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September 2024 — The Georgia shooter, GSX and Hurricane Helene are in the news
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.
14-year-old kills four, wounds nine in Georgia High School shooting
From CNN: Four people were killed and nine others hospitalized on Wednesday September 4 when a 14-year-old shooter brought an automatic weapon to school, opening fire in a classroom at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The shooter was apprehended by a school resource officer. The teenager’s father, Colin Gray, has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. Authorities say he gave his son access to the rifle used in the shootings.
Our take: It’s frankly astonishing that this school shooting was able to happen with so many red flags — the child’s mom called the school to warn them, the wrong child was pulled from the class, and the shooter had made threats previously, but it also paints a picture of how unprepared most schools are for an incident. Access control and cameras can’t solve school shootings. What’s needed is proactive planning.
GSX 2024 takes place in Florida (despite Hurricane Helene)
From ASIS: Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2024 has concluded. Running from September 23 to 25 in Orlando, Fla. and presented by ASIS International, GSX the world's largest association for security management professionals, the event offered discussion and idea exchanges for the global security community, drawing more than 16,000 security professionals and approximately 500 exhibitors demonstrating the latest security solutions.
Our take: Despite Hurricane Helene, which sent some attendees home a day early, GSX 2024 was a fantastic event that saw an interest in security and safety from many different kinds of companies of all sizes. Circadian Risk had a booth there, and we observed some interesting trends regarding proactive approaches to security, as well as innovative technological solutions, such as robotics that offer more human connection.
Supplies arrive by plane and by mule in North Carolina as Helene’s death toll tops 130
From the Associated Press: Widespread devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene came to light Monday across the South, revealing a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways in one of the worst storms in U.S. history. The death toll topped 130. At least 133 deaths in six Southeastern states have been attributed to the storm that inflicted damage from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.
Our take: We were fortunate in Florida during GSX, but on the way home, the hurricane damage to the South was clear. As climate change has more and more of an effect, more extreme weather is likely to take place, especially during hurricane season.
Parking meter QR code scam on the rise
From the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC): The city of Redondo Beach, California issued a warning to the public regarding a concerning rise in the parking meter QR code scam. Reports revealed that approximately 150 parking meters had counterfeit QR code stickers positioned adjacent to ParkMobile and PayByPhone labels. After scanning the fake QR codes, victims were directed to deceptive websites, prompting them to input their payment details and emulating the process used with legitimate QR codes. The parking meter QR code scam is not the only twist on attacks based around the digital barcodes. Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned of a rise in the potential risks of malicious QR codes that could compromise personal information and lead to identity theft.
Our take: Barcodes and QR codes are an easy way to scam people out of money or their personal details — it’s simple enough for a criminal to print out stickers that direct unsuspecting victims to malicious websites. Victims have to practice the same situational awareness they would use in any situation to spot a potential scam.
September’s Top Security Grants
Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) Artifact Dependency Graph (ADG) Generation Day: In collaboration with the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), SVIP will host a hybrid industry day on Thursday, October 17, 2024, in Menlo Park, CA. This event will provide detailed information about the technical requirements, submission process, and resources available to startups interested in applying to the Software ADG Generation Topic Call. Organizations interested in learning about DHS use cases, networking and potentially partnering with startups, and meeting with DHS representatives are welcome to attend.
Fiscal Year 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current: This grant aims to better align the delivery of FMA flood mitigation funding to the disaster survivor experience. The purpose of FMA Swift Current is to reduce or eliminate the flood risk to NFIP-participating communities and repetitive flood damage to structures and buildings insured by the NFIP following a flood-related disaster event, and to enhance community flood resilience within NFIP-participating communities. It does so by providing funding for mitigation opportunities immediately after a flood disaster event with the aim of delivering mitigation outcomes. Grant closes: January 15, 2026
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