Security Industry Association, Others Urge Congress
to Examine Benefits of Facial Recognition
The Security Industry Association (SIA), joined by other organizations and trade associations, has issued a letter to Congress outlining its concerns regarding potential bans on public-sector uses of facial recognition technology.

Along with SIA, the coalition includes: the Airports Council Int’l – North America, the American Association of Airport Executives, the Consumer Technology Association, the Global Business Travel Association, the Identification Technology Association, the Information Biometrics + Identity Association, NetChoice and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The letter authors encourage the federal government to collaborate with all stakeholders to address concerns about the use of facial recognition technology and recommend federal leaders provide a consistent set of rules across the United States, according to a press release.

In the Oct. 16 letter - addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) - the coalition outlined the history of facial recognition and its prevalent use across various industries, the potential consequences of a moratorium on the technology and recent innovation and work to ethically and responsibly govern the technology. securitysales.com

As part of its ongoing efforts to address confusion about facial recognition and increase awareness of its beneficial uses, SIA recently produced the resource Face Facts: Dispelling Common Myths Associated With Facial Recognition Technology.

New York City eyes regulation of facial recognition technology
While cities around the country move to ban facial recognition and other types of biometric surveillance outright, the New York City Council is taking a piecemeal approach, considering legislation that would require businesses and landlords to disclose their use of the technology. City Councilman Ritchie Torres' bill would require businesses using facial recognition to make clear how long they are storing the information they gather and whether it’s being sold to any third parties.

Meanwhile, privacy advocates are pushing for oversight of how facial surveillance is used by the city’s police department, which has been resistant to more transparency despite revelations that it maintains a facial database that includes thousands of children, some as young as 11.

The situation in New York mirrors the national debate over technology that supporters say is a key crime-fighting tool but that critics have dubbed Orwellian by its very nature. Caught in the middle are local governments, which must work out whether to ban the tools entirely, as San Francisco has done, or take a more restrained approach. rollcall.com

Thousands of cameras from banned companies operating in U.S. facilities
as Entity List fallout continues
There are currently more than 2,700 cameras from companies banned from U.S. government contracts still in operation at military installations and other sites, the Wall Street Journal reports. Security technology company Forescout detected the cameras on networks under contract to the federal government, but does not have access to all networks, so the total is likely higher.

Inclusion on the "Unreliable Entities List" does not oblige government agencies to stop using cameras in operation, but to stop buying them and renewing contracts with companies included.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Jeanette Manfra told the Journal that the agencies need to balance various security, cost, and logistical considerations as they seek to comply with the spirit of the legislation. The Journal has also reported that cameras from Hikvision and Dahua were available through a government marketplace after the ban officially went into affect. biometricupdate.com

US entity list ‘cannot hurt’ Chinese tech development, Beijing says

Australia: The Profit Protection Future Forum Wins the Outstanding Security Performance Award for 2019’s Outstanding Security Partnership
The Profit Protection Future Forum was presented with the prestigious Outstanding Security Performance Award on the 17th of October for Outstanding Security Partnership. The Profit Protection Future was awarded the distinction over other finalists Access Group Solutions & The GPT Group, with Wollongong City Council & Wollongong PAC, and MSS Security & Museums Victoria. The Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) recognise and reward companies and individuals across the security sector. prwire.com.au

NYC, Calif. Sue US Postal Service Over Contraband Cigarettes
New York City and California sued the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday in New York federal court, accusing the federal mail carrier of costing them millions of dollars in lost taxes by failing to properly police contraband cigarette shipments. The Big Apple and the Golden State alleged that the USPS is violating the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009, which is supposed to bar the postal service from delivering packages it knows or suspects to contain cigarettes. They claim the USPS has essentially turned a blind eye to illegal shipments of cigarettes from abroad, despite repeated requests from law enforcement and others to step up efforts to stop the flow. In some cases, they say, the USPS definitely knew the packages contained cigarettes because the sender declared the contents as such. law360.com

Gun Website Tells Justices To Nix Mass Shooting Suit Appeal
A firearms website has urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to review the dismissal of a suit against it over a mass shooting, saying the Wisconsin Supreme Court correctly held that federal law shields website operators from liability over third-party content they publish. Armslist LLC, a classified advertising website for firearms, told the justices in an Oct. 18 brief that it can't be held liable for the deaths of four people in the 2012 mass shooting at a Milwaukee spa because it is protected by the federal Communications Decency Act. The suit alleged that a third-party seller's gun listing on Armslist enabled the shooter to purchase a gun illegally. law360.com

The U.S. Has a Workplace Discrimination Problem, New Data Shows
3 in 5 Employees Say They've Witnessed or Experienced Discrimination

As part of the study, a new Glassdoor survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 1,100 U.S. employees, finds that about three in five (61 percent) U.S. employees have witnessed or experienced discrimination based on age, race, gender or LGBTQ identity in the workplace.

In addition, while the study finds that the majority of U.S. employees have faced or witnessed discrimination at work, hiring for jobs to improve corporate diversity and inclusion efforts is up 30 percent year-over-year, according to Glassdoor jobs data, indicating that employers may be responding to the call for more diverse and inclusive work environments.

When it comes to the specific types of discrimination U.S. employees are facing, nearly half (45 percent) report having experienced or witnessed ageism, 42 percent having experienced or witnessed racism, another 42 percent having experienced or witnessed gender discrimination and one in three (33 percent) having experienced or witnessed LGBTQ discrimination at work. prnewswire.com

More than 17 years in the making, American Dream megamall’s story
was shaped by retail’s upheaval
After more than 17 years in the making, the first phase of America’s newest megamall will finally open to the public Friday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. What makes the $5 billion American Dream’s opening so highly anticipated is its labyrinthine history.

Because its timeline has been so drawn out, American Dream has quite literally been shaped as the retail industry has been flipped on its head. When ground was broken in 2004, under the project’s original developers, Amazon’s ascent was just beginning. Circuit City, Sports Authority, Blockbuster, RadioShack and Toys R Us were still in business. Retailers were grabbing real estate where they could find it, hungry to open as many stores as possible.

Fast forward to 2019, as American Dream opens, store closures are piling up, shopping is pivoting online and many of the retailers that haven’t been nimble enough to navigate the turbulent landscape have been forced to file for bankruptcy. Here’s a timeline of how the American Dream came to be: cnbc.com

Nordstrom bets big on Manhattan flagship
Nordstrom has invested more than $500 million on its seven-story flagship department store in New York City. “Our intent wasn’t to out-Bergdorf Bergdorf, or out-Saks Saks. Our intent was to make the most modern, relevant Nordstrom store possible,” said co-president Pete Nordstrom. retailwire.com

Amazon adds pickup counters to GNC, Stage Stores, Health Mart
Amazon has been testing pickup counters at those retailers for a few months now, according to a press release. All told, the company says it now has thousands of Hub Counter locations across the country and has brought tens of thousands of Amazon customers into partner retailers' stores. retaildive.com

Nike CEO Mark Parker to step down; ex-eBay CEO John Donahoe to replace him

Retail Industry Leaders Association President Sandy Kennedy Announces Retirement;
COO Brian Dodge Chosen by RILA Board as Successor

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Unveils $9.5 Billion WeWork Rescue Deal, Gets 80% Stake

Sephora celebrates hiring milestone for disabled

REI to #OptOutside again on Black Friday
 

Protecting Walmart: Q&A with Retail Cyber Security Veteran

Mike Smola, former Senior Director - Data Assurance and Cyber Intelligence Team at Walmart, is a veteran of building and leading security teams in retail. In a Q&A interview with his new company Flashpoint, Mike talks about his 25+ years experience in the operations and security field, which includes working with other retailers like Foot Locker, Finish Line, and Starbucks.

You spent more than a decade of your security career at Walmart. What does it take to protect a Fortune 1 enterprise and global retailer?

Like many global enterprises, Walmart’s business model is very complex - far more complex and with far more assets, systems, and endpoints than most people realize. Prior to joining the company I had no idea of the extensive breadth of its retail verticals. As a security practitioner, it was important for me to learn about these verticals and understand what the key stakeholders in each of them were most concerned about and challenged by from a business perspective.

After I accomplished this, I was able to build internal capabilities tailored to the needs of each vertical and ultimately offer security as a service to the entire enterprise. One of the most important parts of this process was establishing a capability matrix that included a mix of internal resources augmented with the right external resources to meet enterprise security needs.

While at Walmart you successfully started, developed, and led various security teams and programs. What advice would you give to other security practitioners in the retail industry who are looking to start initiatives or mature capabilities at their organizations?

First and foremost, do everything you can to identify and deeply understand your organization’s priorities from a business perspective. As a security practitioner, your top priorities initially may likely differ from the C-suite’s top priorities. However, once you align your objectives to the organization’s priorities, you can effectively build a capability matrix to align to any business vertical need.

If your CEO’s top priority is to become profitable in a new region, for example, ask yourself this: what security threats, challenges, or related issues might hinder our ability to be profitable in that region? And what can we do to mitigate the risks posed by those issues? Once you’ve asked and answered these sorts of questions, build your capabilities internally to address them. Not only can this approach help you achieve better alignment with -- and buy-in from -- the rest of the business, but it can also enable you to better prioritize your own objectives accordingly.

Read the full interview here: flashpoint-intel.com

'Cybersecurity Impact on Physical Security' Tops List of Security Megatrends
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has released a list of 10 trends that form the basis of association’s annual Security Megatrends report defining the top factors influencing both short- and long-term change in the global security industry. The Security Megatrends are the top forces at play in security, expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry, according to SIA. The trends are said to play an instrumental role in the insights and discussions at SNG.

For the second year in a row, cybersecurity was identified as the predominant trend shaping the security industry and a major concern for C-suite executives, government buyers, enterprise organizations, integrators and more.

Moving up the list from being ranked fifth in SIA’s 2019 Security Megatrends report to ranked second for 2020 was the trend of artificial intelligence (AI). Respondents noted AI’s role underlying advancement behind nearly all technology promises.

A resounding number of respondents called for facial recognition to be added as a 2020 Security Megatrend, bringing the newcomer to the no. 3 position. Also new to the 2020 Megatrends are national security concerns and identity as the new perimeter.

The 2020 Security Megatrends are:

1. Cybersecurity Impact on Physical Security
2. AI
3. Facial Recognition
4. Emphasis on Data Privacy
5. Cloud Computing
6. National Security Concerns
7. Connectivity and IoT Everything
8. Workforce Development
9. Move to Service Models
10. Identity as the New Perimeter
securitysales.com  

Read last year's full Security Megatrends report here.

First Three Quarters of 2019:
7.2 Billion Malware Attacks, 151.9 Million Ransomware Attacks
In the first three quarters of 2019, 7.2 billion malware attacks were launched, as well as 151.9 million ransomware attacks, marking 15 percent and five percent year-over-year declines, respectively. According to the SonicWall report, while attacks may be trending down currently, the reality is the number of attacks is still very high and more nefarious than ever, even evading traditional sandbox technology.

Key findings include:

● IoT malware jumped to 25 million, a staggering 33 percent increase
● Encrypted threats spiked 58 percent through the first three quarters
● Web app attacks are on the rise, showing a 37 percent increase over the same period last year
● Malware volume reaches 7.2 billion, a 15 percent year-over-year drop
● Ransomware attacks reaches 151.9 million, a 5 percent year-over-year decrease
● 14 percent of malware attacks came over non-standard ports  securitymagazine.com

Ransomware Hits B2B Payments Firm Billtrust

Travel Reservations Platform Autoclerk Leaks 179GB of Customer, US Government Data

About 50% of Apps Are Accruing Unaddressed Vulnerabilities

FTC issues its first ban on 'stalking' apps
 

Montreal, QC: Man with ties to Montreal Mafia shot dead in strip mall parking lot
The man shot to death in a Pierrefonds parking lot on Monday morning was Andrew Scoppa, an alleged influential figure in the Montreal Mafia, police sources tell Radio-Canada. The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of a strip mall on St-Jean Boulevard near Harry Worth Street. Const. Raphaël Bergeron said the Montreal police major crimes unit is investigating, checking area surveillance cameras and speaking with possible witnesses. The victim's brother, Salvatore Scoppa, was shot dead at a Sheraton Hotel in Laval last May. No suspects have been arrested. cbc.ca

Fort Richmond, MB: Video shows mob of teen thieves robbing Liquor Mart
Another online video appears to show a group of thieves brazenly robbing a Winnipeg liquor store. The latest video shared on Facebook shows what appears to be a group of teenagers stealing large amounts of alcohol from the Fort Richmond Liquor Mart off of Pembina Highway. “I didn’t know what to think, I was in shock,” said Tina McKay, a Thompson resident who shot the video while in Winnipeg over the weekend. “They were probably in and out within 50 seconds if not less. I was really surprised that nobody did anything,” she added.While neither the Winnipeg Police Service nor Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries would comment on the latest video, a MLL spokesperson called the rate and severity of thefts concerning last month. globalnews.ca

Tillsonburg, ON: Tractor trailer with $265,000 in goods stolen
On Sunday, Oct. 20, between the hours of 1:25 a.m. and 6:05 a.m., an unknown person or persons stole an orange Peterbilt tractor cab and a red Maxim flatbed trailer. On the flatbed was a refrigerated sea container loaded with chicken. The tractor trailer and its contents, worth approximately $265,000, have not been located. OPP are asking the public for their assistance in this ongoing investigation. tillsonburgnews.com

Gatineau, QC: Clerk shot with air gun during convenience store robbery

Ottawa, ON: Police investigating 'series' of robberies at LCBO stores
 

Robberies & Burglaries

● C-Store - Gatineau, QC - Armed Robbery
● LCBO - Ottawa, ON - Robbery
● Pet Store - Berwick, NS - Burglary
● Unnamed Store - Cambridge, ON - Armed Robbery

Manteca, CA: $100,000 ring stolen in jewelry store heist
The attempted heist of a ring worth more than $100,000 ended with a suspect hiding the precious piece of jewelry inside his body to avoid detection, Manteca city officials said. Johnny Jordan Cruz Thymiakos, 20, and Shevvy Jared Franklin, 21, made arrangements to buy a diamond ring worth more than $100,000 at an area jewelry store, officials said. While the ring's authenticity was being verified, one of the men met with the victim while the other stayed in a car outside the store. After the store said the ring was legitimate, a suspect took the ring and both men fled in a car. The ring was recovered then by medical officials. kcra.com

Richmond, VA: Man pleads guilty to $25,000 armed robbery of Sprint store, armed drug trafficking
A Norfolk man pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges in connection to a violent armed robbery of a Sprint Store in Colonial Heights and three separate instances of armed drug trafficking. Rodgers stole more than 70 products valued at approximately $25,000, including 22 Apple iPhones, 8 LG cellular telephones, 6 Samsung cellular telephones, and an Apple Watch. Court documents show Rodgers and his co-conspirator ordered two employees to the back of the store at gunpoint, where the robbers forced them to lie on the floor.

During an investigation into the armed robbery, police identified Rodgers as a suspect. An investigation also linked him to a drug trafficking investigation in Norfolk. According to court documents, Rodgers engaged in several armed drug transactions including the sell of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and firearms to cooperating sources. wtvr.com

Oro Valley, AZ: PCSD deputy arrested for organized retail theft, fraud schemes;
Suspected of switching barcodes, shoplifting multiple times from Walmart
A Pima County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday for allegedly shoplifting at a Walmart in Oro Valley, officials said. Ryan Fuller, 35, turned himself in to the Oro Valley Police Department on Monday and was booked into the Pima County jail, said Carmen Trevizo, a department spokeswoman. He was arrested on suspicion of one count of organized retail theft and four counts of fraudulent schemes.

Fuller is suspected of shoplifting more than once at the Walmart near East Tangerine Road and North Oracle Road, Trevizo said. “Basically it was like a barcode switch,” she said. “He was allegedly scanning barcodes that were not consistent with the product.” The Police Department published a Facebook post last week asking the public to help identify a man suspected of shoplifting, Trevizo said. He has been with the department for just over three years, Jelineo said. tucson.com

Prescott Valley, AZ: Three people arrested in retail thefts from four different stores