Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 16 January 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

FBI PSA, 12, Jan 2024: Malicious Actors Threaten U.S. Synagogues, Schools, Hospitals, and Other Institutions With Bomb Threats

FBI, DHS, and NCTC are warning the public of ongoing bomb threats by malicious actors targeting synagogues, Jewish community centers, schools, hospitals, airports, government buildings, and other public institutions in the United States. These actors threaten to detonate supposedly hidden explosives or commit violence against the recipients or their families. To date, FBI, DHS, and NCTC have not identified explosive devices – real or otherwise – or actual attempts to cause explosions at locations associated with these threats. However, every threat or incident of a suspected explosive device should be considered valid until all reasonable precautions have been taken.

• Since 8 December 2023, the FBI has opened investigations on more than 100 separate threats targeting more than 1,000 institutions in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Many of these messages contain similar wording and were sent using publicly available encrypted email tools. The threats originate from multiple IP addresses, which are likely obscured using tools such as Virtual Private Networks.
• The largest category of threatened institutions, over 400, are synagogues or Jewish community centers, followed by schools or school districts, and hospitals or hospital networks.

Related article:

• Remnants of possible explosive devices found near Baltimore’s Penn Station
• Nevada hospitals targeted by fake bomb threats
• Massachusetts police arrest man for planning to plant explosives at Satanic Temple and Police say they thwarted Michigan man’s planned attack on Salem’s Satanic Temple

Analyst Comments:

There are numerous resources for Faith-Based Organizations to use in response to these threats.

• CISA and the FBI’s 28-page Bomb Threat Guide.
• The US Postal Service Inspectors provide Poster 84 – Suspicious Mail or Packages to help identify suspicious packages.

The Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 04 January 2024 highlighted the FEMA Bomb Threat Assessment for Decision Makers Course. The online course continues through April. The DAP also posted CISA Bomb Threat Products, which provides multiple publications and videos.

Two New Security Podcasts from Gate-15 Featuring FB-ISAO’s Ed Hyman and Alec Davison

Nerd Out EP 44. The Middle East, threats to Houses of Worship, and 2024 Outlook

The Gate 15 Nerd Out! Security Panel Discussion, moderated by Dave Pounder, focuses on physical security topics including terrorism, extremism, hostile events, and other pertinent topics. 

In the latest episode of Nerd Out, Dave is joined by Alec Davison and Ed Heyman for the first episode of 2024. They opened the discussion recapping some of the events over the past several weeks to include the Prague and Iowa school shootings, cyber threats, natural disasters and health conditions before getting into the ever-expanding conflict in the Middle East and what it may mean for security teams. The group also looks at the impacts these events have had on faith-based organizations and then looks ahead to events that could shape 2024.

• • Ed Heyman is a security professional with over 30 years of experience in the intelligence and security community and he is the co-chair of the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analytical Organization (FB-ISAO) Organizational Resilience Group.
  • Alec Davison is a threat and risk analyst with Gate 15 where he works with various industries on threat awareness and security preparedness matters. Alec is also part of the FB-ISAO team developing the Physical Security Maturity Model.

The above Gate 15 Nerd Out website also provides some of the links mentioned in this episode including:

• FBI PSA: Malicious Actors Threaten U.S. Synagogues, Schools, Hospitals, and Other Institutions With Bomb Threats
• US Faith-Based Groups Face Increased Threat This Holiday Season
• Threats against Jews, Muslims and Arabs continue on social media: DHS bulletin

• Weekly Security Sprint EP 49. ISAC news, weather impacts, plus your dose of cyber and physical security news

  The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.

  In this Week’s Security Sprint, Dave and Andy talked about the topics below.

  Exciting ISAC Announcements!

  • Tribal-ISAC joins National Council of ISACS for cyber security, information sharing
  • Japanese Auto-ISAC and Auto-ISAC Formalize Agreement to Enhance Vehicle Cybersecurity

  Severe Weather Awareness

  School Data Base Leak

  SEC X Compromise

  Physical Threats including Malicious Actors Threaten U.S. Synagogues, Schools, Hospitals, and Other Institutions With Bomb Threats

  New FB-ISAO Newsletter! FB-ISAO Newsletter, v6, Issue 1

  US, UK launch retaliatory strikes against Houthis in Yemen

  The above Gate 15 Weekly Security Sprint website also provides links to many security-related items of interest.

  Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).