|
Biweekly Homeland Security Insights for a Safer New Jersey |
|
Recent Agency News
NJOHSP Launches New Biweekly Newsletter
Welcome to the first edition of the NJ Security Spotlight, a biweekly newsletter designed to highlight the vital work of NJOHSP in helping to keep New Jersey and its residents safe. We hope that you find the information in this revamped newsletter relevant and useful.
|
|
Upcoming Outreach Events
‘Chill With a Cop’ in Lakewood
“Chill with a Cop,” a collaborative initiative designed to foster positive relationships between law enforcement and the underserved community in Lakewood, will be held Sunday, July 14, 2024, at Town Square, 231 3rd Ave., from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program brings together the Lakewood Police Department, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, and NJOHSP. “Chill with a Cop” is designed to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community through organic and holistic engagement. By creating informal and approachable settings for interaction, the program aims to build trust, understanding, and cooperation between officers and residents. Through community events, educational workshops, and outreach activities, “Chill with a Cop” addresses local concerns and works towards natural, sustainable solutions. The initiative highlights the importance of collaboration and communication in enhancing public safety and community well-being, ultimately striving to create a more connected and resilient Lakewood.
|
|
|
NJOHSP Launches Annual Seasonal Campaign to ‘Secure the Shore’
To help ensure the public’s safety during the Jersey Shore’s tourist season, NJOHSP is reminding everyone to remain vigilant as a component of its annual “Secure the Shore” campaign launch. The initiative, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, targets municipalities in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties. It brings together local, county, State, and federal law enforcement to raise public awareness of NJOHSP’s “See Something, Say Something” initiative, encouraging the public to report suspicious activities. This season, NJOHSP has added automated license plate readers and mobile security camera trailers to assist with security efforts statewide. NJOHSP, in a joint effort with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is also utilizing nearly 200 variable-message signs located along the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate Highways, including I-78, I-195, and I-280, as well as Route 440 to enhance outreach and information sharing efforts. NJOHSP encourages those heading to the Jersey Shore this summer to report any signs of suspicious activity, which could range from surveillance to trespassing to individuals testing or probing security. The public can make reports to local law enforcement or to NJOHSP’s Counterterrorism Watch Desk by calling 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ, by emailing tips@njohsp.gov, or by filling out the form.
NJOHSP Takes Proactive Measures to Secure Elections
The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell leads the Elections Security Task force in coordinating cyber and physical security efforts to secure New Jersey elections. In support of those efforts, NJOHSP’s Infrastructure Security Bureau is tasked with providing physical security vulnerability assessments of New Jersey’s election facilities, including the county offices of the superintendent of elections, polling locations, and elections voting machine warehouses. The physical security vulnerability assessments will highlight the critical importance of proactive measures to protect election facilities. The goal is prioritizing security around election infrastructure, to include physical buildings, networks, equipment, election officials and staff.
|
DHS Outlines National Priorities for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience
On June 20, 2024, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released strategic guidance addressing national security priorities for U.S. critical infrastructure security and resilience for the next two years. The guidance outlines five priority risk areas, including addressing cyber threats posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC); evolving risks presented by artificial intelligence; supply chain vulnerabilities; climate risks in sector resilience efforts; and the growing dependency of critical infrastructure on space systems and assets. Mayorkas will address risk areas through building resilience against these threats; adopting baseline requirements for security; incentives for service providers; and identifying areas of concentrated risk. The guidance seeks to highlight how critical infrastructure is an increasingly complex risk landscape with “longstanding threats like terrorism, cyber espionage, and targeted violence” and is a high priority requiring continued assessment.
Analyst Comment: Mayorkas’ strategic guidance specifically highlights “cyber and other threats posed by the People's Republic of China” as a priority risk area. In March, U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command reported that 80 percent of “ship-to-shore” cranes at U.S. ports are made in China and use Chinese software, often installed in China, which includes the Port of New York/New Jersey. In response, the chief security officer for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority said the port maintains “industry-leading cyber security standards” and collaborates with local, state, and federal partners. As technological advances in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence continue, the potential cyber threat from China against local ports and critical infrastructure in New Jersey will still necessitate vigilance.
|
|
|
LokiBot Malware Infections
LokiBot, an information-stealing malware that targets Android and Windows devices, was first spotted in 2015. LokiBot is a trojan primarily distributed through innocuous-appearing files. Once installed, LokiBot uses a keylogger to monitor desktop activity and steal user credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and other sensitive information. Recent activity spotted by the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell’s email security solution reveals a continuing trend.
|
|
|
Federal and State Grant Programs Available to Nonprofit Organizations
NJOHSP, through its Grants Management Bureau, administers a variety of federal non-disaster grant programs and State-aid grant programs, including the New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NJ NSGP), State Reproductive Health Security Grant Program (RHSGP), and federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Each program is designed to address physical protective measures through equipment and services purchases. The open application period for the NJ NSGP and RHSGP will begin later this month and conclude in September. The NJ NSGP provides funding to eligible nonprofit organizations for target-hardening equipment and security services. The RHSGP provides funding to eligible reproductive health care facilities, licensed by the State of New Jersey and in good standing, that provide reproductive health care services and determined to be at a high risk of unlawful activity, including acts of violence, property damage, vandalism, harassment, etc. Recipients can use the funding to purchase security services, physical security equipment, preparedness training, emergency planning, and cybersecurity assets.
|
|
Digital Evidence Response Training for Investigators:
July 23 - July 25, 2024
NJOHSP and the Regional Intelligence Academy, in coordination with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, are offering the “Basic Incident Response to Digital Evidence (BIRDE)” training. The BIRDE course provides criminal investigators with a sufficient overview of technology to adequately identify, collect, acquire, and preserve digital evidence during the course of an investigation. For more information and to register, view the course announcement.
|
|
Contact Information
For more information or to share feedback, please contact the Communications Bureau at communications@njohsp.gov.
The NJ Security Spotlight is a biweekly newsletter of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and is intended to provide constituents with important agency updates, publications, and announcements. Please visit njohsp.gov/connect/nj-security-spotlight to read previous newsletters.
Report Suspicious Activity: Call 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ or email tips@njohsp.gov.
|
|
|
|
|
