Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 26 March 2025

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.  

Weekly Security Sprint EP 104. It happened to them and can happen to you 

The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.   

In this week’s Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered the following topics:

• Managing Communications 
• Phishing 
• White House  

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found here.  

Exclusive: Secretive Chinese network tries to lure fired federal workers, research shows 

A secretive Chinese network of fake consulting and headhunting firms have been targeting recently laid-off U.S. government employees, trying to recruit them for unknown purposes. The network, which includes companies with suspiciously similar digital footprints, aims to exploit financial vulnerabilities of former federal workers. While it’s unclear if these firms are linked to the Chinese government, experts believe the goal may be to gather intelligence from vulnerable workers. The Chinese embassy denied involvement, while U.S. officials warned of espionage attempts by foreign governments. The network’s recruitment ads were posted on various job platforms.  

Analyst Comments: This could be seen as a potential threat to the U.S. national security. The recruitment of former federal workers could provide China with valuable intelligence, especially given the workers’ previous roles within government agencies. Given the amount of lay-offs from the Federal government, there have likely been people impacted within your house of worship. Members are encouraged to help raise awareness of this potential threat within their communities.

CISA April 2025 Conflict Prevention Webinar Series  

CISA will be hosting a 30-minute webinar on April 9th from 1:30-2:00 PM EST titled “Introduction to Conflict Prevention Techniques and Resources” where recipients will receive a brief introduction to CISA’s Conflict Prevention techniques and resources which can be used to enhance the safety and security of people, facilities, and communities by empowering users to prevent incidents of targeted violence. This webinar is intended for supervisors, security managers, and public safety training officials. 

Objectives: 

• Introduce concepts and core elements of conflict prevention 
• Become familiar with the Pathway to Violence 
• Discuss resources organizations can utilize to help identify and report suspicious behavior and activity to enhance security preparedness 

Click Here to Register 

Additionally, CISA will host a webinar on “Conflict Prevention Strategies to Deter Acts of Targeted Violence” on April 23rd at 1:30-2:30 PM EST. Webinar attendees will become familiar with the principles of conflict prevention and gain a more in-depth understanding of effective de-escalation approaches which can be used to help diffuse a volatile situation. This webinar is intended for staff members and others interested in receiving foundational training on de-escalation topics. 

Objectives: 

• Introduce a baseline of the current threat landscape 
• Share insights on conflict prevention strategies and considerations to prevent incidents of targeted violence 
• Gain an understanding for the importance of situational awareness 

Click Here to Register

Threats to Faith-Based Organizations and Communities Briefing (Rescheduled) 

•  Tuesday, April 1, 2025 
• 1:00-2:00PM PST / 4pm EST 

 Faith-based communities, organizations, and institutions face heightened threats of targeted violence and terrorism. The Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) and DHS Intelligence & Analysis (I&A) are hosting a briefing for Faith-Based Organization and Communities. You can find more information about the event and how to register located on the FB-ISAO Slack. This is the rescheduling of the briefing which was originally planned for 25 March.