Retailers are forecasted to hire between 400,000 to 500,000 seasonal workers to keep up with increased consumer activity this holiday season. Seasonal hiring is different from regular hiring due to the time crunch, high volume of applicants, and need for quick onboarding. Retail environments are particularly susceptible to theft and fraud, and without proper screening, companies open themselves up to significant losses.

The article discusses key cybersecurity trends and challenges observed in 2024. Nation-state attacks have targeted the open-source ecosystem, making software supply chain attacks effective at bypassing sanctions. Basic bot attacks remain a major concern, with many businesses unprotected, leaving them vulnerable to DDoS attacks and fraud. Legacy networking and security architectures struggle with the distributed nature of users and applications while enterprises face a growing resource and skills gap.

WIRED explores how injectable GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic have been in high demand, treating diabetes, obesity, and providing cardiovascular benefits. After shortages in 2022, compounding pharmacies and telehealth clinics began offering oral versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide, claiming to deliver the same active ingredients without injections. However, these compounded versions have not been rigorously tested in clinical trials, and there is skepticism about their effectiveness.

Law360 covers the SEC’s new cybersecurity rule and draws parallels to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in its emphasis on transparency and accountability. Enacted in 2002, SOX responded to corporate scandals by setting new standards for financial reporting and corporate governance. Similarly, the SEC’s 2023 cybersecurity rules require companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents, outline risk management strategies, and ensure board oversight.

Consolidating systems into a unified platform is a powerful solution to this challenge. By rethinking and optimizing technology stacks with robust integration, FIs can streamline operations, improve customer experiences, and position themselves to compete effectively.

With the advancement of artificial intelligence combined with new fraud tactics, the complexity and scale of managing merchant risk is growing. As card-not-present transactions make up an ever-larger share of total transaction volume, the stakes for finding the right balance in merchant risk mitigation have never been higher.