Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 20 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.

Rabbis speak out after more than 50 bomb threats sent to Florida synagogues

Two prominent South Florida rabbis are speaking out after reports that bomb threats were sent by email to more than 50 synagogues in Florida on Tuesday. Authorities say anti-Semitic incidents have increased dramatically since Hamas attacked Israel last October 7th. The Anti-Defamation League said there were 463 anti-Semitic incidents in Florida in 2023.

Analyst Comments:

On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis said the state had provided more funding than ever for security to curb anti-Semitic incidents. He said, “Florida is prepared. We have put out money where our mouth is and if you are going to try to bring that to our state you are going to end up hitting a brick wall.”

What to Do: Bomb Threats: This CISA guidance document provides an overview of bomb threats and some recommended practices to mitigate the impacts associated with these threats. While these threats can be connected to actual acts of violence in which explosives are used, they are increasingly used as a tactic to disrupt, distract, or harass locations or organizations. The operational, financial, and psychological impacts that bomb threats can have on a location, an organization, an event, a community, and personnel can be dangerous and costly, even if no explosive device is present.

Hacktivism is evolving – and that could be bad news for organizations everywhere

Hacktivism surged back into mainstream consciousness with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Less than two years later, politically-motivated groups and individuals were out in force again, this time ostensibly to make their point amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Worryingly, hacktivists have been spotted using increasingly sophisticated and aggressive tactics to bring their agendas to public attention.

Analyst Comments: 

At its most basic, hacktivism is the act of launching cyberattacks for political or social reasons. As an indication of the seriousness with which it is now viewed, the Red Cross last year issued eight rules for “civilian hackers” operating during wartime, all while noting that hacktivists are increasingly causing disruption to non-military targets such as hospitals, pharmacies and banks.

The current Israel-Hamas conflict has drawn unprecedented numbers of activists onto streets around the world. And, in lockstep, it has led to a surge in online activity. While we continue to encourage member organizations to be mindful of targeted violence, vandalism, protest activity, and other physical security concerns that have been heightened from the Israel-Hamas conflict, it is important to remember that the ongoing war is a driver of cyber attacks as well. Members are encouraged to get engaged in the FB-ISAO Slack Workspace in order to engage in daily conversations around threats of all kinds.