NJOHSP Hosts Inaugural Counter-Threat Coordinator Retreat; NJCCIC Cautions Public of Mobile Device Risks; Congress Looks to Extend Government Surveillance Program

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness hosted a retreat Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 for its county and municipal counter-threat coordinators. "For two days, OHSP joined its federal, State and county partners for its inaugural Counter-Threat Coordinators retreat in Princeton, New Jersey,” said NJOHSP Intelligence and Operations Division Director Tom Hauck. “This program strengthened our partnerships and facilitated enhanced communication, coordination and integration in addressing the ever-increasing targeted violence, counterintelligence and cyber threats to the state of New Jersey." Hauck noted that the Intelligence and Operations Division updated the CTC job title from counterterrorism coordinator to counter-threat coordinator. The change more accurately reflects the evolving role of CTCs as they adapt to an expanding threat environment. New Jersey's County CTCs serve as the point of contact for terrorism, targeted violence and counterintelligence for each of their respective counties. The two-day program provided the group with information on targeted violence and NJOHSP’s newly established New Jersey State Threat Assessment Team. NJSTAT is a state level team that uses the concepts of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management to assist local and county teams in the prevention of targeted violence. CTCs also received information on the Counterintelligence Task Force, a partnership between the FBI Counterintelligence Division and NJOHSP. This partnership focuses on nation-state actors, such as China, Russia, Iran and the like, whose purpose is to disrupt federal and New Jersey government operations and to steal intellectual property from private-sector and government partners.

Mobile devices offer convenience and connection. However, since they transmit and store data, threat actors can use them to compromise networks, devices or accounts. Unpatched vulnerabilities in mobile devices increase those risks. Additionally, mobile devices, routinely connected to home networks, may introduce vulnerabilities and other risks when connected to corporate networks. Therefore, users should employ cybersecurity best practices and ensure mobile devices are properly protected and secured. The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell recommends users and organizations research reviews and assess the risks of using software, applications and services on mobile devices, as well as review permissions and privacy policies, download applications from official trusted sources and keep apps and devices up to date. NJCCIC also advises users to apply cybersecurity best practices and review the NJCCIC instructional guides and the National Cybersecurity Alliance web page for configuring privacy and security settings. For more information, visit the NJCCIC website.

Congress is preparing for a four-month extension for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows law enforcement to monitor Americans without a warrant. The extension will give lawmakers more time to either reform or keep the program in place. The provision is tucked into the 2,353rd page of the more than 3,000-page National Defense Authorization Act. Supporters, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, argue Section 702 is a critical tool for safeguarding national security. Wray told a Senate committee Dec. 5 that losing Section 702 would be "devastating" to law enforcement's ability to counter cyber and terrorism threats. Critics, however, claim that loopholes allow the FBI to search the data it collects from Americans, as opposed to information from foreign adversaries, without proper justification. According to a July 2023 court opinion, FBI employees wrongly searched foreign surveillance data for the last names of a U.S. senator and a state senator while another FBI employee ran a query using the Social Security number of a state judge who complained about alleged civil rights violations. House Speaker Mike Johnson said representatives will weigh various proposed changes and extensions, including those proposed for section 702, with the goal of drafting "a final reform bill that can be passed in both chambers."