An FBI agent led a panel discussion on cyber security and social media Thursday at Albany Medical College.

Eric Lurie, an FBI supervisory special agent, recommended taking the following actions to keep your personal information safe online:

  • Don’t store passwords in web browsers and apps
  • Don’t link accounts to one another
  • Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts
  • Don’t use birthdays, anniversaries or any easily identifiable combinations as your password
  • Make passwords unique and complex to protect your privacy

"One of the biggest issues is we are making ourselves targets on social media. We are putting things on social media that are allowing people to learn more about us. We're putting a lot of information out there that we think might be secured but oftentimes it is not due to a cyber intrusion or the way we've got our preferences set on social media,” said Lurie.

Thursday's news conference was held in recognition of Cyber Security Awareness Month.