Idalia surprises, COVID flare up, juice jacking, winter of heat
Welcome to this week's Benchmarker newsletter!
Climate disasters are expanding, there's another racially-targeted shooting and COVID is making a bit of a comeback. The World Economic Forum notes that there's so much happening, "risk intelligence is essential" and companies should consider adding Chief Risk Officers. This and much more in this week's edition.
Have ideas for links? Job postings? Email us at?[email protected].
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Above the fold
How Hurricane Idalia snuck up on Florida - Though meteorologists had been carefully watching Idalia — Invest 93L — since at least Wednesday, the storm’s rapid intensification has taken even forecasters by surprise. As the now-Hurricane bears down, Tampa Bay area drivers are being warned about fuel contamination. (Heatmap)
Security guard, students may have stopped campus shooting - Before a racially-motivated gunman killed 3 in a Dollar General store, he was confronted by a security officer at?Edward Waters University. (ABC News)
Racist Jacksonville shooter wore Rhodesian army patch, law enforcement says - References to Rhodesia, the white minority-ruled African territory now known as Zimbabwe, have been made by the 2015 Charleston church shooter and segregationist lawmakers. (NBC News)
'We're all Maui': Climate change tests emergency alert systems across US - Authorities are finding that their systems are insufficient for new threats, sometimes with deadly results. Maui County has filed suit against Hawaiian Electric.?(Reuters)
Canada revisits ancient prevention tactics to battle wildfires - The creation of a fire prevention zone?is being credited with stopping a wildfire advancing toward the city of Kelowna. (NY Times)
Meta faces backlash over Canada news block as wildfires rage - Residents say it has been ‘insanely difficult’ to find verifiable information about the fires blazing across Canada. (South China Morning Post)
'Chinese spy’ targeted thousands over LinkedIn - The alleged spy used several names in attempt to entrap officials and extract state secrets. (BBC News)
Apple security chief must face bribery charge over gun permits - The CSO was accused of promising to donate 200 iPads to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office to gain approval for concealed firearm permits that had previously been withheld from four Apple employees.?(Bloomberg)
“There should always be a human in the loop” - AI in physical security: Uses, myths & responsibilities - IFSEC Insider sits down with Genetec’s Paul Dodds to discuss the good, the bad and ugly of AI applications for physical security. (IFSEC)
Disney, NYT and CNN among media companies blocking GPT crawlers - News organizations are in a "cold war" with OpenAI, blocking the company's ability to crawl their websites to improve GPT's models. (CNN)
Whole Foods to let you pay with your palm, but some experts urge caution - Amazon says its palm scanners can tell the difference between a live palm and a fake imprint. (NBC News)
Risk and crisis consulting is facing its Kodak moment - As AI streamlines tasks by over 90%, firms face a dilemma: adopt AI and disrupt the business model or resist and risk obsolescence. (Andrew Sheves)
The AI?surveillance tool DHS uses to detect ‘sentiment and emotion’ - Internal DHS and corporate documents detail the agency’s relationship with Fivecast, a company that promises to scan for “risk terms and phrases” online. (404 Media)
In a complex world, businesses must embrace risk intelligence - Does your organization have a Chief Risk Officer? If not, it might be time to start hiring. (World Economic Forum)
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Data point: South America's winter of heat
- Countries across South America are experiencing a?winter heat wave setting records in Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile. With temperatures over 100 Fahrenheit, Brazil issued heat warnings.
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Quote of the week
- Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Lauren Hobart, on a call with analysts. According to CNBC,?it's the first time the company has referenced shrink in a press release.
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In other news
Albuquerque chose not to send out a mass alert about the plastic fire - The environmental health office suggests using the alert system to warn residents about the plastic fire could have caused ‘panic’. (Source New Mexico)
Juice jacking: Is it a real issue or media hype? - Is it safe to plug in at a public charging station? And if not, what steps can keep your mobile devices safe from malware? (Security intelligence)
Not over yet: Late-summer COVID wave brings warning of more to come - Some institutions have responded to the recent increase in COVID infections by reinstating pandemic-era rules. (New York Times on Yahoo! News) After a 24% rise in COVID hospitalizations in the US, we're seeing some measures return:
Two years on, few colleges still require COVID vaccines - According to a recent American College Health Association survey of 311 institutions, only 7.4 percent continue to mandate vaccines for all students. (Inside Higher Ed)
This fall’s COVID?variant might really be different - What to know about BA.2.86, or “pirola,” from where it’s spreading and whether vaccines will work against it. (WSJ)
领英推荐
What your insurer is trying to tell you about climate change - Insurers are trying to send a message, but the government may be trying to suppress it. (The Atlantic)
Evolving patterns of violence in developing countries - New research shows some of the attacks that have occurred were quite complex – and the most lethal were carried out by jihadist groups. (IFSEC)
Beijing-run school in Tanzania trains African leaders in authoritarianism - China's Communist Party is presenting its political system as an alternative to democracy and openly challenging the West. (Axios)
Business Continuity Management more critical than ever - "Many organisations’ BCM plans were conservative and scenario-specific in their approach and in turn were unprepared for the scale and depth of the disaster that unfolded." (Insurance Biz SA)
A right-wing sheriffs group that challenges federal law is gaining acceptance around the country - One brochure advertising the group’s seminars states: “The County Sheriff is the one who can say to the feds, ‘Beyond these bounds you shall not pass.’” (AP)
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Industry jobs
It's free to list a job in Benchmarker. Just email us at [email protected].
VP, Physical Security, Health, Safety, and Environment?–?Richemont, Shelton, Connecticut
Director, Global Safety and Security?–?Habitat for Humanity, remote
Humanitarian Access and Security Director?–?International Rescue Committee, Amman, Jordan
Leadership Support Manager (GSRS)?–?Google, Sunnyvale, California
Intelligence Analyst: Z Program?–?Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California
Sr Consultant – CS Ops Prototype & Implementation?–?Target, Minneapolis
Threat Monitoring Specialist?–?Emergent Risk International, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent?–?U.S. Department of State, multiple
Analyst Security Intelligence?–?Madison Square Garden, New York city
Global Intelligence and Security Risk Analyst?–?Colgate-Palmolive, New York city
Security Intelligence Analyst, Intel Security?–?Tesla, Austin, Texas
Consultant – Disaster Risk Management and Resilience?–?Mercy Corps, remote in U.S.A.
Other jobs listed on Factal's Industry Jobs page?include opportunities with TikTok,?Southern Glazer’s and more. Factal members can list their job openings in the Factal Chat?Industry Jobs channel.
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Industry events
Creativity & Humor in Intelligence - August 30, 11a ET - Risk intelligence analysis is a serious business, but a little humor can help with perspective and sometimes a creative approach is exactly what’s needed to fully appreciate the complexity of the situation.
Managing Severe Weather in Texas with TXDOT, Bellaire and Coppell - August 31, 2p ET - From winter ice storms to tornadoes and all that their preparation, response and recovery entails, organizations like the Texas Department of Transportation and cities like Bellaire and Coppell need to keep their teams, surrounding communities and external agencies up to date and in constant communication.
Global Security Briefing - August 31, 3p ET - Factal journalists and Emergent Risk International analysts will discuss what keeps them up at night including China’s faltering economy and hurricanes. The GSB is also available as a?podcast.
Disaster Recovery Journal Fall ’23 - September 10-12 (Phoenix) - Elevate your resiliency program, build your career and connect with hundreds of industry experts and peers. Factal?is in booth?112, where Cory can show you?how Factal helps?crisis managers prepare and respond in real time. Claim 15 minutes of our time so you don't miss the opportunity.
Global Security Exchange – GSX - September 11-13 (Dallas) - Be there when the worldwide security industry reconvenes in September to stay informed, connected, and prepared for what’s next. Factal?is in booth?4572. Tyler can show you how Factal protects people, brands & unlocks collaboration. Ask him about?Mentions, our social risk monitoring tool. It takes only?15 minutes?to see it in action.
EARTH EX Live - September 14, 11a ET - Hear about disaster consequences from experts in different critical infrastructure sectors and to be able to ask them questions as part of the live exercise experience. You will hear the concerns and inter-sector needs of critical infrastructure organizations in your community when a disaster occurs
Next Generation Security Leader GSOC Course - Starts September 26 - The Next Generation Security Leader (NGSL) Global Security Operations Center (GSOC) online course is taught by current security practitioners and Security Executive Council (SEC) subject matter experts. The course runs for 10 weeks. Each week has a 90-minute module.
International Security Expo - September 26-27 (London) - Security professionals from across the world the chance to come together face-to-face under one roof to network, learn and discover the latest security solutions from the world’s leading suppliers. Free to attend, there is no better way to stay ahead of the curve
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