There’s a lot going on in the world of physical risk and vulnerability; it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the latest news and developments. We’ll keep you informed with the best content to keep your organization safe and secure. Check out the top news and headlines from the past month.

Alleged copper wire theft at NV Energy substation causes power outage in Las Vegas

From KSNV: Three men have been arrested for allegedly stealing copper wire from an NV Energy substation on Feb 3., causing a power outage at Reid Airport and $30,000 in damages.

The suspects, Paul Andrews, Chad Shuman, and Branden Henry, are facing felony charges.

According to an arrest report, Andrews admitted to being at the scene and expressed regret, saying he "thought it was stupid" and "did not want to get vaporized."

Our take: Las Vegas, which suffered a spate of copper wire theft in recent years, recently changed its ordinances, making it illegal to buy or sell 7-strand copper wire without proof of legal acquisition. However, it appears that not all thieves have gotten the memo. It will be a while before criminals stop stealing wire, and businesses should take precautions to secure their premises against such theft.

Engineer creates OpenAI-powered robotic sentry rifle

From Futurism: An engineer who goes by the online handle STS 3D has invented an AI-powered robot that can aim a rifle and shoot targets at terrifying speeds. As demonstrated in a video on social media, he even hooked the automated rifle up to OpenAI's ChatGPT, allowing it to respond to voice queries. "ChatGPT, we're under attack from the front left and front right," the inventor says nonchalantly in a clip, while standing next to the washing machine-sized assembly hooked up to a rifle. "Respond accordingly." The robot jumps into action almost immediately, shooting what appear to be blanks to its left and right. "If you need any further assistance, just let me know," an unnervingly cheerful robotic voice told the inventor.

Our take: Again, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that technology can be used for both good and bad; and you never know how people will use the tools you create. Although OpenAI says they have sent the hobbyist a cease and desist order, that’s no guarantee that anyone will stop creating weapons powered by AI; plenty of people have seen the video and may be inspired to do the same. This is why security personnel have to talk to one another; we need to know what weapons people are building and what knowledge they’re sharing.

Taco Bell Security Guard Fired After Viral Video of Him Slapping a Woman in the Face

From The San Fernando Valley Sun: A coalition of African American leaders is calling for the immediate arrest of a Taco Bell Cantina security guard after a viral video revealed him hitting an African American woman in the face. “We do not condone the behavior in this video and take this matter very seriously,” the Taco Bell Corporation wrote in a statement to the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “We are informed that the guard in this video is no longer with the third-party security company and the franchisee is conducting a full investigation.” The incident occurred on Feb. 9 at the downtown Los Angeles location at 7th Street and Flower Street.

Our take: The video on social media is without context, but no matter what was happening before the altercation took place, there’s no excuse for a guard to slap a restaurant patron. Annoyance is no excuse for violence in any profession, and especially not in security.

Crypto scams likely hit a new record in 2024, driven by 'pig butchering' and AI

From CNBC: Crypto fraud revenue is estimated to have hit record levels last year amid a surge in so-called romance scams as cybercriminals leverage artificial intelligence and become more organized. Pig butchering is a type of investing or romance scam in which a fraudster builds relationships with victims via social media or dating apps, intending to con them out of money through a sham investment opportunity. The name “pig butchering” comes from the idea that scammers must first “fatten up” the victims with flattery and fabricated bonds before “butchering,” or stealing their money.

Our take: No matter the technology, criminals tend to use the same techniques to scam their victims. Sweetheart scams are an old tactic, but now they’re being used to steal crypto. It’s important to be aware when someone is asking for money online, no matter the context, and to know the signs of a social engineering scam.

February’s Top Security Grants

Fiscal Year 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA): The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program makes federal funds available to states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local communities to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It does so with a recognition of the growing flood hazards associated with climate change1, and of the need for flood hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation and resilience with respect to flooding. These include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in the future. Grant closes: April 18

Fiscal Year 2024 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC): The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program makes federal funds available to states, U.S territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local communities for hazard mitigation activities. It does so with a recognition of the growing hazards associated with climate change1, and of the need for natural hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation and resilience with respect to those hazards. These include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in the future. Grant closes: April 18

Fiscal Year 2025 Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund Program: The objective of the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program is to capitalize or recapitalize entity-established revolving loan funds that will provide low-interest loans to local governments most in need of financing assistance to complete hazard mitigation projects and activities. The program aims to reduce risks from natural hazards for homeowners, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and communities in order to decrease the loss of life and property, the cost of insurance, and federal disaster payments. Grant closes: September 30

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About the Author

Daniel Young

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Daniel has been a security and risk advisor for more than 10 years, and is passionate about helping companies to better understand their risks to undesirable events on a daily basis. Dan previously served as the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator for District 1 in Michigan, where he was instrumental in preparing communities for catastrophic incidents. He has also acted as the Private Security Liaison for the City of Lansing’s Critical Infrastructure Team, which identified and documented deficiencies in the city’s critical infrastructure.

He is a Co-Founder of the CSO Risk Council, a think tank of seasoned security professionals and thought leaders with extensive experience in managing the physical security and risks of large enterprises consisting of multiple sites and whose mission is to create a better process to develop and share innovative solutions and pertinent information with organizations to improve safety and security risk by providing a forum to discuss best practices and recommendations for specific risk scenarios and to network with other enterprise security professionals.