Law enforcement personnel and public officials are being warned of an increased risk in cyberattacks. But these kinds of electronic crimes can happen to anyone, at any time. Hacking collectives effectively leverage open-source, publicly available information identifying people, then use that data to inflict harm and steal resources. Compiling and posting an individual's personal information without permission is known as doxing. This is gathered from social media and other Web sites includes home addresses, phone numbers, emails, and passwords. While eliminating your exposure in the digital age is difficult, you can take steps to minimize your risk: Carefully consider all…

According to Reuters, millions of people find themselves victims of identity theft every year. It can happen to anyone, but here are five easy steps you can take to help protect yourself: Do not list your Social Security and driver’s license numbers on your checks. Install antivirus and anti-spyware software on your home computer & mobile devices. Never provide anyone who calls or emails you with your personal or account data. Your credit union will never contact you first and ask you for your information. Never write your Personal Identification Number (PIN) on any card or on a piece of…

To keep your electronic life safe & secure, you can take advantage of the following tips to remove clutter, upgrade technologies, and perform a digital spring cleaning. 1. Get rid of excess files. Go through all of your folders, including the recycle bin, and discard items no longer in use. 2. Organize all forms of media in labeled folders. 3. Streamline your desktop so it isn’t inundated with icons that slow boot-up times. 4. Uninstall programs you never or rarely initiate, reducing the potential for malware. 5. Update your passwords by making them unique, never the same, and having different…