GHS/OCD and MRFC Recommend Strengthened Cybersecurity for Organizations

In light of the Russian incursion into Ukraine and informed by the Mariana Regional Fusion Center (MRFC), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counterparts and other key partners, the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) recommends organizations in Guam consider strengthening their cybersecurity postures to mitigate possible cyber-attacks.

In recent years, Russian state sponsored malicious cyber activities ranged from online malign influence campaigns, denial of service attacks, website defacements, ransomware, and cyber espionage. State sponsored malicious cyber activities affected industries and infrastructure across a broad spectrum to include COVID-19 responses and research, government agencies, healthcare, energy, commercial facilities, manufacturing, supply chains, and economic sectors.

The Russian Government and its proxies utilized cyber activities as a key component of their force projection over the last decade and recognizes striking critical infrastructure operations may apply pressure to a country’s government, military, and population. Russian actors conducting malicious cyber activities were linked with several operationally and economically damaging events to include the 2020 compromise of the SolarWinds software, targeting of U.S. companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, the 2018 targeting of U.S. industrial control system infrastructure, NotPetya ransomware, and the 2016 leaks of documents stolen from the U.S. Democratic National Committee.

GHS/OCD and MRFC recommend the following cybersecurity precautions be observed during this time of heightened tensions:

Report suspicious network activity or suspected malicious cyber activity to the agency’s network administrators and the MRFC at (671) 475-0400 or via email at mrfc@ghs.guam.gov.
Ensure that software is up to date, prioritizing updates that address known vulnerabilities.
Confirm that the organization's entire network is protected by up-to-date antivirus/antimalware software.
Keep backups and test backup protocols and procedures; ensure that backups are isolated from network connections.
Validate all remote access to the organization’s network.
Utilize multi-factor authentication.
Inform cybersecurity/IT personnel to be vigilant and focused on identifying any unexpected or unusual network behavior.
Enable event logging, to better investigate issues or events.

Additional tips and best practices available to the public may be accessed at the U.S. DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency webpage at https://www.cisa.gov.

The MRFC serves as the local hub of information sharing and suspicious incident coordination for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. If you observe any suspicious network activity, please contact the MRFC at (671) 475-0400 or via email at mrfc@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.