In light of Russia's invasion into Ukraine, the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense are advising island residents to stay vigilant of their cyber security. 

During a heightened time of activity between Russia and Ukraine, now more than ever residents should protect themselves from potential threats online. But how would you know if your security has been compromised? Public Information Officer for Guam Homeland Security and Office of Civil Defense, Jenna Gaminde Blas shed light on the issue.

"If your system is working exceptionally slow you have slow network activity or you see a system alarm or a similar indication from an intrusion detection tool," she said. "O)r it could also be a suspicious entries into the system or even accounting discrepancies so it's important to keep up to date with the accounting logs as well or if you see a lot of unsuccessful log-on attempts, sometimes you get the notices for those."

Following safety tips could prevent a potential intrusion.

"Some everyday simple tips from individual users include enabling stronger authentication for extra layers of security beyond their password," Blas said. "And this can be multi-factor such as having a code sent to your mobile device. You want to make sure your passwords are longer and even making them stronger. You really want to use complex passwords with a combination of numbers, symbols and letters."

Blas advises changing passwords every 3 to 6 months and having security software installed on your device. In addition, if you don't recognize a link in an email make sure to delete it completely. If you find yourself in a position where your security has been compromised, contact the Mariana Regional Fusion Center for assistance at 671-475-0400.