SM Online May 2015

SECURITY OFFICER PAY

Security guards who monitor their radios during meal periods are not required to be compensated for that time, according to a ruling by a federal appeals court. A group of former and current guards sued MotorCity Casino in Detroit, Michigan, for violating the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Because the guards are not allowed to leave casino property and are required to monitor their radios during meal periods, they believed they should be paid for that time. The court held that under the FLSA the guards could not be paid because they could not demonstrate that time spent during their meal breaks was “predominantly” for the benefit of their employer.

ACCESS CONTROL

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Government Services Agency should address cyber risks to building and access control systems, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. The report found that cyberthreats to building and access control systems are not identified in reports for federal agencies.

UTILITIES SECURITY

A new North American Electric Reliability Corporation standard—CIP-014—requires owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System to address risks due to physical security threats and vulnerabilities.

PAYMENT SYSTEM

In a recent report, the U.S. Federal Reserve found that the U.S. payment system—the infrastructure network for transferring money within the economy—is falling behind, and it faces an increasing number of security threats. The report lays out Fed initiatives to beef up payment system security.

INSIDER THREATS

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance reports on how some organizations in the private sector approach insider threat mitigation in a white paper from its Insider Threat Task Force.

INVESTIGATIONS

A fisherman who threw undersized fish overboard following an inspection cannot be prosecuted under a federal criminal law against destroying corporate records, according to the U.S. Supreme Court.

TECHNOLOGY

China drafted new government regulations that would require technology vendors to meet strict security tests before being able to sell products to Chinese banks. The guidelines would require source code powering operating systems, database software, and middleware be registered to be considered “secure and controllable.”