California broiling, thermostat lockout, OSINT tactics and industry jobs

Welcome to this week's Benchmarker newsletter.

More than 50 million Americans are under?heat warnings or watches. More than 80 million Americans are under?flood watches.?Pakistan's largest lake?may overflow its banks. Weather forecasts are increasingly risk warnings, no matter where businesses operate.

Have a news story, job posting or success story to share with us? Please email us at?[email protected].

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Top of mind

How workers are coping with California's heat wave - As Angelenos sweat through extreme temperatures, workers are doing whatever they can to cool off, from drinking two gallons of water to wearing ice packs and a fan. (LA Times)

California heat wave on track to be hottest, longest on record for September -Forecasters are now calling for the heat wave to last through at least Thursday, though they expect to see “cooling slowly” as the week progresses. (LA Times)

A utility company locked thousands of customers out of their smart thermostats in Colorado - Sorry, you can't turn down the heat. (The Verge)

Parched California prepares for first-ever Colorado River cuts - A deal would cut water deliveries to Southern California, but falls far short of federal demands. (Grist)

Pakistan’s biggest lake bursts its banks, threatening further floods - Months of unprecedented heavy rains in Pakistan have devastated crops, displaced millions and killed more than 1,300 people. (Washington Post)

US flood maps outdated thanks to climate change, FEMA?director says - Deanne Criswell makes admission as "extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation" hits Georgia. (The Guardian)

Europe’s odds of dodging natural-gas shortage hinge on winter weather - Early forecasts point to milder- and drier-than-average weather when the heating season gets under way in Europe, potentially helping to avoid gas shortages. (Wall Street Journal)

Keep ahead of crises by planning for complex scenarios - Events rarely happen in isolation. Attackers take advantage of distractions like extreme weather or large-scale events to launch intrusions. By thinking like an adversary, you can stay a step ahead. (ASIS online)

Cameras, plexiglass, fireproofing: Election officials beef up security - With violent rhetoric from the right intensifying, some election officials are bolstering their defenses. Others are quitting. (New York Times)

China’s Chengdu extends Covid-19 order as restrictions test economy - Authorities ordered more testing in the industrial city, while some virus-control measures were eased in the tech hub of Shenzhen. (Wall Street Journal)

Police across US bypass warrants with mass location-tracking tool - The data broker Fog Data Science has been selling access to what it claims are billions of location data points from over 250 million smartphones. (Wired)

‘Powder kegs waiting for a spark’: rising costs threaten global unrest - More than half the world’s countries at heightened risk of conflict and instability because of soaring food and energy prices. (The Guardian)

As ex-Uber executive heads to trial, the security community reels - Joe Sullivan, Uber’s former chief of security, faces criminal charges for his handling of a 2016 security breach. His trial this week has divided the security industry. (New York Times)

Companies struggle with an influx of new hires - The U.S. economy has recouped the 22 million jobs, but the tight labor market means many employers have unseasoned staff. “You don’t step into these jobs and you learn it overnight.” (Wall Street Journal)

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Data point

"Democracy is in decline, regardless of how we measure it." (Our World Data)

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Quote of the week

- Director of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, to CNN’s State of the Union?via The Guardian.

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Second tier

This city has around 20 days of fresh water left. Officials are racing to find another source - A city in New Mexico has about 20 days of fresh water left, and officials there are scrambling to find another source to prevent cancer-causing particles from flowing out of faucets. (CNN)

Solutions for hangry shoplifting - As food prices increase, store owners continue seeing increasing average losses from shoplifting and robberies. (ASIS online)

Programming for OSINT: How to get started - Tristan Lee, Aiganysh Aidarbekova, and Johanna Wild share their experience with programming as open source researchers, and share tips on how to get started down this path. (Bellingcat)

Setting your moral compass: A workbook for applied ethics in OSINT - The case studies in the OSINT ethics workbook train open source analysts to see a dilemma from multiple perspectives and ethical frameworks. (Stanley Center for Peace and Security)

Council post: Protecting corporate facilities with a?layered security system - Seconds count in these situations, and corporate campuses can benefit from a multilayered security infrastructure that allows for real-time information sharing to coordinate a swift response—saving time and saving lives. (Forbes)

Goldman Sachs lifts all COVID protocols, orders staff to return to office full-time - Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs will lift all COVID protocols that have kept some workers away as it pushes all employees to return to the office five days a week after Labor Day, (New York Post)

LA?plans end to COVID-19 protections against evictions, rent hikes - Some of the nation's strongest protections against eviction and rent increases could end in January after city housing officials recommended their expiration. (LA Times)

Changing cyber insurance guidance from Lloyd’s reflects a market in turmoil - Rising ransomware attacks and higher payout demands have battered the insurance industry, leaving many organizations exposed and vulnerable. (CIO Drive)

Nvidia says US order restricts sale of AI chips to China - New licensing requirements come amid concern that the chips could be put to military use, the chipmaker says in a regulatory filing. (CNET)

India’s high-stakes bid to join the global semiconductor race - Chipmaking could be fantastically lucrative but precision engineering has not been a traditional national strength. (Financial Times)

Hackers caused a massive traffic jam in Moscow using a ride-hailing app - Hackers had dozens of taxis arrive at the same location. (The Verge)

Twitter had a new plan to fight extremism — then Elon arrived - The turmoil associated with Elon Musk’s bid to purchase the company was a breaking point. (The Verge)

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Job postings

Global Security Operations Center Program Manager?–?Pinterest, San Francisco

Executive Protection Specialist?–?Johnson & Johnson, Skillman, New Jersey; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Political Affairs Officer?–?United Nations, New York City

Director of Security?–?Insight Global, Bellevue, Washington

Chief Safety & Risk Officer?–?Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia

Open Source Researcher and Capacity Building Manager?–?Human Rights Watch, multiple locations

Director of Safety and Security?–?Flagler University, St. Augustine, Florida

Analyst?–?Moonshot, Washington, D.C.

Other jobs listed on?Factal's Industry Jobs page?include opportunities with the NFL, Amazon, Citi and more.?If you have a job posting, please email us a link at [email protected]. Factal is looking for an Android app developer.

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Upcoming events

Hosting an industry event? Send the link to?[email protected]?and we'll share it.

DRJ Fall 2022?- September 11-14?(Phoenix) - The Disaster Recovery Journal will hold its 67th conference in Phoenix.?Factal?will be there in booth 208.?Schedule 15 minutes to see how Factal can save you time and money.

GSX 2022 - September 12-14?(Atlanta) - The annual ASIS Global Security Exchange 2022 (GSX)?conference will take place in Atlanta. The?Factal?team will be there, too, so schedule a?quick meeting?and stop by booth 3660 to experience our latest features.

AIRIP’s 5th Annual Global Intelligence Forum - September 14-15?(Chicago) - The forum for risk intelligence professionals resumes at McDonald’s headquarters. Yep,?Factal?will be at this event, too.?Schedule a quick meeting?with us.

Global Security Briefing - September 15, TBD?(online and in-person at AIRIP) - Factal?and?Emergent Risk International?will be hosting a live GSB at AIRIP.

ACI-NA 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibition - September 17-20?(Minneapolis) - ACI-NA is excited to reconnect the airport industry together again during the 2022 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition.?Stay ahead of emerging trends, see the latest industry solutions, and connect with friends and colleagues.

The Operational & Organizational Resilience in Financial Services Conference - September 21?(London) - A one-day, industry-led conference and networking event at The Law Society London.

Executive Protection Summit 2022 - October 18-19?(Mexico City) - The EP SUMMIT was born from the need to make the work of the protector or management of protection more efficient, safeguarding their physical and mental integrity, giving them the knowledge and practical tools developed by the most advanced protection teams in the world.

Intelligence International 2022 - October 23-26?(Melbourne, Australia) - The challenges of 2020 and 2021 have highlighted an increasing requirement for improved collaboration and cooperation between intelligence professionals, and within the expanding intelligence community. In times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, the need to leverage partnerships and relationships has never been more prescient.

BCI World Hybrid - November 2-3?(London/virtual) - BCI World will feature a rich programme of keynotes, presentations, workshops and panel discussions along with an exhibition featuring top providers in the resilience industry.?Factal's?booth is E6.

Natural Disasters Expo - November 9-10?(Anaheim, California) - Meet with?global heat experts, flood mitigation specialists, storm preparedness leaders, earthquake responders, government agencies, and disaster relief services in seminars and in the exhibit halls.

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Thank you for reading!

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Benchmarker is produced by?Factal, the verified breaking news platform trusted by many of the world's largest companies.?Factal is free for NGOs.?Visit?Factal.com?to learn more,?book a demo or start a?30-day free trial.