Guest Consultant - Effective Security Management

Charles A. Sennewald, CMC, CPP, CPO, is the author of Effective Security Management. He has a genius for turning difficult into easy!

Here is his tip for disciplining subordinates...

Torture as Part of the Disciplinary Process
To discipline a subordinate is deemed by many a supervisor and manager as a personal ordeal or a form of torture. “Torture” in terms of being obliged to confront and criticize the performance, or lack of performance, of a fellow employee. We agonize over sitting down face-to-face to deal with the problem. Not a pleasant task! No one wants to do it.

BUT WAIT! We can take the torture out of the process if we understand three simple principles:
1. The word discipline is derived from the Latin discipulus which means learning. The word disciple comes from the same root, hence the disciples of Christ were students, hence discipline really means a learning process, not a punitive action.

2. This learning process, really a form of training, corrects, molds or strengthens an employee in the interests of achieving departmental or organizational goals.

3. Thus the effective disciplinary process condemns the wrongful act, not the employee, i.e. you’re okay but what you did is not okay. By focusing on the conduct and performance rather than the personality the whole process takes on a constructive dimension which is easy to handle and is acceptable by all.

Adios Torture.

Muchas gracias, Chuck!

Feds Kill 250,000 Zombies With One Shot

Remember our cautionary tale 'Zombie Computers From Planet Earth' from last month? We knew it would move from cautionary tale to documented disaster. But, we never expected this...

"Security Consultant Admits to Hijacking PCs to Use in Crimes"
Los Angeles Times

A Los Angeles man entrusted with making personal computers safer has admitted to hacking into them to create a rogue network of as many as a quarter-million PCs, which he used to steal money and identities.

Federal prosecutors Friday said that John Kenneth Schiefer, a 26-year-old computer security consultant, used an army of hijacked computers, known as a "botnet," to carry out a variety of schemes to rip off unsuspecting consumers and corporations.

Schiefer agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges in connection with the case and faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1.75-million fine, according to court documents filed Friday in federal court in Los Angeles.

Schiefer, who on the Internet went by the handles "acidstorm," "acid" and "storm," is the first person to be accused under federal wiretapping law of operating a botnet, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Krause in Los Angeles.

In all, the federal indictment includes four counts of accessing protected computers to commit fraud, disclosing illegally intercepted electronic communications, wire fraud and bank fraud. Federal authorities said they were still trying to identify victims and the scope of their losses. (more)

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Five Red Hot 'Shoplifter in Custody' Tips

Charles A. Sennewald, CPP - one of the world's leading shoplifting security experts - shares 5 red hot do not's for when you have a shoplifter in custody:

1. Don't threaten a detained person with any use of force, exposure or incarceration.
2. Don't make any promises of rewards, benefits or leniency in return for cooperation.
3. Don't use any profanity, abusive or offensive at or in the presence of a person detained, even if provoked.
4. Don't belittle, make light of, laugh at or otherwise ridicule a detained person.
5. Don't make any comments about a person's race, ethnic origin or religion.

"Extend the same dignity to the person in your custody, you'd appreciate and hope to receive if the shoe was on the other foot."

Want to know more about Chuck?
Profile: IAPSC.org
Website: shoplifting.com