Community Invited to Participate in Cybersecurity Awareness Month

The Office of Guam Homeland Security and the Office of Civil Defense (OHS-OCD), in coordination with the Guam Office of Technology (OTECH), invite the community to participate in Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) throughout October. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero will recognize October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a Proclamation Signing on Friday, October 24, 2025, 2 p.m. at the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex, Adelup, Large Conference Room.

CSAM is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) led initiative to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. CSAM continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across the nation. The theme for this year is “Building a Cyber Strong America.” CSAM encourages individuals and organizations to take action each day to protect themselves online or when using connected devices.

“CSAM provides us an excellent opportunity to collaborate to build a safer, more trusted digital landscape locally and nationwide,” said Esther Aguigui, Homeland Security Advisor. “We remain committed to fostering a culture of cybersecurity preparedness – one that’s proactive, sustainable, and rooted in everyday actions. Practicing strong cyber hygiene isn’t just a best practice; it’s a shared responsibility.”

GHS/OCD, along with OTECH and the Mariana Regional Fusion Center (MRFC), have started a local initiative to have “Change Your Password Day” on October 20, where the community is encouraged to update important cyber passwords in order to stay safe online. Participate in Change Your Password Day by following these important tips for creating a secure password:

Make Your Passwords Strong
By adding just a little bit of complexity to a password, it can be secure for life. One tip is to choose random characters with mixed letter cases, numbers and symbols. Adding a symbol or two, to a short password increases security.

Use Different Passwords
Each online account should have a different password. Hacking into one account may lead to access to other accounts, just by changing a few characters.

Avoid the Obvious
A brute-force program can hack a common, random dictionary password quickly. Any program or person can get a hold of birthdates, anniversaries and phone numbers very quickly on the internet. Do not choose obvious passwords.

Longer Is Better
Whether using characters, symbols and numbers or passphrases, longer is always better. Make sure to use at least seven characters or more, if you can.

Keep It Weird
No matter which type of password you use, add strange characters or symbols and numbers to throw any brute-force program off the trail. Adding spaces to a password will help. If adding a space is not possible, add an underscore or other punctuation.

Do Not Use These Passwords
Do not use the following common passwords: Password1, password, 123456, 12345678, qwerty, abc123.

Change It Often
Change passwords every 3 to 6 months.

To learn more about Cyber Security Awareness Month and ways to participate visit https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month.

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.