Axis Communications launches new generation of AXIS M11 Network Cameras Series

The compact cameras are ideal for surveillance in schools, stores, financial institutions and office buildings.

Available as both indoor and outdoor models, AXIS M11 Network Camera Series offer HDTV 720p/2 MP/5 MP resolution at 30 fps and include all the standard Axis features at an affordable price. Offering flexible, low-cost installation, the cameras use Power over Ethernet and redundant DC power. Plus, with a CS-mount with interchangeable lens, it's possible to change the lens to meet specific requirements.

Equipped with ARTPEC 7, Axis' newest chip, these compact cameras feature Axis technologies such as Lightfinder for true colors in low-light and Forensic WDR for clear video in all lighting situations. Additionally, the indoor models, AXIS M1134, AXIS M1135 and AXIS M1137, feature a built-in microphone and audio recording making it possible to hear and register sound in a fixed area. Whereas the outdoor models, AXIS M1135-E and AXIS M1137-E, offer one-way audio that can record video with sound.

Learn more about the cameras here
 

How technology and retail trends have changed shoplifting, for better and worse
ORC rings have 'jumped considerably' even as theft & fraud decline

Technology has reduced theft, but it's been a boost for organized shoplifting rings

Over the past quarter-century, retail theft and fraud are trending down, thanks to technology such as store security cameras and anti-theft tags on merchandise. But other trends such as self-checkout stations and fewer employees in many stores have created new challenges for retailers, experts say.

In Michigan, more than 15,500 people were arrested for retail theft or fraud in 2018 -- about one in 14 of all arrests, according to statistics collected by the Michigan State Police. The good news: Retail theft and fraud arrests are down 33.5% from 2008. The bad news: The number of organized shoplifting rings have jumped considerably.

Long-term trends
In the 1990s, the retail shrinkage rate -- or losses due to shoplifting, employee theft or retail errors -- averaged as high as 3% or 4% in some years, he said. "It's dropped precipitously since then," he said, and in recent years, the rate has been about 1.4%.

Technology has created more obstacles for shoplifters, Hollinger said. That includes use of various types anti-theft tags and packaging, as well the expansion of video surveillance cameras. There are now tags that can be buried inside a device or the packaging, he said.  Video also has been a game changer, he said.

New challenges
Meanwhile, gains from loss-prevention technology have been offset by ways in which technology and retailing trends have made it easier to steal, Hollinger said. Among those trends: The expansion of self-checkout stations. Moreover, the proliferation of self-checkout and other technology such as bar scanning means retail stores need fewer employees, another plus for shoplifters.

Organized criminal rings
One of the growing concerns for retailers is the increase in organized crime rings, who take advantage of the fact many stores have fewer employees and are less likely to pursue shoplifters outside the store. That includes the fact that selling stolen goods is easier than ever, Hollinger said. Instead of furtively fencing goods from the back of a truck, thieves now can use the Internet, which offers more anonymity as well as access to a larger market.  mlive.com

Over a quarter of US shoppers have purchased counterfeit goods: Report
32% of consumers say it's 'acceptable' to buy fakes
According to a report from the digital brand protection software firm Incopro, 26% of American consumers have accidentally bought at least one counterfeit product in the past year, and 52% of U.S. consumers have lost trust in a brand after buying a fake good online.

Per the report, 64% of consumers said they will lose trust in an online marketplace after buying fake goods, and 51% of shoppers said the same after buying fake goods found via search engines.

But while consumers have lost faith in brands that have sold fake goods, the report also found that 32% of consumers considered purchasing counterfeit clothing, jewelry and leather goods as acceptable. Plus, 25% of consumers don't think that it's important for online influencers and celebrities to provide an authentic representation of themselves. retaildive.com
 

At Least 43 Dead In 'Extremely Horrific' Fire At New Delhi Garment Factory
Building was 'Operating Illegally' & Lacked Fire License
A fire broke out at a factory in India's capital New Delhi early on Sunday morning. At least 43 people have been reported dead. Many of the victims were asleep in beds in the factory, resting between shifts, when the fire began. Investigators say the blaze was sparked by an electrical short circuit. Most of the deaths were caused by people inhaling poisonous gases in the cramped factory, The Associated Press reports.

Most of the victims were Muslim migrant workers who came from the Eastern state of Bihar, the AP reports, earning as little as $2.10 a day making a variety of garments. The BBC reports that about 100 people were sleeping in the factory when the fire broke out. The area is so narrow that firetrucks couldn't reach the factory, and had to shoot water from 100 yards away.

Deadly fires are a regular occurrence in India, as zoning laws and safety regulations are often ignored. A local fire chief told the BBC that the building was operating illegally as a factory and lacked a fire license. npr.org

KFC, Pizza Hut forced to apologize over handling of staff rape & harassment cases
One of New Zealand's largest hospitality employers has offered a personal apology from its chief executive and promised a review of its culture after a Stuff #metooNZ investigation found it failed several teenage staff who were sexually harassed and assaulted by managers.

In cases going back to 2015, young women - some still at high school - reported being harassed, assaulted and in one case, raped by their male supervisors and managers at Pizza Hut and KFC outlets around the country. In some instances, the manager was promoted after complaints were laid.

The women say Restaurant Brands, which employs 4000 people and is the parent company of both fast food chains, did not investigate their cases properly and failed to keep them safe. stuff.co.nz

'Largest enforcement action ever against a retailer'
California fines CVS pharmacy chain a record $3.6 million for failing to recycle
California is fining the nation's largest pharmacy health care provider a record $3.6 million for failing to redeem deposits on bottles and cans at some of its locations, regulators said Monday. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, better known as CalRecycle, said its investigation found that 81 of CVS Pharmacy's 848 retail stores in California refused to redeem the recyclables or pay a required $100 daily fee as an alternative.

CalRecycle filed the enforcement action last week, and CVS can seek a hearing if it wants to contest the fine. Department spokesman Lance Klug said it's the largest enforcement action ever against a retailer for failing to redeem recyclables. marketwatch.com

OSHA Hits Dollar Stores Again
Dollar Tree fined $208K for hazardous conditions at Bloomfield store
Federal labor officials, OSHA, have fined Dollar Tree Stores Inc. more than $208,000 for exit and storage hazards at its Bloomfield store in the Copaco Shopping Center. Bloomfield store's emergency exits were blocked by conveyor equipment and stored merchandise. Also discovered boxes stacked unsafely, which created the potential for tripping, falling loads and fire hazards.

"Dollar Tree Stores Inc. has an extensive history of exposing workers to hazardous conditions," said OSHA Hartford Area Director Dale Varney. "Improper storage of merchandise and blocked exit routes create unnecessary risks to workers and customers. This employer is legally responsible for ensuring workers are provided a safe workplace." hartfordbusiness.com
 

CVS Health Completes Rollout of Time Delay Safes in All of Its West Virginia Pharmacies
CVS Pharmacy announced today that it has completed the rollout of time delay safes in all of its 58 CVS Pharmacy locations in West Virginia, including pharmacies located in Target stores. The safes are anticipated to help prevent pharmacy robberies and the diversion of controlled substance narcotic medications by keeping them out of the hands of unauthorized individuals. In addition, the safes are anticipated to help CVS Pharmacy ensure the safety and well-being of its customers and employees.

The time delay function cannot be overridden and is designed to serve as a deterrent to would-be pharmacy robbers whose goal is to enter and exit their robbery targets as quickly as possible. All CVS Pharmacy locations with time delay safes display visible signage warning that time delay safes are in use to prevent on-demand access to controlled substance narcotics. CVS Health's time delay safe program is one of many company initiatives to help address and prevent prescription opioid misuse, diversion and abuse. yahoo.com

Retailers Revamp Staffing as Fewer Shoppers Visit Stores
Foot traffic on Black Friday fell 6.2%; Target and others use store workers to handle online orders
Some chains, including Target, Walmart and Best Buy Co., have posted strong sales in recent years by adapting to the shift to online shopping. They use their stores to handle deliveries or convince shoppers to pick up orders rather than wait for an Amazon.com Inc. package.

Target says it now sources 80% of its online orders from stores, not warehouses. At the Brooklyn store around 80 workers handle internet orders, collecting products from shelves or putting items into boxes in the backroom for delivery. Target retrained the bulk of its 300,000 year-round U.S. workers over the past year, giving them new titles and responsibilities.

Under the new staffing system, more workers are responsible for the full chain of tasks needed to keep their department well stocked and shoppers happy, including finding products in the backroom and stocking shelves, tracking inventory and answering shoppers' questions. wsj.com

The holiday season promises many unhappy returns for retailers
Growing volume of returns will further cut into retail profits
More consumers than ever are buying online, which typically means reduced profit margins. The overwhelming majority of those receiving gifts plan to return at least some of them, further cutting into retailer profits. Finally, many consumers returning gifts will be unhappy with the process, which could lead to consumer alienation. Talk about being up against it.

In an Oracle report published in September, 77 percent of consumers said they anticipated returning some of the gifts they would receive. Twenty percent of those plan to return at least half of the gifts they receive.

Retailers with stores have a cost advantage when it comes to returns. Handling returns in stores costs about half of what it does for products going back to a distribution center, according to AlixPartners. retailwire.com

Boot Barn to Double Store Count from 250 to 500

Aldi to hit 2,500 stores by 2022

Retail imports surged in November ahead of December tariffs

Queens lawmakers say they're 'watching' Amazon warehouse working conditions

Part of former Moorestown Macy's to become distribution center


Quarterly Results
Chewy Q3 net sales up 40%
 

Retailers’ breach response isn’t ready for the holiday rush
Since January 2017, at least 16 retailers were hacked and likely had information stolen from them with many breaches caused by flaws in payment systems. Cybersecurity firm Shape Security reveals further sobering news - that almost 90% of the login attempts made on online retailers' websites were hackers using stolen data.

When a crisis does strike, all too often organizations struggle to coordinate ongoing, speedy and effective responses – even when they have valid and compelling things to say. A McKinsey survey shows that 66% of corporations say their communications crisis plan is likely out-of-date and inaccessible to those who need it..

Here’s what to keep in mind for your crisis management program:

Start with the question, “Are we actually in crisis?” Know the difference between an issue and a crisis and make sure your plan differentiates the two.

Ensure you’ve got an easy-to-implement escalation protocol. No matter how well you handle an issue, a threat can grow in visibility and risk. Establish a clear process to quickly evaluate the situation and alert more senior resources in your organization when needed.

Plan for how a crisis plays out in digital and social media. Organizations often don’t react quickly enough, letting news coverage and commentary on social media set their narrative.

Prepare your team. Designate a clear role for team members and identify alternates for the most crucial roles. Pinpoint how the team will gather to plan a response and include checklists and decision-making guidelines.

Plan for the most damaging scenarios. In that moment when the worst has happened and you search in the plan for how to respond in those first few crucial hours, you want the information to be as specific as possible.

Invest in a mobile app-based technology to support your crisis preparedness and response efforts. paymentssource.com

Would you trust a criminal with your cyber security?
The practice of using ex-offenders is carried out with great care in other industries and the cyber security industry should learn from, and adopt, good practice in this area. We must ensure that we deal with these individuals in an open and inclusive manner and, as an industry, and that we take steps to ensure they are supported so that they do not reoffend. The codes of conduct and ethics are an important aspect in ensuring that this is carried out in a controlled manner.

The use of former cyber criminals often comes up when companies employ individuals to test out their cyber defences. The argument goes that if you are trying to simulate real-world attacks, then ex-criminal hackers are well placed to do this work.

The risks of using someone who is operating outside the law and outside ethical bounds are obvious. An individual who has a spent crime must be treated in a fair way from an employment perspective. If we are going to be viewed as a professional industry, however, prosecution or potential prosecution should not be viewed as part of a career pathway or a badge of honor to enter the industry.

Bug bounties

Another confusing area is bug bounties or group-sourced vulnerability hunting. The industry is struggling with what to call participants in these programmes. Bug bounty organisations are acting legally because they have been “invited in” and they are mostly operating under codes of conduct, but these are very difficult to enforce and often bad conduct has no consequence. The “researchers” working on these programmes are, in the main, also operating legally and within the codes, but it is difficult to guarantee. computerweekly.com

Top 5 cybersecurity predictions for 2020
We’ve put together our top 5 cybersecurity predictions for 2020, with a view to helping ensure you stay ahead of threats.

1. Ransomware is set to cause even more sleepless nights
Ransomware attacks are now able to penetrate even the most sophisticated email security solutions with increased sophistication and automation, especially when it comes to the creation of Trojan variations. What’s more, current security solutions start detecting ransomware attacks only hours after they are released, which is often more than enough time for the damage to be done.

2. The risk associated with phishing attacks will be security executives’ top concern
Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and even the most dedicated professionals can’t detect all of them. Phishing kits, available on the dark web, along with lists of compromised credentials for targeted attacks, mean that the volume and sophistication of phishing attacks will increase, too.

3. The urgency of detecting threats immediately will rise
The timeframe in which attacks have the most devastating impact on their victims is from the moment the malicious payload is released, until detection by security solutions.

4. Enterprise collaboration platforms will become more popular as attack vectors
Users are increasingly collaborating using tools like Microsoft’s OneDrive, Google Drive, and others. While this is great for productivity, it poses a unique challenge for security professionals.

5. Breach and attack simulation vendors will expand their solutions to various channels and attack vectors
BAS vendors are expected to expand their solutions to the entire kill chain providing a more comprehensive solution to their customers. helpnetsecurity.com

Amazon Blames Trump’s ‘Personal Dislike’ Of Bezos For Losing Pentagon JEDI Contract to Microsoft
Amazon lost a multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract with the Pentagon due to “improper direct intervention” by Donald Trump in the decision-making process, the company claimed in a new legal filing made public on Monday ramping up the ongoing feud between the president and the world’s richest man.

Amazon Web Services (AWS, the company’s cloud business) was the consensus frontrunner to win the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, which is worth $10 billion over a decade, until President Trump began to question the decision-making process and ramped up his criticism of Amazon, according to the complaint.

The e-commerce giant cited “egregious errors” in the Department of Defense’s evaluation process, stemming from “improper pressure” from Trump and his repeated determination to “screw Amazon,” which led to Microsoft winning the contract, the company alleged in its legal filing.  forbes.com

SOC 2s & Third-Party Assessments:
How to Prevent Them from Being Used in a Data Breach Lawsuit