ress Release - Islandwide Cybersecurity Plan Approved by Federal Officials - GHS OCD

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) received notice from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that the submission of Guam’s Cybersecurity Plan has been approved and has met the FY22 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) statutory requirements set forth in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, § 2220A(i).

In a letter addressed to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, Esther Aguigui, Homeland Security Advisor, and Frank Lujan, Chief Technology Officer, Trent Frazier, Deputy Assistant Director for CISA acknowledged Guam’s development of a cybersecurity plan constituted an important step in creating strategies to manage and reduce cybersecurity risks impacting the territory.

As the government of Guam provides many critical services such as healthcare, utilities, education, and public safety, which own or manage sensitive data, the protection of Guam’s information assets from an intentional attack or unintentional misuse is paramount to the government’s ability to continue to provide critical services to the people of Guam.

The completion of the cybersecurity plan to protect the island against any cyber related threats, regardless of their source, include but are not limited to terrorists, nation-states, criminal organizations or enterprises, or human error.

“We recognized the importance of building an “all of Guam” approach to cyber risk mitigation, preparedness, and response and developing a detailed plan to aid in the protection of critical assets, infrastructure, networks, sensitive data, data storages, and technology symptoms. We also recognize the strategic importance of our location in the Western Pacific,” said Joshua Tenorio, Acting Governor. “Bolstering our cybersecurity measures is in line with our mission to protect the lives and property of our island community as well as the nation.”

“In addition to building Guam’s ability to identify, detect and prevent these threats, we are working on building up the local capability to effectively respond to cybersecurity threats and hazards with adequate training,” said Esther Aguigui, Homeland Security Advisor. “The government of Guam is also working with federal counterparts on a comprehensive effort to enhance Guam’s critical infrastructure resilience following Typhoon Mawar, to include identifying possible mitigation measures for cybersecurity for critical infrastructures.”

The cybersecurity plan was developed as a concerted effort with the Office of the Governor, Office of Technology, Mariana Regional Fusion Center, GHS/OCD, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam, other government of Guam, federal, military, and private organizations. The cybersecurity plan will soon be made available for public view on the GHS/OCD website.

For more information, contact GHS/OCD Public Information Officer Jenna G. Blas at (671) 489-2540 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

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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

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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.

ress Release - Islandwide Cybersecurity Plan Approved by Federal Officials