Afternoon Coffee: Bloomberg Says China’s Hardware Hack Is Called the Most Significant Supply Chain Attack on U.S. Companies 

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Bloomberg Businessweek’s investigative report on a hardware hack from China has sent ripples across the supply chain community as companies and their managers consider the fallout — with the report saying U.S. officials described it as “the most significant supply chain attack” against American companies. 

The business news organization said a tiny chip was added to an electronics panel in China before being sent to its buyer, a U.S. company that served bigger clients like Amazon, Apple and U.S. national security efforts. Amazon and Apple issued statements saying they had not found the chip, but Bloomberg cited sources with Amazon Web Services and a top secret U.S. investigation into the hack. 

It’s believed that China’s spy agency invested millions of dollars and hours to pull off the long-shot hack to target the supply chain from a subcontractor, Businessweek reported. 

“Investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines,” the report said. 

SAP Fieldglass Adds 4 Online Providers 

SAP added four online service providers for its SAP Fieldglass solutions to help customers with recruitment and management of their external workforce, according to Inside SAP. The new partners are Total, Trusted Health, First Advantage and TalentWave.  

Molson Coors To Tap into Marijuana Market 

Beer maker Molson Coors is aiming to introduce a cannabis-infused drink that’s non-alcoholic as Canada plans to legalize marijuana nationwide this month, according to Supply Chain Dive. With the new offerings, "the supply chain will continue to grow and evolve," said Amy Michtich, chief supply chain officer at Molson Coors Canada. 

Unemployment Hits 49-Year Low 

And finally, an economic update: The U.S. jobs report for September was released today, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.7% — its lowest level since 1969. Job growth had its slowest pace in a year, and the rise in wages cooled slightly from August, the New York Times reported. But there is little evidence that those mildly disappointing figures suggest a broader slowdown, the Times said.