Operations security (OPSEC) is a process that Soldiers, civilians, contractors, and family members use to protect critical information.
Soldiers use OPSEC to deny information to adversaries that would endanger the mission. Family members can use OPSEC at home and at work to prevent personal information from getting to people who want to steal from them or harm them. If you don’t have a copy of your organization’s Critical Information List, reach out to your OPSEC Officer who can provide it to you.
Following are some items about OPSEC people should know:
— What are your unit or organization’s critical information that needs to be safeguarded.
— What critical information are you responsible for.
— How the threat is trying to obtain your critical information.
— What steps are you taking to protect your critical information.
— Who your OPSEC officer is.
Critical family information to protect:
— Personal and medical information.
— Home address and phone numbers.
— Financial information (account numbers).
— Social Security numbers.
— Family member information (names/date of birth).
— Family routines and vacations.
— Birth dates.
— Driver’s license number.
— Medical records.
— Passwords.
Follow these steps to help keep your family safe:
— Establish security protocols on your blog or webpage, such as encryption and password protection.
— Think of public internet outlets as the front page of a local newspaper. You may be publishing useful information to criminals and terrorists.
— Enable every privacy setting on your social media platforms and set your visibility to “friends only.”
— Ask yourself, “What could the wrong person do with this information?
— Limit any details about upcoming deployments, temporary duty assignments, or work performed.
— Avoid providing identifying information that would allow someone to target you or your family, such as your address, the school your child attends, or pictures of your child. These could provide clues that would enable predators to locate you and your family.
— Before posting a photo or video, make sure it does not give away sensitive information.
— Use an email address that does not contain personal information.
— Ensure younger members of the family understand what they can and cannot post online.
For more information about OPSEC Awareness Month, OPSEC training, or other antiterrorism-related issues, call the Fort McCoy Antiterrorism Office at 502-898-4719.
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Antiterrorism Office.)
Social Sharing