‘Operation Blaze Quell’ Enhances Maritime Firefighting Readiness; NJCCIC: Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack Highlights Far Reaching Impacts of Cyber Incidents; FBI Seeks Iranian Intel Officer Plotting to Assassinate US Officials

Officials from 53 diverse federal, State and local agencies and organizations, including the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, participated Feb. 29 in “Operation Blaze Quell,” a tabletop maritime emergency response exercise to strengthen shipboard firefighting capabilities. The Port Liberty Container Terminal in Bayonne and Jersey City hosted the training exercise, which highlighted the collaborative effort among regional first responders and partners. Two private-sector subject matter experts, respectively from the Texas-based Donjon-Smit Salvage and the Tri-State Maritime Safety Association, were on hand to ensure that the operation addressed real-world challenges while providing solutions to improve the preparedness and capabilities of maritime firefighting teams. The tabletop established a standard for future exercises and contributed to creating a safer environment for all stakeholders.

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NJOHSP Exercise Unit

A Feb. 21 ransomware attack impacting Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, showcases the cascading impacts of a cyberattack. More than two weeks later, crippled pharmacies are facing a backlog of unprocessed prescriptions and patients are being asked to pay full price for medications until prescription providers can process their claims. The threat actors behind the attack – ALPHV/BlackCat affiliates – allegedly stole sensitive personal health information regarding patients and customers, with a threat to disclose this information if a ransom is not paid. On March 5, Change Healthcare allegedly made a $22 million payment to ALPHV/BlackCat operators. The NJCCIC recommends reviewing the This is Security post “Supply Chain Security” and Cyber Threat Highlight “Supply Chain: Risks to Users and Organizations Continue,” which provide users with information on supply chain risks and potential cascading impacts of cyberattacks. For more information, visit the NJCCIC’s website.

The FBI announced March 1 that it is searching for an Iranian individual suspected of planning to assassinate U.S. officials in retaliation for the January 2020 killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani. Majid Dastjani Farahani, 41, “is wanted for questioning regarding the recruitment of individuals for operations in the U.S., to include lethal targeting of current/former USG officials,” the FBI Miami office wrote in a post on social media. Farahani, an Iranian intelligence officer, is also suspected of surveilling religious sites, businesses and other facilities across the U.S. Farahani speaks Farsi, French, Spanish and English and frequently travels between Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. military killed Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, in an airstrike in Baghdad on Jan. 2, 2020. Since then, Iran has repeatedly threatened to take revenge for Soleimani’s killing.