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

Warm Start:

Main Topics:

Assassiination / Election Security: 

BEC.  Business Email Compromise: The $55 Billion Scam. The BEC scam continues to target small local businesses to larger corporations, and personal transactions while evolving in their techniques to access those business or personal accounts. Between December 2022 and December 2023, there was a 9% increase in identified global exposed losses. In 2023, the IC3 saw a growth in BEC reporting where funds were sent directly to a financial institution housing custodial accounts held by third-party payment processors, or peer-to-peer payment processors, and cryptocurrency exchanges which directly contributed to the increase in global exposed losses. IC3 data shows the BEC scam has been reported in all 50 states and 186 countries, with over 140 countries receiving fraudulent transfers. Based on the financial data reported to the IC3 for 2023, international banks located in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong often acted as an intermediary stop for funds, followed by China, Mexico, and the UAE. The following BEC statistics were reported to the FBI IC3, law enforcement and derived from filings with financial institutions between October 2013 and December 2023:

o   Domestic and international incidents: 305,033 

o   Domestic and international exposed dollar loss: $55,499,915,582

o   Total U.S. victims: 158,436 

o   Total U.S. exposed dollar loss: $20,089,561,364 

o   Total non-U.S. victims: 6,546 

o   Total non-U.S. exposed dollar loss: $1,638,490,375

All-Hazards. The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for. Experts warn this type of catastrophe — a combined power outage with a heat wave — is a scenario that cities and states are unprepared for. “I don’t think it’s likely — I think it’s an absolute certainty,” said Brian Stone, a professor and director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “I think it’s an absolute certainty that we will have an extreme heat wave and an extended blackout in the United States.”

Quick Hits: 

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

Warm Start:

 Press Release! Gate 15 Partners with Cyware to Enhance Cybersecurity and Homeland Security Resilience. Gate 15's Resilience and Intelligence Portal (GRIP) now leverages the robust capabilities available in Cyware's Collaborate platform to provide the homeland security community with all-hazards technology-enhanced, human-driven analysis products.

Main Topics:

Physical Threats, Notable Dates:

·       Pakistani National Charged for Plotting Terrorist Attack in New York City in Support of ISIS

·       Man Plotted to Kill Jews in New York on Oct. 7 Anniversary, U.S. Says

·       Man Arrested For Making Threats To Elected Officials

·       U.S. charges Hamas leaders with terrorism, citing Oct. 7 attack

Terrorgram Arrests

·       Leaders of Transnational Terrorist Group Charged with Soliciting Hate Crimes, Soliciting the Murder of Federal Officials, and Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

·       Feds say white supremacist leaders of "Terrorgram" group plotted assassinations, inspired attacks

Influence Ops

·       Justice Department Disrupts Covert Russian Government-Sponsored Foreign Malign Influence Operation Targeting Audiences in the United States and Elsewhere.

·       Info Ops: ODNI - Election Security Update as of Early September. Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November.

·       US seeks to reassure voters that presidential election will be safe.

·       Russia focusing on US social media stars to covertly influence voters

·       Treasury Takes Action as Part of a U.S. Government Response to Russia’s Foreign Malign Influence Operations

·       AP: Right-wing influencers were duped to work for covert Russian influence operation, US says

·       Conservative Podcasters Respond to Russian Influence Allegations

·       The Record: US indicts two RT employees for alleged Russian disinformation effort

·       TV Presenter Who Worked for Channel One Russia Charged with Violating U.S. Sanctions Imposed on Russia

·       2024's triple threats on election disinformation

·       TikTok: Continuing to protect the integrity of TikTok through the US elections

·       Chinese State-Linked Influence Operation Spamouflage Masquerades as U.S. Voters to Push Divisive Online Narratives Ahead of 2024 Election

·       Activists Charged With Pushing Russian Propaganda Go on Trial in Florida

·       AI-Fakes Detection Is Failing Voters in the Global South

·       Activists Charged With Pushing Russian Propaganda Go on Trial in Florida

Quick Hits:

More Russia:

o   FBI, CISA, NSA, and US and International Partners Release Advisory on Russian Military Cyber Actors Targeting US and Global Critical Infrastructure

o   Exclusive: US sees increasing risk of Russian ‘sabotage’ of key undersea cables by secretive military unit

Georgia: Apalachee High School Shooting:

o   14-Year-Old School Shooter Kills Four and Wounds Nine

o   At least nine people were injured. Here’s what else to know.

o   What we know about the Georgia high school shooting

o   Georgia High School Received Threat Warning Of Shooting Before Gunman Opened Fire: Report

o   Father of Teen Suspect Charged in Georgia School Shooting

o   Georgia school-shooting suspect struggled with mental health, aunt says

o   ASIS: Apalachee High School Shooting: What We Know

o   Georgia Gunman Colt Gray Was ‘Ridiculed’ and Called Gay by Bullies at School

o   Mother of Georgia suspect is said to have called school before shooting, warning of ‘emergency’

Sextortion

o   Sextortion Scams Now Include Photos of Your Home. 

o   Sextortion scam now use your "cheating" spouse’s name as a lure

o   Nigerian Brothers Sentenced in Sextortion Scheme that Resulted in Death of Teen

o   Nigerian brothers jailed in US for sextortion scam targeting teenagers

o   Four Delaware Men Charged with International “Sextortion” and Money Laundering Scheme

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

National Insider Threat Awareness Month!

·       Insider Threat! Employee arrested for locking Windows admins out of 254 servers in extortion plot

·       Insider Threat: Pa. church member accused of stealing $225K from congregation

·       GRIP: Insider Threat Awareness -Don't Let Errors Cost You, 28 August 2024

·       Palo Alto: Deepfake report: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/dynamics-of-deepfake-scams/

National Preparedness Month!

Election Security:

·       Man Charged with Threatening Election Officials, State Judge, and Federal Law Enforcement Agents

Donald Trump Assassination Updates:

o   Opening Statement to Media on Updates to the Butler, Pennsylvania, Assassination Attempt Investigation

o   FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge's Remarks to Media on Updates to the Butler, Pennsylvania, Assassination Attempt Investigation

o   Would-be Trump assassin saw ex-president as 'target of opportunity.'  

o   FBI releases photos of the gun used in Trump assassination attempt

·       DOD Will Provide Homeland With Support During Presidential Campaigns

·       US voters targeted in phishing campaign

·       When Get-Out-The-Vote Efforts Look Like Phishing

·       Intel officials say they anticipate more hacking attempts as US election nears

·       Election Security Partners Host 7th Annual Tabletop the Vote Exercise for 2024

Quick Hits:

·       Two Foreign Nationals Charged in Swatting Conspiracy Targeting Lawmakers, Private Victims, Houses of Worship, and Businesses

·       European terror attacks alarm US intelligence, NYPD briefing shows

·       CIA official: Suspects in foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows aimed to kill ‘tens of thousands.’

·       Solingen Stabbing Ignites Fears of Resurgent Jihadism Targeting Germany

·       CISA - Iran-based Cyber Actors Enabling Ransomware Attacks on US Organizations

·       Halliburton cyberattack linked to RansomHub ransomware gang

o   FBI: RansomHub ransomware breached 210 victims since February

o   US agencies warn against ransomware group behind hundreds of attacks in recent months

·       KnowBe4 Report Reveals Critical Infrastructure Under Siege with Cyber Attacks Increasing 30 Percent in One Year

·       Chinese government hackers penetrate U.S. internet providers to spy

o   Lumen: Taking The Crossroads: The Versa Director Zero-Day Exploitation

o   Chinese government hackers targeted U.S. internet providers with zero-day exploit, researchers say

o   China’s Volt Typhoon Hackers Caught Exploiting Zero-Day in Servers Used by ISPs, MSPs

·       Microsoft: Peach Sandstorm deploys new custom Tickler malware in long-running intelligence gathering operations

·       Cybercrime and sabotage cost German firms $300 bln in past year

·       France formally charges Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, over organized crime on messaging app

·       Worldwide Trends in COVID-19-Related Attacks Against Healthcare: A Review of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition Database

·       Kasada’s Releases 2024 State of Bot Mitigation Report

·       CISA Launches New Portal to Improve Cyber Reporting

·       Hate Group’s Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Reflects Anti-LGBTQ+ Conspiracy Theories

·       Recorded Future: H1 2024 Check Fraud Report: Geographic Trends and Threat Actor Patterns

In this final episode of Venue Security, The IAVM Podcast Series, Andy Jabbour talks with Byron K. Johnson II, Director of Public Safety and Security, with the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, which includes several venues in lovely Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Complex: “The City is proud to own and manage several marquee venues in the area. Whether you want to see a concert, host a convention, or catch a ballet, we’ve got you covered:

In the discussion Byron and Andy address the concept of a venue, its diverse range of facilities, common and specific risks, and the evolving nature of the industry. They also delved into the aspects of risk management, the importance of understanding unique risks associated with different types of events and facilities, and the role of technology in venue management. In closing, they emphasized the value of diverse perspectives in risk assessment and decision-making, the significance of leadership, and the importance of a strong reputation in the community. Plus:

Venue Security, The IAVM Podcast Series has been a collaboration between Gate 15 and the International Association of Venue Managers’ (IAVM) Venue Safety and Security Committee (VSSC) as Andy Jabbour speaks with special guests from the IAVM community. This episode is our last in this limited run series.

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

Warm Start:

CISA: Shaping the legacy of partnership between government and private sector globally: JCDC

Main Topics:

International Security Incidents:

Forgotten radios and missed warnings: New details emerge about communication failures before Trump rally shooting. The day before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, a tactical team of local police officers set aside radios for their Secret Service partners so the two agencies could communicate during the former president’s July 13 campaign rally. But those radios were never picked up.

Invest in Resilience! Cyber Resilience Overestimation Leads to Business Continuity Issues, Ransom Payments

Quick Hits:

From cybercrime to terrorism, FBI director says America faces many elevated threats 'all at once'

ASD’s ACSC, CISA, FBI, and NSA, with the support of International Partners Release Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection

Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office

VFC: Bomb Threats at Jewish Institutions

Bomb threats reported at more than 100 Canadian Jewish institutions

Oregon Man Charged in Swatting and Bomb Threats Scheme That Targeted Jewish Hospitals in New York City and Long Island

Arizona man in custody amid investigation into alleged threats to kill former President Donald Trump

Iran Tries To 'Storm' U.S. Election With Russian-Style Disinformation Campaign

Meta: Taking Action Against Malicious Accounts in Iran

How Russian Trolls Are Trying to Go Viral on X

Trump attorney was targeted by hackers, sources say

‘Several opportunities’ to prevent Maine mass shooting were missed, commission finds

International report confirms record-high global temperatures, greenhouse gases in 2023

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

Warm Start:

Three Main Topics.

Extremism and Physical Security:

Sabotage:

Cyber Resilience:

Quick Hits:

In this episode of The Gate 15 Interview, Andy Jabbour talks with Adam Vincent. Adam Vincent is the Founder & CEO at Bricklayer AI. Bricklayer AI is the first generative AI solution that brings autonomous AI agents and human experts into a single collaborative and effective security team. Bricklayer AI’s security-trained, generative AI agents execute critical security roles, operations, and procedures, empowering organizations to enhance the scale, speed, and sophistication of their security operations, investigate incidents faster and more thoroughly, enrich and analyze threat intelligence more completely, and enforce compliance standards continuously. Additionally, Adam has a long history of delivering leadership to early-stage companies to drive the development and launch of innovative products, create strategic GTM plans to capture explosive growth, enable sales and marketing, accelerate revenues, and increase profitability. Among his notable achievements, Adam:

Bricklayer AI is the first AI cybersecurity solution that enables autonomous AI specialists to work alongside human experts, to run a smarter, faster, and more effective security operations team. With Bricklayer AI, multiple independent AIs collaborate and use AI tools to accomplish complex cybersecurity procedures, all controlled using natural language. AI Security Analysts, AI Threat Intelligence Analysts, and AI Incident Responders add speed, augment and accelerate security teams’ capabilities in order to stay ahead of today’s most sophisticated AI-enabled threats. Learn more at bricklayer.ai.

In the discussion Adam and Andy discuss:

Selected links:

In this week's Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered to following topics: 

Taylor Swift Terrorism Threat:

·       Two held in Vienna over Taylor Swift concert threat

·       Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna canceled after Austrian police say foiled terrorist plot targeted shows

·       Officials say suspects in foiled plot at Taylor Swift shows hoped to kill as many people as possible

·       Taylor Swift ISIS suspects ‘hired as guards’ wanted ‘to bomb gig & mow down fans’ before terror plot foiled by US spies

·       Taylor Swift concert terror suspect, 17, began working at venue days before foiled plot, say police

·       Alleged Taylor Swift terror plot fits a worrying trend as ISIS targets teens online

·       Suspect in Taylor Swift Vienna concert plot confessed to planning suicide attack, officials say

·       Taylor Swift ISIS bombing suspect pictured holding dual knives as chilling details of terrorist plot revealed

·       After Vienna threat: Music venues as terrorist targets

·       Taylor Swift concert terror plot suspect sought to kill self and 'as many people as possible,' officials say

·       Iraqi teen held in Vienna after Taylor Swift attack plot foiled

·       Officials say suspects in foiled plot at Taylor Swift shows hoped to kill as many people as possible

Hurricanes & Severe Weather. 

·       CSU's 2024 Atlantic seasonal hurricane forecast was released on 4 April and updated on 6 August

·       NOAA: Highly active hurricane season likely to continue in the Atlantic

·       Debby finally moves out of the US, some flooding risk and power outages remain

·       NOAA: Nation hit with record heat, wildfires and Hurricane Beryl in July

Election Security & Broader Considerations

·       Microsoft: Iran Targeting 2024 US Election. 

·       Iran uses fake news sites to interfere in U.S. election, Microsoft says

·       We received internal Trump documents from ‘Robert.’ Then the campaign confirmed it was hacked

·       Trump campaign says it is victim of foreign hack after leak of Vance report

·       The Hacking of Presidential Campaigns Begins, With the Usual Fog of Motives

·       DOJ: Pakistani National with Ties to Iran Charged in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate a Politician or U.S. Government Officials

o   Pakistani national with ties to Iran charged in connection to a foiled assassination plot potentially targeting Trump

·       Winchester Man Arrested for Making Threats Against Vice President

·       Virginia man charged with threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris

·       CAIR Welcomes Charges Against Man Who Allegedly Made Death Threats Targeting VP Harris, Previously Threatened Muslims

Quick Hits:

·       CrowdStrike: Channel File 291 Incident: Root Cause Analysis is Available. Read the findings, mitigations and technical details of the Channel File 291 incident.

·       Ransomware & Data Breaches: 

o   Ransomware in 2024: More Attacks, More Leaks, and Increased Sophistication.

o   Rapid7: Rapid7’s Ransomware Radar Report Shows Threat Actors are Evolving …Fast.

·       Royal Ransomware Actors Rebrand as “BlackSuit,” FBI and CISA Release Update to Advisory

·       Justice Department Disrupts North Korean Remote IT Worker Fraud Schemes Through Charges and Arrest of Nashville Facilitator

·       Research Report: Internet-Connected Industrial Control Systems (Part One)

·       White House working on cyber insurance policy proposal for ‘catastrophic’ incidents

·       Hackers leak 2.7 billion data records with Social Security numbers

·       On the Adoption of the UN Convention Against Cybercrime

·       DOJ: Assault of Congregants Outside a Washington D.C. Synagogue Charged as a Federal Hate Crime

·       U.S.: SEC ends probe into MOVEit attacks impacting 95 million people

·       Critical Infrastructure: Rewards for Justice: CyberAv3ngers.

·       White House cyber czar touts regulatory harmonization bill advancing through Congress

In the latest episode of Nerd Out, Dave and Alec looked at some recent security concerns related to venues including the cancellation of Taylor Swift concerts in Austria, and sabotage surround the Olympics. Then they moved to the 2/3 of the year awards - congratulations to our winners!

Then the nerds go all in on the season and the finale's of the Acolyte and House of the Dragon.

Some of the references from the above topics include:

T Swift Plot

French Infrastructure Attacks

In this week's Security Sprint, Dave covered the following topics:

Warm Start. Sheriff's Office hosts summit focusing on safety at houses of worship

Main Topics.