Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 29 November 2023

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 concerning is the spike in respiratory illnesses in China?

A doctor explains. “Thus far, based on what we know from WHO, I don’t think the spike in respiratory illnesses should cause global concern. What would be most worrisome to the international medical community is if a new pathogen is emerging, as it did in the form of Covid-19 in the winter of 2019. This does not appear to be the case now.”

Related Stories:

• Child respiratory sickness overloads China’s paediatric clinics – reports
• Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak
• Biden invokes Cold War-era measure to boost medical supplies

Analyst Comments:

While initial reports indicate that conditions in China should not cause concern in the United States, extra vigilance is warranted. Also, this is flu season, and proper precautions should be taken to prevent having the flu. CDC recommendations for the flu, COVID 19, and RSV can be found at Influenza (Flu) and Protect yourself from COVID-19, Flu, and RSV. It would also be prudent to ensure that supplies obtained for the earlier COVID epidemic should be stored in a way to preserve their usefulness.

As always, Faith-Based ISAO’s website provides resources in the Resource Library, including information on Protecting From Health Threats and Natural Hazards.

CISA – Unlocking Tomorrow’s Cybersecurity: A Sneak Peek into ReadySetCyber

In the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, staying ahead of threats is essential. And while security is without a doubt a priority for businesses of all sizes, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by all the information available. At CISA, we have been diligently developing a solution aimed at simplifying the way our partners and potential collaborators understand their cyber risk and prioritize their investments, ensuring they can quickly navigate this complexity with ease. Our focus has been on making the process of working with us more intuitive and user-friendly so that every organization can spend more time meeting business goals and less time sifting through cybersecurity resources. We believe this approach will be especially helpful for smaller to medium sized stakeholders with fewer resources, who need help prioritizing actions to help them to reduce the likelihood and impact of damaging intrusions. In early 2024, we look forward to launching a new way for organizations to understand their cyber risk and receive targeted, straightforward guidance built around our Cybersecurity Performance Goals. This new tool is called Ready.Set.Cyber. While we’re not quite ready to unveil all the details just yet, we are excited to share a glimpse of what’s on the horizon.

Analyst Comments:

CISA’s new tool, Ready.Set.Cyber. is “especially helpful for smaller to medium sized stakeholders with fewer resources, who need help prioritizing actions to help them to reduce the likelihood and impact of damaging intrusions”. Many Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) fall in this category. FBOs should consider utilizing this tool when it is released.

As always, Faith-Based ISAO’s website provides resources in the Resource Library, including information on Protecting Digital Assets 

Reminder

If you are registered, remember to attend the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council meeting today, at 3 pm E.T. Registration was closed yesterday.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

• DHS senior leadership and FBSAC Chair and Vice Chair will provide opening remarks.
• Taskings will be assigned to the Council, followed by a moderated discussion.
• The Designated Federal Officer will provide an update on the implementation of recommendations from the June 6, 2023, FBSAC meeting.
• A brief discussion of the state of current affairs in the Middle East will take place.
• The meeting will adjourn at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Please see the following links:

The information about the November 29, 2023 public meeting of the DHS Faith-Based Security Advisory Council can be found here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/14/2023-25066/faith-based-security-advisory-council

More information about the Council can be found here:
https://www.dhs.gov/faith-based-security-advisory-council

Analyst Comments:

Mayya Saab, Executive Director of FB-ISAO is a member of the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council and participates by providing input on strategy and policy, information-sharing and coordination, programs and initiatives, as well as evaluation and feedback.

Update on Rash of Bomb Threats Earlier This Year

Charges dismissed in Westchester synagogue bomb threats case

Charges were dismissed against a Peruvian man after he was accused by the FBI of making over 150 false bomb threats to cities across the United States. In September, the FBI said 33-year-old Eddie Manuel Nunez Santos was arrested in Lima, Peru and was charged with calling in fake bomb threats to schools, synagogues, airports and hospitals across the United States, including two synagogues in Westchester County, from Sept. 15 to Sept. 21. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said Nunez Santos made the threats in retaliation against four teenage girls who refused to send him nude photographs. One of the alleged victims was a 15-year-old Westchester girl. But, the Journal News/lohud received an email apparently from Nunez Santos that said he was falsely accused because of an error from an FBI agent, who believed he sent the threats based on an email service he uses. The address the message was sent from was also linked to at least one of Nunez Santos’ social media profiles. The FBI and a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office would not comment on Nunez Santos’ claim. But on Oct. 31, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Stein granted the request by a federal prosecutor to dismiss the complaint against Nunez Santos. The press release announcing the arrest was subsequently withdrawn and is no longer available online.