This DAP highlights – 400 Attacks on U.S. Catholic Churches Since May 2020. Coalition of US states to file lawsuit after Musk's DOGE gains access to Americans' personal data, and CISA Active Assailant Emergency Action Plan. The 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.
Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 17 January 2025
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.
LA Wildfire Updates
There have been multiple new developments in the series of wildfires targeting the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, including:
- $250 Billion in Damages. Estimates by AccuWeather currently put the economic cost of the Los Angeles wildfires between $250 and $275 billion, with the high property value areas affected by the disaster contributing significantly to the estimate. If true, this would make the Los Angeles wildfires one of the most expensive natural disasters ever.
- Wildfire-Related Phishing Scams Proliferate. Veriti is reporting on online activity demonstrating multiple threat actors taking advantage of the wildfire’s topicality. Fake wildfire-related domains are being registered as part of targeted phishing campaigns.
- ISIS calls for fire attacks. Issue 478 of ISIS’s al-Naba publication calls for lone actors to conduct arson attacks in the United States, including setting fire in natural forests during dry seasons.
Analyst Comments:
In a recent Public Service Announcement, the FBI recommended the following tips to prevent charitable fraud.
- Do your own research before you donate to anything. Confirm the validity of any charitable opportunity.
- Be suspicious of online communications claiming to be from individuals affected by the events and seeking immediate financial assistance.
- Recognize that pressure to “act fast” might be a sign of a scam.
- Do not send payments to unknown individuals or organizations asking for financial assistance.
- Do not communicate with or open texts, posts, emails, attachments, or links from unknown individuals posing as entities soliciting charitable donations or humanitarian aid.
- Review email headers and domain information to evaluate legitimacy. Emails from official organizations almost never will come from free email services. IP addresses can reveal if the information is originating from overseas. Domain names and IP addresses’ current registration information may be available through the registry at ICANN.orgif it was not restricted by the domain or IP address owner.
- If an unknown individual contacts you, do not release any financial or personal identifying information (PII), and do not send any money.
- If you have already donated funds and believe you are a victim of a scheme, do not pay additional fees or taxes to obtain a refund of your money. Do not pay for any services that claim they can recover lost funds.
- Do not use debit, gift, or prepaid cards for payment.
DC Prepares for Presidential Inauguration
In the aftermath of the violence seen on January 6th, 2021, commercial real estate professionals in Washington, DC are significantly increasing protections as hundreds of thousands of visitors, supporters, and protesters are expected to be in the city for President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The inauguration occurs on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday that keeps many Washington-area workers home. Yet nearly a quarter of a million ticketed guests are set to attend the inauguration, J. Thomas Manger, chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said in a public safety briefing. Thousands are also expected at the People’s March on Saturday and for the We Fight Back rally on Inauguration Day. And Trump is scheduled to hold a rally the day before his inauguration.
Analyst Comments:
There are currently 28 demonstrations that the U.S. Secret Service is tracking via open source research. Detail of those demonstrations have been uploaded to the FB-ISAO Slack Workspace.
Additional Reading
More Faith-Based Stories
“Like Brenton”: Tennessee Man Arrested for Mass Shooting Plot at Mosque
Suspected arsonist wanted after Nashville church fire
Man arrested for setting fire to Winnsboro church
‘Goyim Defense League’ (GDL) Member Harasses Jewish Organization in Tennessee
From Baptist churches to Buddhist temples, religious groups volunteer for fire victims
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, send an email to [email protected].
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