Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 7 May 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.

Resources from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

The following two Canadian Centre for Cyber Security websites can assist Faith-Based Organizations that do not have robust cybersecurity resources.  

1: An introduction to the cyber threat environment – Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

This introduction to the cyber threat environment is provided by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. The item is one of several on their Information for individuals website.

The website provides an introductory level explanation of the cyber threat environment, including:

• Cyber threat
• Cyber threat actors
  • Types of cyber threat actors and their motivations
  • Sophistication
• Cyber threat surface
• Cyber threat targets, impacts, and activities
  • The targets of cyber threat activity
  • The impacts of cyber threat activity
  • How cyber threat actors operate
  • Identifying cyber threat activity
• Glossary of common tools and techniques that are used by threat actors

An Introduction to the Cyber Threat Environment pdf is also provided.

2: Common employee IT security challenges (ITSAP.00.005)

The Common employee IT security challenges website explains the following cybersecurity challenges faced by employees and provides measures to reduce risks.

• Falling for phishing attempts
• Choosing poor Wi-Fi security
• Mishandling sensitive information
• Failing to use your mobile device securely
• Having poor password practices
• Downloading unauthorized applications

Analyst Comments:

While the material from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is developed for Canadians, all the material is very useful for Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) and members of any nationality. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security regularly provides quality cybersecurity information and guidance. Cybersecurity personnel of all levels and individual members of FBOs should consider reviewing the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security website.

Northern District of Ohio | Forum provides best practices and resources to prevent and respond to hate crimes that target religious institutions | US DOJ

DOJ’s “Protecting Places of Worship” forum is a free in-person event.

From the press release:

“Protecting Places of Worship” is a half-day forum that will provide information about religion-focused hate crimes; how to best report such incidents; federal and state hate crimes laws; law enforcement threat assessments; ways to protect places of worship from potential hate crimes and other threats of violence; and other strategies for combatting hate and extremism. This program brings together federal and local law enforcement, federal and local prosecuting attorneys, civil rights organizations, and community organizations to discuss these issues. The forum’s goal is to share strategies and other information to help communities of faith effectively address and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes that affect their places of worship.

Event info:

• Date: Wednesday, May 29
• Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 3290 E. 126th St., Cleveland, OH 44120
• Register: call the Public Affairs Officer of the United States Attorney’s Office at 216-622-3807

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• Pro-Palestinian protesters break through barricades to retake MIT encampment
• Penn’s interim president says pro-Palestinian encampment is ‘causing fear for many’

• Police Remove Encampment at University of Chicago