business. Diversion can occur in many forms, so it is important to instill a diverse security team capable of countering increasingly creative criminals. A diverse security team is not only able to pull from unique experiences to prevent diversion, but may also use this experience to respond to crimes in progress too.

Application Points

In competitive markets where only a few cannabis businesses are allowed to open, earning every possible point in the application process is crucial. Choosing to prioritize social equity points in the application process could be the difference in a cannabis business obtaining a license. sapphirerisk.com

Lawmakers Use 4/20 to Push Legalization
The Country’s Evolving Marijuana Debate

Democrats at the national level increasingly see the drug as a unity issue.

Democrats at the national level are increasingly seeing marijuana as a unity issue, as more than two-thirds of Americans now support legalizing pot, according to various polls — including at least about half of Republicans.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, took to the Senate floor today to reaffirm his support for legalizing recreational marijuana nationwide, and talked up a bill he’s drafting with Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden that would do exactly that. “Today is what you might call a very unofficial American holiday: 4/20,” Mr. Schumer said with a grin.

“It’s as appropriate a time as any to take a hard look at our laws that have over-criminalized the use of marijuana and put it on par with heroin, LSD and other narcotics that bear little or no resemblance in their effects either on individuals or on society more broadly,” he added.

Last year, he encouraged Democratic candidates to run in support of legalization, seeing it as catnip for the party’s young and progressive base but also popular with moderates and independents.

It’s also a racial equity issue, as Mr. Schumer detailed in his floor speech today. “The war on drugs has too often been a war on people, particularly people of color,” he said. nytimes.com

New Mexico marijuana legalization poses a serious threat to Colorado’s lucrative border-town pot shops
When Colorado legalized the retail sale of marijuana in 2012, savvy entrepreneurs saw an opportunity beyond setting up shop in population centers like Denver and Boulder.

They realized if they opened cannabis businesses in small towns along the state’s borders, they could attract customers from Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, where pot remained against the law but was still plenty popular.

But the border business model soon will be tested. New Mexico this month legalized recreational cannabis, threatening not only the livelihoods of the rural Colorado shop owners and employees but also local governments that have come to rely on cannabis tax revenue to pad their coffers. cannabisbusinessexecutive.com

Weed delivery will happen in Denver starting this summer

Michigan governor joins call for federal marijuana legalization on 4/20

Birmingham to pardon 15,000 people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions

Cannabis in the Workplace: How to Deal with Employee Consumption

Ohio plans to more than double number of medical marijuana dispensaries

Amazon's Palm-Scanning Technology Coming to Whole Foods
Amazon is bringing palm-scanning payment system to Whole Foods stores

Amazon is expanding its palm-scanning payment system to a Whole Foods store in Seattle, the company announced Wednesday, the first of many planned rollouts at other locations.

Amazon One, which debuted in September and is currently in use at about a dozen Amazon physical stores, allows shoppers to pay for items by placing their palm over a scanning device. The first time shoppers use the kiosk, they have to insert a credit card to link it with their palm print. But after that, shoppers can pay simply by holding their hand over the kiosk.

Amazon One is distinct from the company’s Just Walk Out technology, which allows shoppers to pick up items and walk out of the store without going through a checkout line. However the two technologies can work together, and Amazon employs them both at its cashierless Amazon Go stores.

Amazon will initially roll out Amazon One at the Whole Foods in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, not far from the company’s headquarters, before launching the system at seven Seattle-area Whole Foods in coming months.

The palm-scanning technology will be offered as just one of many payment options at participating Whole Foods stores, Amazon said, and won’t impact store employees’ job responsibilities. cnbc.com

Online Companies Keep Pressure on D.C.
Amazon, Facebook keep up their sizable spending on D.C. lobbying in Q1
Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc. continued to lead the so-called FAANG companies in spending on Washington lobbying during this year’s first quarter with outlays of $4.80 million and $4.79 million, respectively, according to disclosures filed Tuesday.

The Q1 disclosures come after Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce company and Mark Zuckerberg’s social-media giant spent record amounts last year on influencing U.S. policy makers, shelling out about $19 million and $20 million.

Amazon’s Q1 disclosure shows it lobbied on many topics, including postal reform, high-skilled immigration, semiconductor manufacturing, data protection, minimum wages and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Facebook reported focusing on matters that ranged from election integrity and hate speech to artificial intelligence and climate change. marketwatch.com

Walmart removing giant robotic towers for online orders as curbside option booms

Online shopping to get more expensive in Florida

Oklahoma City, OK: The fight against retail crime rings continues in Oklahoma
Now, the Oklahoma Retail Crime Association is asking lawmakers to step in. “All of our retail members have seen a marked increase since 2017 in not just the amount of thefts, but more importantly the dollar amounts have exploded since that time-- since we raised the felony limit from 500 to 1000,” says Norm Smaligo, Oklahoma Retail Crime Association, President. Smaligo adds that he believes the passage of State Question 780 is making thieves bolder.

The state question was a form of criminal justice reform. That changed the consequences for some drug and property crimes. Smaligo says the accused themselves have told the association's members the take more because they now can.

“We do offender interviews all the time, and the shoplifters themselves tell us. We have seen it in their behavior,” says Smaligo. In January 2021 Fox 25 Consumer Watch interviewed Oklahoma City Police about shoplifting rings, fencing operations, and how big a problem it is in Oklahoma City. “We have a task force formed for it, that is how big it is, and they have recovered 100s of thousands worth of merchandising if not more. Because these are very high dollar items sometimes when you are looking at stores like the Home Depots of the world, they typically have pricier items,” says MSgt. Gary Knight, OKCPD. The Oklahoma Retail Crime Association says it would like to see a change in property crime thresholds and supports pending House Bill 1627 which deals with online marketplaces where many stolen goods are often sold. okcfox.com

Jackson Township, PA: Rite Aid employee steals more than $38K in lottery tickets
A 29-year-old woman is facing felony theft charges after she allegedly stole more than $38,000 in lottery tickets while she was working at a Rite Aid in Jackson Township. Danielle Elaine Miller, of the first block of Lawson Court, West Manchester Township, is charged with theft by unlawful taking of movable property and receiving stolen property, which are felonies. Miller was arraigned Wednesday before District Judge Thomas J Reilly and released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Reilly on June 4. yorkdispatch.com

Pittsburgh, PA: Bethel Park Serial Shoplifter Caught at Best Buy
Bethel Park Police say an alleged serial shoplifter is facing charges again. Police say 42-year-old Adam Foltz was arrested in February along with Jessica Clibbens when police found more than $1,300 of stolen merchandise from a slew of stores. Now police say Foltz was reportedly seen in Best Buy using a device to remove the anti-theft containers from video games. He’s facing charges of retail theft and possessing instruments of crime. pittsburgh.cbslocal.com

Menomonee Falls, WI: Over $800 worth of merchandise stolen from Ulta Beauty
The Menomonee Falls Police Department is investigating a retail theft that occurred Wednesday, April 21 at Ulta Beauty. It happened at approximately 2:13 p.m. According to police, an unknown male suspect put $838.00 worth of men’s cologne down his pants, then left the store without paying. The suspect fled and got into a dark blue hatchback-style vehicle. fox6now.com

Lafayette, LA: Video shows bandit stealing armful of clothing from Citi Trends
A chaotic theft of goods happened at the Citi Trends on NW Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette. It happened Monday when a male suspect allegedly gathered armfuls of clothing, then left without paying for them. Cell phone video captured footage of the shoplifter. An employee, who waited at the door, appears to have a brief conversation with the suspect who then walks out the door toward a waiting car, dropping multiple items along the way. Lafayette Police say they are aware of the incident at Citi Trends. Public Information Officer Corporal Bridgette Dugas said a similar incident occurred Wednesday at Ulta Beauty. myarklamiss.com

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Shootings & Deaths

Upper Macungie Township, PA: Suspected gunman among 2 dead after shooting at Wawa
A man is dead after authorities said he opened fire on several people, killing one and injuring another, in the parking lot of a Wawa in Upper Macungie Township Wednesday morning before turning the gun on himself. The suspect has since been identified by authorities as Za Uk Lian, a 45-year-old man. Investigators said just before 5 a.m. Lian was behind the wheel of a white Toyota Carolla when fired a single gunshot at another vehicle driven by a woman on Route 22. The woman was not injured and did not even realize her car had been hit until she pulled into the Wawa on Schantz Road, Martin said.

Lian then pulled into the southside of the Wawa parking lot and shot a man who was sitting inside a Jeep resulting in non-life-threatening injuries, according to detectives. Investigators say Lian also shot and killed, 31-year-old Ramon Ramirez, the driver of a tractor who was pumping gas at the station. Lian then ran from the Wawa and fatally shot himself in the hand and the chest, according to investigators. "It appears the three shootings I described were indiscriminate and unrelated," Martin said. fox29.com

Yonkers, NY: Clothing store owner killed over $30 hat
A dispute over a stolen hat led to the deadly stabbing of a man outside his clothing store in Westchester County. Within 24 hours, police had made an arrest. Investigators located 21-year-old Tyrese L. Shubrick in the village of Elmsford Wednesday morning and placed him into custody without incident. It happened in broad daylight, surveillance video captured part of the confrontation. Ruben Martinez, 47, lost his life over the theft of a $30 baseball hat. The deadly confrontation began inside Premier Fashion, the store Martinez opened on New Main Street in Yonkers with his son last month, a location they moved to after years at a nearby location. Ruben's son, Chris, did not want to speak on camera and employees were visibly upset over the killing. In the video, the suspect casually walks out of the store while donning the cap and then doubles back towards Martinez, at one point you can see an object being swung. abc7ny.com

Update: Boulder, CO: 43 More Charges Filed Against King Soopers Shooting Suspect
Boulder's District Attorney, Michael Dougherty, announced dozens of new charges he plans to file against the suspect in the King Soopers shooting nearly one month ago. Ten people died on March 22 after investigators say the suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, opened fire in the middle of the day. Until now, the suspect faced 10 counts of first degree murder, one count for each victim: 20-year-old Denny Stong; 23-year-old Neven Stanisic; 25-year-old Rikki Olds; 49-year-old Tralona Bartkowiak; 51-year-old Teri Leiker; 51-year-old Eric Talley; 59-year-old Suzanne Fountain; 61-year-old Kevin Mahoney; 62-year-old Lynn Murray; and 65-year-old Jody Waters. Dougherty's office says it will file 43 more charges, including 20 counts of attempted murder for other victims in the store and in the parking lot and 10 counts of having a prohibited large capacity magazine. patch.com

Oklahoma City, OK: Police arrest Shyanne Tucker, 19, for involvement in Penn Square mall shooting
The Oklahoma City FBI, Dallas FBI, and the Dallas Police Department assisted OKCPD in the investigation. One woman was shot at the parking garage of the Penn Square Mall Saturday night. Police say the woman is in critical condition and able to tell police the name of the person that shot her. okcfox.com

Charlotte, NC: One shot in Food Lion Parking Lot during Robbery

Scottsdale, AZ: 2 more arrested in connection to Fashion Square looting last May

Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Bronx, New York: Video shows group violently rob people at Bronx McDonald's
Seven people are wanted in a violent robbery inside a McDonald's in the Bronx. Surveillance video from inside the fast-food restaurant appears to show the group kicking one of the victims. It happened on Monday, March 8 at 4:16 p.m. on 3rd Avenue in the Melrose section. Police say a 22-year-old victim was hit in the face and body before the suspect took her purse. She was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln in stable condition. The purse of a 50-year-old woman was also taken after she tried to prevent the assault. Two of the men had knives. abc7ny.com

Houston, TX: 3 men, 1 woman wanted for aggravated robbery of convenience store
Houston police are looking for four suspects involved in an aggravated robbery in east Houston. Investigators said around 9:30 p.m., three men and one woman entered a convenience store, located at the 12000 block of East Freeway, on April 5. Houston police said two of the men pulled out handguns and pointed them at the clerk’s head. The other suspects removed the money from the registers and took cigarettes from the display case. Police said the suspects fled the scene in a dark-colored Dodge Journey. HPD said the suspects are between 17 and 26 years old. click2houston.com

Youngstown, OH: Burger King Employees testify they heard familiar voice during robbery
The three employees working at the Burger King on McCartney Road in Campbell the night it was robbed Oct. 28, 2018, testified Wednesday they recognized the voice of one of the robbers as former restaurant shift manager Israel Graham. Each took the witness stand and gave much the same answer: The man’s face was not visible, but the man spoke to them or near them, and they recognized his voice. Graham left the restaurant’s employment two weeks earlier. Graham, 23, is charged with aggravated robbery, robbing a safe and three counts of kidnapping. He is accused of being one of two men who arrived just before closing and robbed the restaurant of about $2,000. vindy.com

Chandler, AZ: Man accused of using stun gun to steal $2,000 in jewelry arrested following standoff
Police officials announced on April 21 that they have arrested a man following a robbery incident earlier in the week. The robbery incident, according to investigators, happened on the afternoon of April 19, when Chandler Police officers were sent to a business near Ray Road and Arizona Avenue for a report of a robbery. Investigators say the suspect, identified as Octavio Ortega, entered a business in the area, selected some clothes, and then headed to the jewelry counter. "A female employee assisted the male suspect, who looked at several items of jewelry," read a portion of the court documents released by Chandler Police officials. "The male suspect suddenly grabs a gold necklace and gold pendant, which were valued at over $2,200, and quickly fled from the store with the items." Investigators say a manager gave chase into the parking lot, where he confronted Ortega. "The male suspect was getting into a vehicle, but stopped and produced what the manager described as a taser," read a portion of the court documents. "The male suspect pointed the item towards the manager, who backed up in fear of the weapon." fox10phoenix.com

Edmonton, Alberta, CN: 'Shoot him, shoot him': Surveillance video shows Armed Robbery at Edmonton pharmacy

Longwood, FL: 2 men using skimmers spotted at Longwood gas station

● Beauty – Paterson, NJ – Robbery
● C-Store – North Vernon, IN – Armed Robbery
● C-Store – Tulsa, OK – Armed Robbery
● C-Store – Houston, TX – Armed Robbery
● C-Store – Terre Haute, IN – Armed Robbery
● C-Store – Lincoln, NE – Burglary
● Clothing – Yonkers, NY – Armed Robbery (Owner killed)
● Clothing – Lafayette, LA – Robbery
● Gas Station – Winston-Salem, NC – Armed Robbery
● Hotel – Frenchtown Township, MI – Armed Robbery
● Jewelry – Fort Worth, TX – Robbery
● Jewelry – Kapolei, HI – Robbery
● Jewelry – Santa Fe, NM – Robbery
● Jewelry – Las Vegas, NV – Robbery
● Jewelry – Chandler, AZ – Armed Robbery
● Liquor – Shreveport, LA – Robbery
● Restaurant – Waterloo, IA – Robbery (Pizza Hut)

Daily Totals:
• 16 robberies
• 1 burglary
• 0 shootings
• 1 killed

Click to enlarge map

None to report.

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Handling the big question - Why did you leave? is the hardest of them all if, in fact, your departure was involuntary. Like Bum Phillips, the old Houston Oilers coach, once said at a luncheon I attended, "There's two types of coaches - those that have been fired and those who are waiting to be fired." And quite frankly he was almost dead-on as over 70% of executives will face involuntary departures from an employer during their career. The best position to take is one of absolute straightforwardness. Be open - be honest - and be reflective right from the beginning. But get it over quick and deal with it right at the beginning of the interview and don't make it a long-winded response. Certainly review it - rehearse it - make sure it answers the question. But get it out of the way and move on in your own mind. Look to the future and leave it behind you.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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