DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas says the country is in a “heightened threat environment” and that the agency was acting accordingly to protect houses of worship.
Many faith-based institutions across the country are preparing for a busy holiday season, and the Department of Homeland Security has issued guidance intended to help with security—and no, leaving cookies out for hackers won’t help.
Focused mainly on real-world threats, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities guide, released Dec. 6, also includes tips for online protection.
Threat detector. In a press release accompanying the release of the report, DHS noted that rising tensions around places of worship in the US are due in part to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The agency said it has recently increased coordination with “hundreds of community leaders” in “faith-based communities” around the country.
DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement that the country is in a “heightened threat environment” and that the agency was acting accordingly to protect houses of worship.
“The physical security performance goals we are releasing today provide churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith-based institutions with cost-effective, accessible, and readily implementable strategies to enhance their security and reduce the risk to their communities,” Mayorkas said. “I strongly urge all faith-based institutions to take advantage of this new resource and incorporate the security practices it outlines.”
Locked down. According to the guidance, assessing and addressing security deficiencies online is part of enhancing personal security. So is keeping a tight lid on information leaks.
Making sure information is on a need-to-know basis is necessary for protecting places of worship.
CISA recommends making sure apps you install are from reputable sources, regularly checking email for “suspicious content,” and updating devices as necessary. The agency also calls for “utilizing third-party vendors to scrub online presence” as a further step and urges caution when posting location information or meeting times online. When live streaming, the guidance cautions, “limit information…to only what needs to be conveyed.”