Identity theft remains one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Every minute of every day, nefarious people and organizations around the world are scouring the Internet to gain control over computers or find personal data that they can sell to the highest bidder.

October is “National Cyber Security Awareness Month” and a great time for each of us to increase our awareness of the online risks we face and the steps we can take to reduce those risks.

High-value data about each of us is stored on computers across the globe. In recent years, this has become complicated by the growing mobility of computers and communications. A few years ago, our Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and banking information generally resided on central corporate or government systems. Today, that same data is also on our cellphones, laptops, flash drives and other highly portable devices. We also stay much more connected today through wireless networks at work, home, and everywhere we travel.

Cyber-criminals are well aware of our habits, our practices and the extent to which we are going (or not going) to protect our personal data, and they stand ready to take advantage of any openings we create.

Each of us can do two simple things to improve security:

1. Take the time to learn how to protect your own personal data. Make sure you run virus protection software. Be careful not to open emails that seem suspicious and don’t visit high-risk Web sites. If you participate on social networking sites, think twice before disclosing too much personal information and know who can access your sites.
2. Take seriously your responsibility to protect personal data entrusted to you. None of us should retain high-value personal data on our computers (e.g., social security numbers, banking or credit card numbers, passwords). If you store such personal data on your computer or mobile devices, either delete it or protect it.

There are no guarantees that our data will always be safe, but taking a few simple steps can help us protect ourselves. Take some time this month to learn more about cyber-security. For more information, please visit www.cio.wisc.edu/security/