NJOHSP Announces Passing of Detective Lieutenant John Paige; NJOHSP Awards Reproductive Health Security Grants to Dozens of Providers; NJOHSP Seeks Volunteers to Improve its Website Navigation; Skimmers Target Retail Sector as Summer Sales Heat Up; UN Report Warns Al-Qaida, ISIS Presence Increasing in Afghanistan

It is with great sadness that the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness announces the sudden passing of Lt. John Paige. He was a devoted detective and exemplary member of the agency since July 2006. Prior to joining NJOHSP, Lt. Paige served as a special agent, including 17 years as a supervisory special agent, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation from May 1980 until June 2006. During his tenure with NJOHSP, Lt. Paige proudly served as the agency’s Interfaith Outreach Coordinator and was well known throughout the state for his dedicated service to the faith-based community and the residents of New Jersey. He was one of the original founding members of NJOHSP’s Interfaith Advisory Council, which now serves as a national model for states, diligently working to bridge the divide between law enforcement and religious and minority communities. “Lt. Paige touched many lives with his kindness, generosity, wisdom and humor,” said NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran. “He was a role model and a mentor to many, especially those who worked with him in the day-to-day outreach to the interfaith community. He saw the good in everyone and opened doors for so many who would have not otherwise met their full potential. He was always willing to lend a hand, offer a word of inspiration or add a little levity to the conversation. He had a big heart and a cheerful spirit that will be sorely missed by all who knew him. NJOHSP asks that the public keeps Lt. Paige’s family and friends in their thoughts and prayers.” In lieu of flowers, the Paige family asks donations be made in Lt. Paige’s memory to: The Boy Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America or YMCA of the USA.

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness awarded security funding to 28 eligible healthcare providers and facilities earlier this month as part of the State’s new $5 million Reproductive Health Security Grant Program. NJOHSP provided maximum awards of $100,000 in security-enhancing grant funding to eligible facilities that demonstrated a high-security risk and applied prior to the April 30 closing date. The initiative is designed to assist reproductive healthcare providers and facilities that may be targeted by violence, property damage, vandalism, harassment or similar illegal activities. “Given that ‘abortion-related extremists’ continue to pose a moderate threat to New Jersey, as outlined in NJOHSP’s 2023 Threat Assessment, this funding allocation by Governor Murphy is both a timely and a precautionary countermeasure to the current threat environment,” said NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran. “Equipping reproductive healthcare providers with the necessary resources, knowledge and tools will ultimately improve their cyber and physical security posture, helping to ensure the safety and peace of mind for both patients and staff.” Recipients may use funding to hire security personnel, purchase and install target-hardening equipment, for emergency planning activities and to procure cybersecurity assets.

A growing number of cyberattacks are targeting retailers and online consumers as summer sales heat up. Akamai researchers recently identified a new Magecart-style web skimming method used in attacks to steal personally identifiable information and credit card information from online shopping retailers. Unlike traditional Magecart attacks, however, recent campaigns employ new techniques to hijack websites and use those sites to further facilitate malicious code distribution. The threat actors use various evasion tactics, including masking the attack to resemble popular third-party services, and may potentially exploit known vulnerabilities found in common platforms that websites use, like Magento, WooCommerce and Shopify or other third-party services. Popular web security methods cannot detect these attacks, which are executed on the client side to prolong the attack. The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell recommends that online retail customers use electronic payment methods or virtual cards and set charge limits for their credit cards. Online customers are also encouraged to use credit cards over debit cards when shopping online, as they often have better consumer fraud protections. Additionally, NJCCIC advises consumers to enable payment charge notifications for every transaction on an account. If fraudulent activity is discovered, impacted users should lock the affected card, notify their banking institution and request a new payment card. More information regarding these attacks and other online retail threats can be found on the NJCCIC’s website.

A recent United Nations report based on member state intelligence warns that al-Qa’ida and ISIS are increasing significantly in numbers and capabilities in Afghanistan since the U.S. departure in August 2021. According to a U.N. sanction monitoring team’s report, al-Qa’ida and the Taliban maintain a symbiotic relationship “with al-Qa’ida viewing Taliban-administered Afghanistan a safe haven.” In contrast, the report found that Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, dissatisfied with Taliban rule, is taking advantage of the Taliban’s inability to establish control over remote areas. The group has grown to anywhere between 4,000 and 6,000 members, with strongholds in at least 13 provinces in addition to a network of sleeper cells that can reach Kabul, the country’s capital and largest city, and beyond. Al-Qa’ida reportedly has 30 to 60 senior officials based out of Afghanistan and an additional 400 fighters, 1,600 family members and a series of new training camps. U.S. officials, however, dispute the U.N. claims regarding both terror organizations. U.S. intelligence said the al-Qa’ida stats do not align with its analysis in several areas and assesses there are fewer than a dozen al-Qa’ida core members currently in Afghanistan. Analysts added that there has not been a senior al-Qaida core leader in the country since the U.S. killed then-leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in July 2022. As for ISIS-K, U.S. officials also disagree with the U.N.’s number of fighters and family members currently in the country saying the number is substantially inflated by the thousands. Independent analysts, noting that terrorist groups thrive amid instability, concur with the U.N. report.