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Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post

Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 12 September 2023

Faith-Based Security Headlines

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.

How to protect your congregation from swatting and bomb threats during High Holiday services

The Forward articles provides steps from security professionals on:

  • Before a potential swatting or bomb threat incident occurs,
  • What to do during a swatting incident,
  • What to do after receiving a bomb threat,
  • And how to keep your synagogue livestream safe.

The live stream information is included because – “One thing this summer’s swatting incidents and bomb threats targeting Jewish institutions had in common was that the perpetrators appeared to be selecting synagogues that were live streaming their services.”

They also provide the following tip – “Some cities allow individuals to place their address in a police database of locations that may be targeted by swatting. The list is intended to help officers know they should proceed with caution. However, synagogues might be reluctant to use these tools because they also may face real threats requiring a quick police response.”

Analyst Comments:

Over the summer and on multiple occasions, the FB-IASO Daily Awareness Post has reported on the increase in swatting incidents and bomb threats, including highlighting incidents in the of Daily Awareness Post of 14 August 2023. On 11 September, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency  reported that at least two more synagogues in the United States reported  bomb threats.

With the approach of the High Holidays, attendance of services at synagogues will increase and incidents may also increase, thus making safeguarding facilities even more important.

The Maine School Safety Center provides information on  Anonymous Threats, Swatting, and more.

These incidents may also include suspicious packages. Fox 28 News reported that police responded to a Columbus, Ohio synagogue for a suspicious package on 11 September. While the package proved to be harmless, Faith-Based Organizations need to also plan for suspicious packages.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has made numerous resources available, including through the Bombing Prevention webpage at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The resources include a Bomb Threat Checklist and videos on how to respond to bomb threats and suspicious or unattended items.

As always, the Faith-Based ISAO’s website provides resources in the Resource Library.

More Security-focused Content

Read a report detailing attacks on Faith-Based organizations following the Dobbs ruling.
Read the Membership Reimagined Post.
Access all-hazards resources from public and private sector partners, curated by the FB-ISAO team.

The FB-ISAO’s sponsor Gate 15 publishes a free daily newsletter called the SUN. Curated from their open source intelligence collection process, the SUN informs leaders and analysts with the critical news of the day and provides a holistic look at the current global, all-hazards threat environment. Ahead of the daily news cycle, the SUN allows current situational awareness into the topics that will impact your organization. To sign-up for The SUN, please sign up below.

This DAP highlights – How to protect your congregation from swatting and bomb threats during High Holiday services. Safeguarding live streaming. Responding to suspicious packages. Every DAP also has More Faith-Based Stories and Select All-Hazard Stories. 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.

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