Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 26 April 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.

Judge Advises Dismissal of CommonSpirit Breach Lawsuit

A second federal judge has recommended the dismissal of a second proposed class action lawsuit against Catholic hospital chain CommonSpirit over a 2022 cyberattack and data breach that affected nearly 624,000 people. Both judges said the plaintiffs failed to show how they were harmed by the breach.

Analyst Comments:

Despite the rulings in the CommonSpirit cases, other recent proposed class action suits in data security and privacy cases have succeeded in defeating defendants’ “routine lack-of-standing challenges.”

For example, in January, a California federal judge denied for a second time Meta’s motion to dismiss consolidated class action litigation alleging that the social media giant unlawfully collected patient data from the websites of hospitals and other providers through the use of its Pixel tracking tool.

The Growing Pro-Palestinian Protest Movement, Visualized

Hundreds of students have been arrested after setting up encampments on school grounds and demanding their institutions call for a cease-fire in Gaza and divest their endowments away from companies associated with Israel.

Analyst Comments:

The protests can easily spread from college campuses to surrounding communities where houses of worship may be located. Members are encouraged to maintain situational awareness of local civil unrest and maintain proactive communication with congregations to help keep both the facility secure and personnel safe. We are again sharing the CISA resource, “Protecting Infrastructure During Public Demonstrations”. Risk mitigation suggestions include:

• Establishing direct communication with local law enforcement, including fusion centers, to understand when demonstrations have the potential to become or involve unlawful acts, as well as what threats to businesses and residents might exist in the protest environment.
• Closing their business for the day.
• Identifying scheduled local demonstrations and adjusting business hours.
• Maintaining emergency plans that include evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.
• If businesses are tenants, working with building owners on security preparations, to include shutting down power, water, and ventilation.
• Removing valuables from plain view and increasing the visual security of your business to deter a criminal act.
• Establishing perimeters around the facility to restrict access.
• Within the perimeter, removing items that could be thrown through windows, and locking trash receptacles.
• Blocking access to non-window openings such as mechanical vents to prevent forcible entry.
• Securing and monitoring emergency exit doors.
• Purchasing general liability and property insurance to cover loss, damage, or theft.
• Avoiding the obstruction or provocation of protesters.
• Ensuring closed-circuit television cameras are operable and facility is properly lighted.
• Hiring security guards and increasing security presence during demonstrations

Additional reading:

• Police allegedly use rubber bullets and teargas at university protest in Georgia
• Over 100 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested at USC, University of Texas
• Pro-Palestinian student protests highlight lessons learned from past demonstrations