U.S. Coast Guard Community Services Command Opens Largest CGX in
Centreville, VA

The USCG Community Services Command opened its largest Coast Guard Exchange to date in Centreville, Virginia on October 11, 2019. It’s a 55,000 square foot exchange brought into the community where authorized patrons live. The grand opening weekend was a huge success as patrons from all around shopped in their new CGX. The #1 seller over the weekend was cosmetics!

Thank you to Jim Palmer, Chief Security Officer & Senior Director, U.S. Coast Guard Community Services Command (CGCSC), for this article submission.

Watch Jim's LPNN interview from last year titled Serving the Military Worldwide and ‘Down Range’ to learn how he and his team are taking care of our troops around the world by ensuring they receive some of the same services, products and food that you buy at the corner store.

Biometric performance is nuanced & cannot be reduced to generalizations like ‘bias’
Researcher discusses facts related to media narratives about facial recognition ‘bias’
“Biometric performance is nuanced and cannot be reduced to generalizations like ‘bias’,” reads a LinkedIn article by Yevgeniy Sirotin, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist and Manager at SAIC, who argues only meticulous research of biometric systems performed by third-parties through peer review could deliver factual information about facial recognition performance, or other biometric technologies. The ACLU, meanwhile, has published a study to contribute to the media narratives Sirotin is arguing against.

Sirotin’s article comes after a number of media outlets have written about facial recognition ‘bias’ and negative impact, arguing the technology makes errors and does not work effectively for different demographic groups. Sirotin is part of a research group that tests biometric technologies for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), and that has looked into the concerns of the public. Their research shows that although facial recognition may not be perfect, “many current media narratives have misleading undertones,” he writes.

Throughout his LinkedIn article, Sirotin takes a look at common media takes on facial recognition bias and presents facts related to each, based on industry research.

Discussions around the idea that facial recognition is ‘biased’ are “highly problematic,” he says, because it will affect the public’s trust in biometric technology and could “shut down discussion around a nuanced issue.”

“Overall there was no single demographic factor (old/young, black/white, male/female) that, by itself, clearly explained false positive errors. […] So the media narrative is false, face recognition errors do not only affect a single demographic group,” he concludes. biometricupdate.com

Facial Recognition Media Fake News
Coalition of Organizations Urge Congress to Reconsider Facial Recognition
The Security Industry Association (SIA) — as part of a coalition of organizations and trade associations — has issued a letter to congress outlining its concerns regarding potential bans on public sector uses of facial recognition technology. 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.

“Recent calls for bans on facial recognition technology are based on a misleading picture of how the technology works and is used today,” said Don Erickson, CEO of SIA. “Facial recognition technology has benefited Americans in many ways, such as helping to fight human trafficking, thwart identity thieves and improve passenger facilitation at airports and enhance aviation security.

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. securitymagazine.com

23% Decrease in Chicago Felony Shoplifting Cases Since Ill. State Attorney's Elected

ILL. State Atty. Kim Fox goes easier on low-level offenders, and that looks like justice in Cook County

Since taking office, Foxx has declined to prosecute more than 5,000 low-level, non-violent criminal cases that Alvarez likely would have prosecuted, the Marshall Project found. Overall, Alvarez’s office brought charges in 89% of felony criminal cases brought by police, while Foxx’s office has brought charges in 84% of cases.

Foxx declined to pursue criminal charges in 2,850 potential felony cases, many of them involving shoplifting. Before Foxx took office, about 300 felony shoplifting cases were filed each month. Under Foxx, that number has fallen to 70 cases.

Foxx’s critics have blasted her reform-minded approach, claiming that she’s making it harder for the police to fight crime. In April, suburban police chiefs and Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police gave Foxx a vote of “no confidence” and demanded that she resign.

All approaches to crime-fighting have strengths and weaknesses, and there are weaknesses to Foxx’s approach. Most notably, retailers complain that her reluctance to aggressively prosecute low-level shoplifting cases has led to more theft.

Under Foxx, prosecutors no longer charge shoplifting as a felony unless the stolen merchandise is worth $1,000 or more. That threshold is far higher than the $300 set by current state law.

“We’ve definitely seen a significant uptick,” Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told us.

One hardware retailer has seen thefts go up 58%, Karr says, and other merchants report similar increases. suntimes.com

Former Rite Aid VP Gets 2 Yrs’ On $5.7 Million Vendor Kick-Back - Tax Evasion Charges
Former Vice President for Rite Aid, Inc. (Rite Aid), James W. Pilsner, age 61, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment followed by two years on supervised release on October 23, 2019.

Former Vice President for Advertising for Rite Aid, perpetrated a kick-back scheme with the owner of Nuvision, a small Atlanta, Georgia based company between 1995 and August 2017. Nuvision provided $45 million of pre-press advertising services to Rite Aid under contracts granted by Pilsner during that time period. During the same period, Pilsner received $5,124,862 in kick-backs from Nuvision and distributed another $634,300 from Nuvision to some of his Rite Aid employees. justice.gov

Miami Man Gets 54 Months For $1.5 Million Apple Pay Fraud
According to court documents, Butler and others fraudulently obtained access to at least 477 credit card accounts and linked those accounts to the Apple Pay app on their iPhones. Then, using their iPhones, Butler and his coconspirators made purchases using their victims’ credit card accounts without having to present actual credit cards to retailers. The group made more than $1.5 million in fraudulent purchases.

Butler’s sentencing follows the pleas of his three co-conspirators. In December 2018, Johnny Max Wesley (24, Miami) was sentenced to four years in federal prison. Rachel Bishop (27, Miami) and Laurent Pierre Louis (31, Miami) are scheduled to be sentenced in December 2019. justice.gov

Is A Massive U.S. Recall Of Burglar And Fire Alarms Possible?
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission could make ruling by end of the year

Could millions of burglar and fire alarm control units be recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission? That could be the upshot when the independent agency of the U.S. government rules on a 'Complaint of Non-Conforming Products' investigation requested on behalf of a consultant/forensic expert who says he has identified non-compliance dangers and vulnerabilities related to the devices.

Jeffrey Zwirn, an alarm and security forensic expert, says he has identified problems with the alarm devices and has posted online a series of videos confirming that they do not operate in conformance with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 985 and 103 and NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code) Standards. Specifically, the single data-bus circuits of the hardwired devices can be short-circuited and become either fully or partially non-functional.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is tasked with promoting the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks” of injury, such as risk of fire, chemical exposure, electrical malfunction or mechanical failure. Typically, the CSPC evaluates such requests and determines what corrective action, if any, is appropriate, in this case possibly by the end of the year. securityinformed.com

Posted in the Daily 10-8-19: Major Alarm Panel Recall Could Be Looming

13 Terrifying Installations That Will Keep You Up at Night
Reachable cameras. Taped sensors. Have you ever looked at an installation job and thought, “What was that person thinking?” Prepare to ask yourself that 13 times.

Security Sales & Integration compiled 13 of the worst installations in a picture slideshow here.

Not sure if the wrong sign or an extinguisher disguised as a fire alarm.	Who needs mounting hardware when you have zip-ties?	Good luck trying to get anywhere near those racks.

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Curb Noncompete Agreements
Employers would be banned from requiring most workers to sign noncompete agreements as a condition of employment under a Senate bill with bipartisan support. Young, along with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, introduced the bill Oct. 17. "Too many employers hide these agreements in low-wage workers' contracts, trapping them in low-paying jobs and preventing real competition," Murphy said. shrm.org

Walmart wants robots in stores. Target doesn't
Walmart and Target are taking different approaches to adding robots in stores, a split that will have an impact on the companies' massive workforces and shape the future of automation in retail.

Both of these legacy brick-and-mortar companies are testing robots in their warehouses. Walmart, the country's largest retailer and private employer, expects to add self-driving robots that scrub floors to 1,860 of its more-than 4,700 US stores by February. It will also add robots that scan shelf inventory at 350 stores and bots at 1,700 stores that automatically scan boxes as they come off delivery trucks and sort them by department onto conveyer belts.

However, Target (TGT), which has around 1,850 US stores and 360,000 workers, has eschewed a robot-worker strategy.

The retailer has added self-checkout and automatic cash-counting machines to hundreds of stores in recent years. But Target CEO Brian Cornell said Wednesday his chain will not bring on the type of robots Walmart has deployed in stores.

"You won't see robots in Target stores anytime soon. We really think, even in today's environment, where people are talking about AI and robotics and different elements of technology, the human touch still really matters," Cornell said.

Walmart and Target strategies are playing out as worker and public concern about automation grows.

According to a 2017 Pew Research survey, 85% of Americans support measures to restrict robots. Andrew Yang, Democratic candidate for president, has made protecting workers against automation a pillar of his campaign. cnn.com

Podcast: The looming threat of retail bankruptcies
On this episode of The Backroom with Retail Dive, reporters Ben Unglesbee and Daphne Howland discuss how 28 retailers could soon go bankrupt. Listen Here: retaildive.com

Director - Fraud Management for Green Dot Corporation - Based in Pasadena, CA
This individual will be responsible for all transactional fraud mitigation systems deployed across the Green Dot Network. They will be empowered to seek out fraud and define new strategies to prevent Green Dot and its customers from becoming victims to bad actors. taleo.net

2020's LP Foundation's “Swing for Certification” golf tournament is set for Monday, June 22 at NRF Protect

UK retailers cut 85,000 jobs in past year

More fresh food means more food safety headaches
 

TMA to Host Cybersecurity Webinar Series
TMA is pleased to announce a four-part Cybersecurity webinar series, taught by Ryan Fritts, Vice President of Product and Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for ADT. The course is designed for Monitoring Center IT staff interested in the latest developments in threat management. Participants will learn how to mitigate external attacks and insider threats.

● Thursday, Nov 7 – Webinar #1: Cybersecurity Baselines (Compliance, baseline security requirements)
● Thursday, Nov 21 – Webinar #2: Vulnerabilities & Risk Management
● Monday, Dec 2 – Webinar #3: Social Engineering (The Human Threat Element)
● Monday, Dec 9 – Webinar #4: Data Breaches (Forensic and legal perspectives around cyber and crisis communication)

See prices and register here: tma.us

Eight-Hour DDoS Attack Struck AWS Cloud Customers
Google Cloud Platform suffered issues around the same time as Amazon Web Services but claims they were not caused by DDoS.

A significant distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack lasting approximately eight hours affected Amazon Web Services Wednesday, knocking its S3 service and other services offline between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. PDT.

Amazon says its Shield Advanced DDoS mitigation tool helped in managing the attack; however, some users were unable to connect because it categorized legitimate customer queries as malicious.

Around the same time as the AWS attack, Google Cloud Platform also experienced a range of problems. It's believed the incidents are separate; GCP claims its issue was unrelated to DDoS.

Read more details here. darkreading.com

Ransomware: The nightmare before Cyber Monday
The number of ransomware attacks on enterprises is up 500% from this time last year. Threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and targeted. Ransomware is a business, and these actors want to get paid.

In this interview, Josh Zelonis, Principal Analyst for Forrester, talks about the threat of ransomware retailers face for the upcoming holiday retail season.

How would a ransomware attack affect a retailer if it hit during Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Besides the fact that I always seem to find myself in a jewelry store on Dec. 24, I use Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday to shop for deals. If a retailer were hit with a ransomware attack during this time, I might not be able to access those deals during the time I am doing the most shopping. There is a chance I would wait for a website to come back online, but then again, I'm not that organized so I'm probably going to end up on a competitor's website to buy the item.

Do you think we will see an increase in ransomware attacks on retailers this holiday season? zdnet.com

The Data Breach Avalanche:
What is the Real Reason for Our Crumbling Defenses?
The volume and profile of data breaches are not only growing — they’re accelerating. In just one year, from 2018 to 2019, reported breaches jumped 54 percent. The first half of 2019 alone saw more than 4.1 billion compromised records due to hackers and poor security practices.

So why the surge in data breaches? The answer involves a variety of complex nuances, but there are two primary reasons for the huge increase in successful attacks:

1. The growing commoditization of tools and technologies available to hackers to launch such attacks.

2. The inability of organizations to keep security preparedness up-to-date with the volume and technology advances of cyberattacks.

The technology to prevent data breaches exists, yet hackers are still breaking into major organizations with ease. Here are a few best practices to help keep your sensitive data safe: securitymagazine.com

Best practices to conduct a user access review
User entitlement reviews ensure employees only have access to essential systems and unauthorized employees -- or miscreants -- don't. Learn how to conduct an audit of user privileges.

Controlling and regularly reviewing who has access to what isn't just Enterprise Security 101 -- it's a compliance necessity. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, PCI DSS, HIPAA and GDPR all have mandatory user access review requirements, which, if not reviewed regularly, could land your company in hot water.

Think about the number of employees that have quit or been terminated at your company in the past year. Add in the number of current employees who have changed roles or departments in the same time period. If you work for a large organization, this number could be in the hundreds, or even the thousands. techtarget.com

Ransomware Attacks on Cities Hidden Cost
Cities Warned Not to Rely on Cyber Insurance Alone
Insurers won’t cover claims if municipalities don’t take basic cybersecurity precautions, association says.

Insurance can be important to municipalities with tight budgets, as policies often cover ransom payments. But the National League of Cities—which represents more than 19,000 U.S. cities, towns and villages—warned in a report last week that municipalities that don’t follow basic cybersecurity practices could have their claims denied. wsj.com

Three Charged in $11 Million BEC Scam
A July report from the U.S. Treasury Department found that the scams are costing U.S. companies a total of more than $300 million a month.

Spanish authorities say they've arrested three individuals on charges of running a large-scale business email compromise scheme that targeted a dozen companies around the world to steal about €10 million ($11 million). The suspects, who are all residents of Spain, allegedly targeted companies in the U.S., U.K., Belgium, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Chile. govinfosecurity.com

Nielsen: These seven tech trends will impact retail in 2020
Privacy, transparency and speed all factor prominently in retail tech trends for 2020.

1. Privacy concerns and misinformation will threaten brand credibility.
2. Transparency will be tomorrow's brand currency.
3. Manufacturers will produce locally to win globally.
4. Smart supply chains will anticipate and react to consumer demands.
5. 5G will revolutionize the Internet of Things (IoT) for retail.
6. Time and trust will dictate consumer relationships with retail.
7. Try-before-you-buy will come into consumer homes. chainstoreage.com

FTC Staff Offers Comment on NIST’s Proposed Privacy Framework

Compliance mandates, cybersecurity best practices dominate 2019 security priorities

FBI Issues Payment Card Skimming Warning

Europol & Palo Alto Networks expand cooperation in tackling cybercrime

$300K worth of sunglasses stolen after thieves cut holes in Tanger Outlets store wall
The suspects cut holes through the wall of the Sunglass Hut, stealing more than $300,000 worth of merchandise, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Deputies were called to the store Saturday. Sheriff Janis Mangum told Channel 2 Action News that the group disabled the store’s alarm and stole the security cameras. It’s unclear how many thieves there were, and no descriptions were available. Mangum told Channel 2 that this isn’t the first time thieves have broken through a wall at the Tanger Outlets in Commerce. She said the same thing previously happened to a jewelry store. ajc.com

Yakoma, WA: Thieves stole $100,000 worth of drugs from Tieton Drive Pharmacy
More than $100,000 in drugs were stolen from a Yakima pharmacy over the weekend, and Yakima police are asking for the public’s help. Police were called to Tieton Village Drugs, , around 3 a.m. Oct. 19 for a reported burglary, Yakima police Lt. Chad Stephens said. Someone broke the glass in the front store to get inside, and took large amounts of pills, including Xanax and various opiate-based drugs, Stephens said. Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from the store, Stephens said, and are pursing various leads. yakimaherald.com

Halfmoon, NY: Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department arrest suspect in $50K wheel theft from Auto Dealership
A Rhode Island man has been arrested in connection with the theft of nearly $50,000 worth of wheels stolen right off a dealership's cars last year, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department said Thursday. Mark W. Jennings, 33, of Providence, faces one count each of third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal mischief, officials said. Sheriff's investigators took Jennings into custody after a year-long search for the person responsible for the brazen theft of $48,000 worth of wheels from 12 cars on the New Country Toyota of Clifton Park lot Sept. 30, 2018. The cars were left propped up on rocks, their wheels missing. dailygazette.com

San Rafael, CA: Woman busted for $18,000 theft from stores in the Northgate Mall
Police Wednesday arrested a woman who is suspected of stealing clothing worth more than $18,000 from stores in the Northgate Mall and elsewhere in the Bay Area. Detectives connected the suspect, 19-year-old Amirah Dennard, to 11 cases of grab and run thefts since April, Sgt. Justin Graham said. Dennard allegedly returned to the mall in August and stole merchandise worth more than $6,500 from three stores. Detectives learned her identity from vehicle descriptions, license plates and surveillance video, but they had no known address for her, Graham said. Dennard returned to the Northgate Mall on Oct. 16 and 18 and committed three additional thefts, according to Graham. She allegedly threatened to pepper-spray a store clerk as she left the store with clothing. Detectives apparently found large quantities of clothing in her vehicle and they are trying to determine who it belonged to, according to Graham. marinij.com

Portland, OR: USPS employee accused of stealing phones from mail distribution center
A U.S. Postal Service employee is facing mail theft charges, accused of stealing new phones out of their boxes at the mail distribution center in Northeast Portland.
The USPS Office of the Inspector General called Portland Police to report they suspected one of their employees was stealing phones from the Northeast Portland Processing and Distribution Center. Police identified 23-year-old Rico Manuel Alvarez as that suspect. Alvarez was stopped by police when he left the mail facility on October 16. They found nineteen stolen phones, valued at a combined $13,000.
Alvarez was later booked into the Multnomah County Jail on one count of first-degree aggravated theft and nineteen counts of mail theft. katu.com

Montgomery, AL: Florida man accused of stealing laundry detergent, threatening Publix employee with Taser
Phillip Johnson's charging documents say he and several other unknown suspects entered the Publix and then left without paying for several containers of Tide and Gain detergents. The employee confronted the suspects as they were loading a white vehicle with the stolen merchandise. When Johnson pulled out the Taser and threatened to use it, several bystanders detained him as the other suspects fled the scene in the vehicle. Police arrested Johnson a short time later at the store. montgomeryadvertiser.com

Morrow, GA: Macy’s Perfume thieves face additional charges as Police Officer is injured during chase
Two women accused of stealing perfume from a Clayton County mall could be facing more serious charges after an officer was injured chasing them down. Morrow police Chief Jimmy Callaway said the officer, Sgt. Quatch, is undergoing surgery Friday to repair a compound fracture to his right arm. Quatch fell while chasing three suspects Thursday evening from Southlake Mall. Shoniquea and Zora Locklin were taken into custody, and a third suspect remains on the run, Callaway said. The trio are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of “high-end perfume” from Macy’s.  ajc.com

Pender County, NC: Organized retail theft ring in Wallace intercepted; $1,800 in Walmart merchandise recovered
The Wallace Police Department intercepted an organized retail theft ring after investigators say the group stole over $1800 in merchandise from Walmart. In all, officials say five people were charged with various felony offenses including larceny and fleeing to elude arrest. The apparent leader of the group was also wanted in both Pender and New Hanover counties for what officials say were similar offenses. wcti12.com

Omaha, NE: Two Arrests Made In Omaha Police Shoplifting Sting