Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 21 November 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.

A neo-Nazi turf war may have just flared in Columbus, Ohio. Jewish, Black and elected leaders won’t stand for it

Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and across the United States. Hate Club, a newly formed White supremacist organization tracked by the Anti-Defamation League, may have been engaging in a turf war when about a dozen members paraded Saturday through the Short North neighborhood wearing all black with red face masks, an executive of the anti-hate group told CNN.

Analyst Comments

The daytime march – past a clothing boutique, a salon and a cookie bakery – erupted as events organized or attended by White supremacists in the United States hit a new high in 2023, the Anti-Defamation League reported. Public gatherings of White nationalists or people with Nazi flags have unfolded in recent years in Nashville, New Hampshire, Boston, Virginia, Michigan and Washington, DC. Columbus Police Chief Elaine R. Bryant acknowledged Monday in a statement, “no one in our community should experience intimidation or harassment. We will continue to strive to make Columbus a city where all residents feel welcome and safe.”

The Department of Justice maintains a webpage with details on how to report a hate crime.

Multiple Catholic-Affiliated Organizations Victims of Ransomware

For those members who receive the daily Ransomware Data Leak Sites Report which is published to subscribing members each day, you may have noticed a Catholic high school in Virginia and a New York Catholic charity that provides senior caregiving services of Rhysida and SAFEPAY Ransomware groups.

Analyst Comments

Monitoring the daily ransomware report provides situational awareness of the evolving ransomware threat. In addition to being able to see specific threat groups that are targeting faith-based organizations, it’s possible to see incidents that may have impacted vendors or other third parties. See below for more information on Rhysida and SAFEPAY.

Rhysida:

• Outmaneuvering Rhysida: How Advanced Threat Intelligence Shields Critical Infrastructure from Ransomware
• HHS: Rhysida Ransomware Profile

SAFEPAY:

• Upstart SafePay ransomware group uses LockBit builder, claims 22 victims
• It’s Not Safe to Pay SafePay

Additional ransomware headlines include:

• Ransomware Group Cooperation: A Growing Challenge in the Fight Against Cybercrime
• Attackers Targeting VPNs Account for 28.7 Percent of Ransomware Incidents in Q3 According to Corvus Insurance Cyber Threat Report