Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 13 June 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.

Significant Heavy Rainfall Expected Across South Florida Today; Severe Weather Possible in the Midwest

From the National Weather Service:

A High Risk (level 4 of 4) of Excessive Rainfall is in effect for portions of South Florida today. Rainfall rates between 2-5 inches per hour will likely lead to considerable flash and urban flooding. Across the Midwest, scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing very large hail, severe wind gusts and tornadoes are possible this afternoon into the early evening hours.

Related Articles:

• South Florida rains flood Miami, Fort Lauderdale
• Weather in South Florida Wednesday: Flood warnings, watches
• Serious heat wave to scorch the East next week. Maps show areas at risk
• The Atlantic is starting to bubble

Analyst Comments:

All parts of the United States can expect to be affected by some form of severe weather now or in the future.

FEMA’s Ready.gov provides the Severe Weather website and provides precautions in the 2023 FEMA Urges Preparedness Ahead of Severe Weather press release.

FB-ISAO issued the More Early Severe Weather Is In Forecast Security Advisory to FB-ISAO members. The advisory discussed  the busiest severe weather May in the U.S. in 13 years and how the severe weather is expected to continue. The advisory provides planning recommendations and mitigation strategies.

To receive this Security Advisory and other alerts, join FB-ISAO.

CISA – National Internet Safety Month: This June, Take 4 Easy Steps to Stay Safe Online

From the CISA website:

Most of the time, cyberattacks occur due to poor cyber hygiene…the basics. Fortunately, there are four simple things we can all do to help protect ourselves and, by extension, others: 

• Use strong passwords. “Strong” means at least 16 characters, random, and unique to each account. Use a password manager to automatically generate, store, and fill in passwords for you.
• Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA). MFA provides an extra layer of security in addition to a password when logging into accounts and apps, like a fingerprint, a code from an authenticator app, or a code sent to your phone. Enable it on any account that offers it, especially your email, social media, and financial accounts.
• Update software.When devices, apps, or software programs notify us that updates are available, install them as soon as possible. Updates fix security risks to better protect our data. Turn on automatic updates to make it even easier.
• Recognize and report phishing. Learn to recognize signs of phishing—messages designed to trick you into downloading malware (malicious programs) or giving personal information to a criminal. If an offer is too good to be true, it’s probably social engineering. If the message is alarming and requires urgent action, it might be a phishing message.  Do not click or engage—report the phish and delete the message.

CISA’s Secure Our World website provides additional resources, including:

• Secure Yourself & Your Family | CISA
• Secure Your Business | CISA

Analyst Comments:

Cybersecurity can be complex, but Faith-Based Organizations and their members can take better cybersecurity steps by utilizing the four basic steps provided by CISA.