Reposted from CISA

The National Cyber Awareness System provides situational awareness to technical and non-technical audiences by providing timely information about cybersecurity threats and issues and general security topics. Products include technical alerts, control systems advisories and reports, weekly vulnerability bulletins, and tips on cyber hygiene best practices. Subscribers can select to be notified when products of their choosing are published. Five products in the National Cyber Awareness System offer a variety of information for users with varied technical expertise. Those with more technical interest can read the Alerts, Analysis Reports, Current Activity, or Bulletins. Users looking for more general-interest pieces can read the Tips. A subscription to any or all of the National Cyber Awareness System products ensures that you have access to timely information about security topics and threats.

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Reposted from CISA/DHS

On January 5, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the release of a new resource titled, Personal Security Considerations Action Guide: Critical Infrastructure Workers. Designed for critical infrastructure workers, this new resource provides actionable recommendations and resources intended to prevent and mitigate threats to critical infrastructure workers’ personal safety, both on and off the job.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

Human trafficking affects millions across the globe. Each January, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Center for Countering Human Trafficking’s (CCHT) Blue Campaign recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month (HTPM) to raise awareness of and combat this heinous crime.

January 11 marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, also known as #WearBlueDay. On this day, Blue Campaign invites individuals and offices to:

• Wear blue, the international color of human trafficking awareness, to state your commitment to help save lives. Need inspiration? See how other organizations have participated.
• Post a photo or video of yourself, or with your colleagues, on your personal or organization’s social media channels using the hashtag #WearBlueDay. You can also download ready-to-use #WearBlueDay graphics and captions to post on your social channels to spread the word. Don’t forget to tag @DHSBlueCampaign.
• Encourage your colleagues, friends, and family to do the same.

First responders are in a unique position to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, due to the many ways they interface with the public. In addition to promoting public awareness and engagement, the Blue Campaign also provides resources and training to help first responders, disaster responders, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and appropriately respond to possible cases. 

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Reposted from CISA

CISA has published the finalized Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines, designed to bolster the security and resilience of organizations’ Microsoft 365 (M365) cloud services. This guidance release is accompanied by the updated SCuBAGear tool that assesses organizations’ M365 cloud services per CISA’s recommended baselines. Today’s release incorporates stakeholder input from last year’s public comment period and pilot effort with federal agencies. Changes to the draft Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines were integrated with the SCuBAGear tool, which is also now more automated to reduce organization effort. CISA thanks all whose input took this guidance from a series of best practices to actionable policies and made the SCuBAGear tool easier to use.

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Reposted from CISA

On January 9, 2024, at 1:00 PM (ET), The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Emergency Services Sector Management Team (ES SMT) will host an Unclassified,  U//FOUO/LES  threat briefing and discussion on US Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators. This briefing will be provided by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). A Q&A session will follow the briefing. Briefing Description: The U.S. and other Western nations face a heightened threat from violent extremists motivated by a broad range of ideologies. The 2021 US Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators booklet and presentation provides a catalog of observable behaviors that could signal whether individuals or groups are pursuing violent extremist activities. These indicators were developed based on a review of FBI terrorism information, peer-reviewed academic studies, and analytic exchanges among Intelligence Community and law enforcement professionals. These indicators are intended to aid law enforcement and first responder investigative and detection efforts in order to prevent a violent act from occurring. In short, it is meant to help identify the “something” in, “See something, say something.” 

Agenda:

• Pathways to violent extremism
• What does a violent extremist look like?
• What does suspicious activity look like?
• Key uses of this resource
• Risk Factors, Labels, and the Indicators
• The importance of Observers
• Case Studies

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Reposted from NPR

In the weeks since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and destroyed thousands of homes in the territory.

And there have also been tremendous losses to the region's ancient and globally significant cultural heritage. The region was a hub for commerce and culture under Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine rule. It remained influential for centuries thereafter. A recent survey by the group Heritage for Peace details the damage done so far to more than 100 of these landmarks in Gaza since the start of the present conflict.

The casualties include the Great Omari Mosque, one of the most important and ancient mosques in historical Palestine; the Church of Saint Porphyrius, thought to be the third oldest church in the entire world; a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery in northern Gaza excavated only last year; and the Rafah Museum, a space in southern Gaza which was dedicated to teaching about the territory's long and multi-layered heritage — until it was hammered by airstrikes early on in the conflict.

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Reposted from Washington Post

Howard University is investigating a break-in and alleged vandalism, posted on social media, of a campus building that holds historical documents and other archival material. It was unclear whether any of the materials were stolen or damaged.

The now-deleted video, which Thomas had copied before it was removed and shared with The Washington Post, features three people walking into the abandoned building, commenting on old photos hanging on a wall, stained glass windows, books that were more than 100 years old, abandoned dorm rooms and “this sick broken statue” — a headless torso that a member of the group sprayed with a fire extinguisher they had found. The building appears neglected, with fallen tiles and papers strewn across floors. The account holder who posted the video — who described themselves as a “history enthusiast/explorer” on Instagram — posted an Instagram story on Saturday in which they defended the video and exploration, saying the goal was to create awareness of neglected historical items. The account also posted direct messages they said they had received thanking the group for highlighting the neglected state of the archives. The poster also said the video was made “a while back” and that it was clear they weren’t the first to explore the building. “Those of you worried about the individual spraying a fire extinguisher in my post should focus on the current state of the place,” the story said. A message seeking an interview with the account’s owner was not returned Saturday. Thomas said the video showed callousness toward what should have been treated as priceless relics documenting the history and experiences of African Americans. But he said the incident should serve as a wake-up call for the university to discover all important documents, artwork, relics and other archival material that remains vulnerable to theft, erosion or vandalism.

The materials were left in the building when the School of Divinity moved to the West Campus because of the limited capacity of the school’s new space, Gilbert said in the letter. The university had prioritized the items, moving materials important to the school’s coursework and accreditation first, as well as “high-value collections of art, administrative files, and other archival materials.” “The remainder of the school’s possessions continued to be stored at Mays Hall due to limited capacity of the school’s new space,” he said. The university has been working since 2017 to redevelop the site and have been working with the preservationists to designate much of the area the building sits on as a historic landmark district, Gilbert said.

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Reposted from The Guardian

Detectives arrested a man last night on suspicion of the theft of a Banksy Street sign worth up to £500,000 that was stolen in London less than an hour after being confirmed as a genuine installation. The Metropolitan police said they had deployed detectives to investigate after a council in south-east London asked them to help find the stolen artwork. The piece – a red stop sign with three military drones on it – appeared on the corner of Commercial Way, Peckham, on Friday morning – with Banksy confirming its credentials just after midday. However, footage on social media showed two men with a bolt cutter appearing shortly afterwards to carry out a brazen theft, making no attempt to hide their identities as witnesses filmed them. Footage shows one of them wrenching the sign off the post before running away clutching the artwork. The Met said earlier in the day: “We have received a report of theft and inquiries are ongoing. This incident is being investigated by officers from the Met’s central south CID.” Later they said that a man, arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, remained in custody and investigations were ongoing. Jasmine Ali, from Southwark Council said yesterday: “I have every confidence they will get it back. We are not just talking about a street sign here, it is a work of art which was put there for the community. It is street art, and it is for the people.” It also emerged that the council had already replaced the road sign to avoid potential traffic accidents. Ulrich Blanché, a street art expert at Heidelberg University in Germany, believes the installation’s location in Commercial Way close to a funeral director, along with the drones – which appear to be military Reapers – suggests a critique of the global arms trade. 

Many of Banksy’s Instagram followers interpreted his latest work as calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. One gallery owner has said the artwork could be worth up to £500,000. John Brandler, whose Essex gallery sells Banksy’s works, said: “It could easily be higher. The media attention has made it more valuable.” Similar drone art appeared at Banksy’s Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem in 2017, which the artist said had “the worst view of any hotel in the world” – in a reference to Israel’s controversial wall in the West Bank. The artist has installed other pieces this year including Valentine’s Day Mascara, a mural weighing 3.8 Tonnes that appeared on the side of a house in Margate, Kent. It depicted a 1950s housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth, wearing an apron and yellow washing-up gloves, and throwing a man into a chest freezer. In September it was placed in the foyer of The Art of Banksy exhibition in central London, where it can be viewed for free.

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Reposted from US Attorney's Office-District of Columbia

A New York woman pleaded guilty today to one count of causing injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit in the May 26, 2023, defacement of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer, Age Fourteen. Joanna Smith, 54, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.  According to the government’s evidence, Smith, along with other co-conspirators, traveled to Washington D.C., to smear red and black paint on the National Gallery of Art permanent exhibition of Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, a sculpture created by Degas in 1881. Smith and a co-conspirator previously had conducted research on the piece and specifically targeted it. Before entering the National Gallery, the duo recorded video statements explaining their intent. Smith and the co-conspirator passed through security undetected with paint secreted inside water bottles. The duo approached the exhibit, removed the bottles from their bags, and began smearing paint on the case and base surrounding Little Dancer, Age Fourteen. Smith delivered statements telling onlookers why she was undertaking the action as paint dripped from the exhibit onto the surrounding floor. Following the action, the National Gallery was required to remove the sculpture from public display for 10 days. Gallery officials said it cost over $4,000 to repair the damage. Judge Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for Apr. 3, 2024. The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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