The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) is warning lawyers to use different passwords on different sites, and to change those passwords frequently.

The NJSBA said using the same password on multiple websites puts people at risk for "credential surfing attacks," which cybersecurity experts regard as one of the easiest and most effective ways for hackers to access personal data and information. There have been 61 billion such attacks in the past year, according to Computer Business Review. The way it works is that hackers purchase stolen email addresses and passwords from the dark web. To be proactive, experts recommend changing passwords regularly and never using the same password on multiple sites.

Another emerging issue is the danger of using internet browser extensions, free tools that claim to help consumers, such as providing news updates or the weather, which actually harvest personal data like tax returns, credit card information, genetic profiles, or personal shopping information from computers. The NJSBA suggests avoiding the extensions for work computers and restricting them as much as possible on personal computers.