​From "Hackers Post Stolen HBO ‘Game of Thrones’ Scripts Online, Demand Bitcoin Ransom"
Washington Post (08/08/17) Andrews, Travis M.

A hacker or hackers going by the name “Mr. Smith” dumped a trove of stolen HBO files online Monday, hinting at the extent of the network’s security breach last week. The files include five “Game of Thrones” scripts and a month’s worth of emails from Leslie Cohen, the network’s vice president for film programming. The hackers also demanded a ransom from HBO, threatening to release more of remaining files. The hackers sent HBO’s chief executive Richard Plepler a dramatic video letter showing a scroll unfurling while the “Game of Thrones” score plays, Wired reported. The scroll read, in part, “We successfully breached into your huge network. … HBO was one of our difficult targets to deal with but we succeeded (it took about 6 months),” according to the Hollywood Reporter. The hackers demanded “our 6 month salary in bitcoin,” which appeared to be at least $6 million, the New York Times reported.

​From "North Korea Threatens ‘Physical Action’ in Response to U.N. Sanctions"
New York Times (08/08/17) Sang-Hun, Choe

North Korea escalated its criticism of the United States, as well as its neighboring allies, on Tuesday by warning that it will mobilize all its resources to take “physical action” in retaliation against the latest round of United Nations sanctions. The statement was the strongest indication yet that the country could conduct another nuclear or missile test. Incensed by the North’s two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month, the United Nations Security Council adopted a new sanctions resolution over the weekend, the eighth since the country conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. Backers of the resolution said the new sanctions would cut North Korea’s meager annual export revenue by about a third, impeding its ability to raise cash for its weapons programs. The sanctions banned member countries from importing coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore, and seafood from North Korea. They also prohibit member nations from hosting any additional workers from the North above their current levels. Washington called the restrictions “the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation.”

​From "Chips Can Fall Out of Chip Credit Cards, Leaving Consumers Vulnerable"
ABC News (08/09/17)

The tiny chip in a credit card can fall out and then be used by someone else to access credit card information, according to Shawn Kanady of the cybersecurity firm Trustwave. "They are on there pretty good, but a lot of wear and tear can cause issues with the underlying glue," he warned. Jason Knowles, a reporter at Chicago Station WLS-TV said that he did not even notice at first when the tiny piece of technology fell out of his own card from JPMorgan Chase bank. He claims he was still allowed to swipe his card at many places with the magnetic strip so he didn't realize the chip was missing for days. "When I called Chase they told me I had to get a new card with a new number because if someone found my chip intact, it could be placed on another card," he said. "You could probably even glue it on a business card," Kanady said. "You just need that chip."

​From "Man Ambushes French Soldiers in Car Attack, Later Arrested"
Associated Press (08/09/17) Charlton, Angela; Satter, Raphael

French police shot and arrested a man suspected of slamming a BMW into soldiers in a Paris suburb on Wednesday, injuring six of them in what appeared to be a carefully timed ambush before speeding away, officials said. The driver’s motive is unclear, but officials said he deliberately aimed at the soldiers, and counterterrorism authorities opened an investigation. Three of the soldiers suffered light injuries while three were more seriously injured, but their lives are not in danger, according to the Defense Ministry. They were from the 35th infantry regiment and served in Operation Sentinelle, created to guard prominent French sites. "We know it was a deliberate act," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said. Defense Minister Florence Parly called it proof that extra security measures imposed in recent years are "more necessary than ever."

​From "Take Down: Hackers Looking to Shut Down Factories for Pay"
New York Times (08/09/17)

Today's just-in-time manufacturing sector is climbing toward the top of hackers' hit lists for ransomware attacks. Hackers know these manufacturers have a set schedule and know hours are meaningful to what they do, which creates pressure on manufacturers to make the criminals go away by paying the sums demanded. Last August, malware entered AW North Carolina's computer network via email, spreading like a virus and threatening to lock up its transmission plant's production line until the company paid a ransom. The company stood to lose $270,000 in revenue, plus wages for idled employees, for every hour the factory wasn't shipping its crucial auto parts to nine Toyota car and truck plants across North America. Attackers also are increasingly injecting ways to remotely control the robots and other automated systems that control production inside targeted factories. Cyberattacks that reach into industrial control systems have doubled in the past two years in the U.S. to nearly four dozen so far in the federal fiscal year that ends in September, outstripping last year's total, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "I think the emerging threat you're going to see in the future now is really custom ransomware that's going to be targeted more toward individual companies," says Neil Hershfield, the acting director of the DHS team that handles emergency response to cyberattacks on industrial control systems.

New employee onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.


Onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year, staffing and HR experts say, because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee's experience is crucial to ensuring high retention.


GETTING STARTED WITH THE ONBOARDING PROCESSFinding the best candidates for positions in your organization is only part of building an effective team. The process of onboarding new employees can be one of the most critical factors in ensuring recently hired talent will be productive, contented workers. 


However, in some organizations, onboarding is often confused with orientation. While orientation might be necessary—paperwork and other routine tasks must be completed—onboarding is a comprehensive process involving management and other employees that can last up to 12 months.


Before implementing a formal onboarding program, employers should answer some key questions to attain team and upper management buy-in, including:

• When will onboarding start?
  
• How long will it last?
  
• What impression do you want new hires to walk away with at the end of the first day?
  
• What do new employees need to know about the culture and work environment?
  
• What role will HR play in the process? What about direct managers? Co-workers?
  
• What kind of goals do you want to set for new employees?
  
• How will you gather feedback on the program and measure its success?
  
  
  

Once these questions have been answered, HR professionals and upper management can devise a plan of action to help new employees quickly assimilate company policies and workflow while getting fully acquainted with the organization's culture.


CREATING AN ONBOARDING PROGRAM"If we don't worry about onboarding before the employee starts, then we're way behind," said Ben Peterson, CEO of BambooHR, an HR technology company. "Rather than having a stack of papers waiting for their signature, send them out to the employee beforehand, for electronic signature. Give them their benefits selection. Find the technology to help you automate the paper-pushing process."


As soon as new employees receive a job offer, they can also receive access to the company's online onboarding portal, said Amber Hyatt, director of product marketing at SilkRoad, a talent management solutions firm. 


"Here they discover content that's designed to engage them, like a friendly note from their manager, first-day information, welcome messages and photos from new teammates, a glossary of company acronyms, a virtual copy of your employee handbook as well as other details about the new hire's department and job responsibilities," she said.
New-hire portals also benefit HR through dashboards that can organize and track tasks that need to be completed and managed electronically, such as W-4 or I-9, benefits and payroll forms, Hyatt said.


In addition to having new employees fill out new-hire paperwork online, consider providing the answers to questions they may have, such as where to go on day one, who to ask for upon arrival and what to wear, she said.


Set up new hires' desk, phone, computer and password logins before they arrive, said Peterson. 


"The worst thing for a new employee is being wooed through the recruiting process and then arriving on the job and the receptionist isn't even expecting you or your office isn't set up," he said.


THE FIRST DAYThe two main goals on the first day should be setting expectations and introducing objectives. Employees need to have crystal clear ideas about what their job duties and responsibilities are on Day 1, Peterson said. 


"New employees need to get to know the job and get to know their new co-workers. Social interaction is critical. You want them back on Day 2, right?" he asked. 


New employees at BambooHR are taken out to lunch on the first day. "We cared enough to hire them, we want them to know we care enough to build rapport," Peterson said.


Aligning expectations is critical. 


"Organizations that don't focus on acclimating new employees to their corporate culture are at a significant disadvantage," said Hyatt. "Employees who know what to expect from their company's culture and work environment make better decisions that are more aligned with the accepted practices of the company."


To keep existing team members from resenting a new employee, make sure roles and responsibilities are outlined for the entire team, Peterson advised. 


"Sometimes existing team members could feel threatened that someone new could take over their responsibilities. So it's a good idea to clarify the position of the new hire as well as [the positions of] other team members whose work is closely related, how they'll interact with each other, and how projects will run," he said.


THE FIRST FEW MONTHSIt's important for HR to have a one-month check-in to make sure that that the new employee is comfortable, happy and engaged, said Peterson. "Reviewing and giving thoughtful feedback on your new hire's early contributions are also important during onboarding," he said.


According to a BambooHR survey, three-fourths of new hires said training during the first week on the job is most important to them. Meanwhile, 41 percent of HR professionals felt they needed to update training in onboarding. 
"If you aren't communicating what new hires are supposed to be doing and arming them with the tools to do it properly, you're setting them up to fail," Peterson said. 


You also don't want to inundate your new hires with too much information. 


"While it's important to get your new hire ramped up and productive quickly, you also need to make sure you provide on-the-job training in a manageable flow," he said.


Hopefully, new hires have picked a mentor by the end of the first month, Peterson added. Fifty-six percent of respondents in the BambooHR study said that having a buddy or mentor at work was very important when getting started.


The Aberdeen Group report found that high-performing organizations are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely than lower-performing employers to assign a mentor or coach during the onboarding process. 
"Mentoring programs can be as simple as assigning a new employee a go-to person or having an elaborate team of mentors for any questions that might arise," Hyatt said.


THE FIRST THREE TO SIX MONTHSPeterson advised HR to conduct another check-in between three and six months, depending on the employee and the role. 


"Unfortunately, only 15 percent of companies continue onboarding after six months," he said. Remember, nearly 90 percent of employees decide whether to stay or go within that first six months. "You have a huge impact on that choice. Sometimes you just have to show that you sincerely care," he said.​


THE FIRST YEAR"An employee's performance at the end of the first year will prove if they're fully productive," said Peterson. "Now you can plan for future development. Show them what their career looks like at the company. Sadly, sometimes they don't belong there," he said.
​

The end of the first year is when traditional onboarding transitions into retention and employee satisfaction. 
"Shift from on-the-job training to continuous development. It's also a great time to have the compensation conversation," Peterson said.


"Your new hires will thank you for setting them up on the path to success and your company will be well on its way to turning those new hires into seasoned employees."


Roy Maurer is an online editor/manager for SHRM. Follow him @SHRMRoy. © 2017, SHRM. This article is reprinted from https://shrm.org with permission from SHRM. All rights reserved. ​