Weekly Security Sprint EP 178. Election Preparedness
On this week's Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered the following topics:Opening:• 15th Annual GridSecCon Advances Unified Resilience — North American Electric Reliability Corporation — 22 Oct 2026. More than 1,000 electricity-sector security professionals participated in the 15th annual GridSecCon, hosted by NERC, the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and SERC, with a focus on strengthening coordinated cyber and physical security resilience. The conference included more than 50 sessions and contributions from over 100 government and industry leaders addressing evolving threats, operational readiness, and collaboration across the North American electricity sector. • Join the GRIP! GRIP Alerts - TLP GREEN: Critical PHP Vulnerabilities – Update 3 - PHP2Shell — Third Vulnerability, Exploitation Activity, and New Defensive Guidance, sent Sunday, 25 Oct. Main Topics: Election Security!• Suspicious Letters Containing White Powder Mailed to State and Local Election Officials, Media Organizations, and Public and Private Polling Companies — FBI & USPS • Election Offices in at Least 32 States Have Received Suspicious Letters • Increasing Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Political Rhetoric — NPR / Associated Press / Newsweek • Gate 15's recently updated Hostile Event Attack Cycle framework• Spot the Lie: 6 Moves of “Rigged Election” Rumors • Trump offers $1 million reward for voter fraud tips that lead to convictions • U.S. officials quietly advise states fearing Trump election meddling • States face foreign threats — and a fractured federal partnership — ahead of midterms • Trump Administration Expands Voter Fraud Crackdown As Midterms Approach • FBI: Connecticut man vowed to kill Republicans, kept a target list of homes with Trump signs • Monitoring the monitors: US states prepare for surge of Justice Dept election watchers • Ahead of Midterm Elections, Warner, Padilla, Himes, and Morelle Urge Leading Tech Companies to Not Detract From Efforts to Ensure Elections are Free, Fair, and Secure • Blanche: DOJ could block election certification in ‘doomsday scenario’ • U.S. Political Money Funnels to Indian Bots to Lure Voters • Governor Abbott Praises Law Enforcement Arrest In Islamic Terror Plot Against Congressman Self Extremism:• The Rising Islamic State Threat to Europe and the West — Lawfare — 18 Oct 2026. Terrorism analysts Lucas Webber, Peter Smith, and Colin P. Clarke assess that Islamic State-Sahel Province is evolving from a regional insurgency into a transnational terrorist threat, supported by emerging recruitment, logistics, and facilitation networks connecting West Africa with Europe. • "You Will Become a Saint If You Kill": The Networks Recruiting School Shooters — Red Pill Reversal — 24 Oct 2026. Researcher Michael Corech documented online communities associated with nihilistic violent extremism and the 764-linked Com ecosystem openly encouraging school shootings and recruiting prospective attackers through Telegram and other social platforms. Quick Hits:• Exploited Flaws Typically Take Three Months to Patch, Moody’s Finds • Silent Ransom Group - Leak Analysis — Ransom-ISAC: Leaked materials revealed planning for physical infiltration, kidnapping, insider placement at defense contractors, and intelligence collection targeting military personnel. • #StopRansomware: SafePay Ransomware — CISA, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, partners• NSA and Others Advise Organizations with Practices to Prepare for and Manage Super Intelligence Related Incidents — National Security Agency — • Introducing a new AI chapter in the NCSC research problem book — UK National Cyber Security Centre • New data show cleared employees are bigger targets than ever • U.S. and Israel Draw Up Plans for Renewed Strikes on Iran After Elections • U.S. Intelligence Warns Iranian Plots to Kill American Officials Abroad Have ‘Reached Advanced Stages’