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.
C-SPAN: FBI Director Testifies on FY 2025 Budget Request
C-Span provides video of FBI Director Wray’s testimony and reports:
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of several “elevated” threats to U.S. national security, such as foreign terrorism, drug cartels, ransomware attacks, violent crime, and the Chinese government. He said, “As I look back over my career in law enforcement, I would be hard-pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once. But that is the case as I sit here today. … this is by no means a time to let up or dial back.”
Additional Articles:
- FBI fears ‘coordinated attack’ on US homeland
- FBI chief warns of “coordinated attack” threat to U.S. after Russia shooting
- FBI ‘concerned’ terrorists are using ‘mafia-like tactics’ to plan coordinated attacks on US soil
Analyst Comments:
FB-ISAO’s Daily Awareness Post 11 April 2024 previewed director Wray’s testimony.
Additionally, FB-ISAO has highlighted aspects of the current threat environment:
- FB-ISAO Daily Awareness Post 8 April 2024highlighted the potential terror threat at gatherings.
- The Daily Awareness Post 9 April 2024 highlighted how already one ISIS inspired individual planned to attack churches.
Faith-Based Organizations should consider reviewing FB-ISAO’s Daily Awareness Posts on 27 March 2024 and 25 March 2024 which provide a variety of resources to protect soft targets and crowded places from lone offenders and other threats.
FBI PSA: Cyber Criminals Target Victims Using Social Engineering Techniques
From the FBI PSA:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is issuing this announcement to inform individuals and businesses about social engineering techniques used by cybercriminals to gain access to financial, corporate, and network accounts. As described in detail below, recently observed social engineering techniques used by cybercriminals to target victims include:
- impersonating employees,
- subscriber identity module (SIM) swap attacks,
- call forwarding and simultaneous ring; and,
- phishing
Obtaining personal information through these techniques gives cybercriminals the ability to invade a victim’s network, steal victim data, and extort victims by threatening to release private data.
The PSA details the four social engineering techniques, provides tips on protecting individuals and companies, victim reporting, and additional information. The PSA also provides a link to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Analyst Comments:
This FBI PSA provides good information for protecting Faith-Based Organizations from an aspect of the ever-evolving threat of cyber criminals.
Other Faith-Based Item of Interest
Russia thwarts planned terrorist attack on Moscow Synagogue
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), successfully averted a potentially devastating terrorist attack aimed at a Moscow synagogue. According to the FSB’s public relations center, the assailant, originating from one of the Central Asian countries, intended to carry out the attack during a period of significant congregation at the religious Jewish institution. The Jerusalem Post has reached out to the Moscow Jewish community, which affirmed the report.
Firebombed church files lawsuit against suspect, White Lives Matter group members
The Community Church of Chesterland is suing Aimenn D. Penny, 20, who was arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the church on March 25, 2023, because the church had planned to host a drag-related reading hour for all ages the following weekend.
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More Faith-Based Stories
Teen charged in attack on woman going to church service in Queens: Police
CAIR-SFBA Welcomes Arrest in San Francisco Mosque Vandalism During Ramadan
CAIR-NY Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Anti-Muslim Subway Station Attack
Romanian organized crime group targeting places of worship across Maryland, Virginia
Calls for action after Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University vandalized during Eid al-Fitr
KY: Juveniles in custody for allegedly vandalizing Meade County church and cemetery
OK: Brookside church replacing play set after repeated vandalism
CAIR-SFBA Condemns UC Berkeley Professor’s Alleged Assault on Palestinian Muslim Law Student and Pro-Palestine Student Faction Publishes Antisemitic Caricature of Faculty Head at Berkeley
Popular Content Creator Spews Antisemitic Vitriol on Livestream
13 men plead not guilty for role in Brooklyn synagogue tunnel scuffle
NY Court Rules Jewish Groups Can Continue to Call Louis Farrakhan ‘Antisemitic’
Seminary looted as security worsens in Haiti
Canada: Church break-ins lead to damage, theft of community kitchen food in Grand Falls-Windsor
Tehran Police To Launch New Phase Of Hijab Enforcement
Select All-Hazards Stories
Man on terror watchlist was released by Border Patrol
Fatal stabbing in Bordeaux connected to victims’ alcohol consumption on Eid
3 teenagers suspected of planning an Islamic extremist attack arrested in Germany
Germany arrests ‘IS’ suspects for enslaving Yazidi children
Iranian Attack Expected on Israel in Next Two Days and Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (April 11, 2024) and U.S. restricts travel for Israel staff as Iran attack fears rise
Heavy Rains in Hawaii; Snow and Strong Winds in Alaska; Rain and Flooding Across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast National Weather Service
Bird flu detected among chickens in Texas and Michigan
CDC: Spike in measles cases poses threat to US elimination status
CDC Data Modernization Efforts Accelerate Nation’s Ability to Detect and Rapidly Respond to Health Threats and Public Health Data Strategy for 2024-2025 and 2023 Lookback Report
Pennsylvania (PA) Turnpike Toll Scam
Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (April 1, 2024 to April 7, 2024)
Credit Card Skimmer Hidden in Fake Facebook Pixel Tracker
Risky Biz News: Sisense breach has CISA and everyone else panicking
History of Ransomware: The Evolution of Attacks and Defense Mechanisms
More Security-focused Content
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.
