cargo plane

FedEx Settles Charges of Causing, Aiding and Abetting Unlicensed Exports

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPCompliance, News

In 2010, Michael R. Epperly, Esq. who heads RMA’s Corporate Compliance consulting arm, wrote an insightful article that addressed the corporate compliance challenges that American companies face in the global marketplace. Through his experience as legal counsel, investigator, and consultant he is acutely aware of the importance of a solid corporate compliance program to an organization and the penalties that …

laptop with lock on it

When Employees Leave, Data Should Stay

Russell W. Gilmore, CISSP, CISM, EnCEComputer Forensics

As a security consultant, quite often I am asked to assist with the hiring and termination of employees. The hiring process generally includes background checks, reference interviews, and financial history, along with other information. My involvement in the termination process is as a third-party observer and advisor. As a computer forensics expert and consultant, I am often called in sometime …

Fine Tune Your Criminal Background Checks

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPBackground Investigation, News

Background screening is an essential tool in today’s business. Choosing the best candidate for the job requires due diligence on the part of management. An effective screening policy protects the business, its assets, and ultimately increases a positive return on the investment. We recommend a policy that is flexible but non-discriminatory because it aligns the scope with the position. The …

bring your own device

Five Keys to Mobile Phone Security

Russell W. Gilmore, CISSP, CISM, EnCEComputer Forensics, Mobile Forensics

Cell phones – specifically smartphones – have become ever present in our daily lives. For personal use, the smartphone contains contact information for family and friends, pictures, and other personal information. In the business environment, smartphones connect us to email servers, contain business contacts and documents, and connect us to company servers just to name a few. When you first …

Painful Lessons from Leland

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPBackground Investigation

SBI investigates Leland’s former Asst. Town Manager Excerpts from article: Michelle Cox was hired by the Town of Leland in January, and left after about six months on the job. During that time she was the highest ranking female employee in Leland, and was assigned to investigate claims of sexual harassment filed by Officer Sherry Lewis. About the same time, …

smartphones

‘Dirty Dozen’ Unsecured Smartphones

Billy Gordon Green, Jr. M.Ed., CPP, CHSNews, Security Program Development

On November 21, 2011, Bit9 released its ‘Dirty Dozen’ of unsecured smartphones for 2011. The following is an excerpt of that news release: New Report on Most Vulnerable Mobile Platforms Reveals Orphaned Android Phones Pose Serious Risk to Privacy and Security… 11.21.11 – Waltham, Mass. – Bit9, the market leader in advanced threat protection and server security software, today published …

A thief sifts and examines shredded documents

Protecting Competitive Intelligence

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPIntellectual Property

As the holiday season approaches, Hollywood will begin to bombard us with movies that depict good looking men, beautiful women, and fancy cars or other electronics in romantic stories of intrigue and espionage. As Americans, we love these stories where the main characters wear beautiful clothes and against all odds, often times with cutting edge electronics or personality, save the …

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Amanda StricklandIntellectual Property

The security manager receives a call from the front desk receptionist. She tells him that during lunch, the fill-in receptionist received a call from an individual who identified himself as a volunteer for Good Charity. The volunteer wanted to send an invitation for their annual fundraiser to the vice president, but he didn’t have the home address. He also asked …

Suspicious Activity and Situational Awareness

Amanda StricklandSecurity Program Development, Workplace Violence

An article published on the website of National Public Radio (NPR) addressed the security programs in place at the Mall of America and the actions of security officers. The full article can be found here, and we leave it to the reader to determine if the actions of the officers were appropriate in the specific situations mentioned. The events of …

Disaster Planning

Amanda StricklandSecurity Program Development

With the onset of Hurricane Irene and the subsequent damage and destruction left in its wake, we are all reminded how critical disaster planning is to our well being as individuals, communities, and businesses. Our previous blog entry provided information from the National Weather Service National Hurricane Center that can be applied to any number of natural disasters and should …