Recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency to access internal computer systems and databases at many federal government agencies, including the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security Administration, have sparked debates about privacy and data security. 

“There’s always inherent risk in having sensitive information at a government agency because they’re ultimately responsible for protecting it and moderating who actually has access to it,” said Steve Grobman, chief technology officer at the cybersecurity firm McAfee.

DOGE is not a federal agency, and billionaire Elon Musk, whom President Donald Trump brought on board to implement the DOGE initiative, is not a federal official. Yet, since its establishment, DOGE has sought access to software and IT systems at federal government agencies to “maximize efficiency” and cut spending.

Critics say there has been a lack of transparency about exactly how personal or financial information is being used and whether it is being kept secure — although Musk has said DOGE’s actions are “maximally transparent.” Meanwhile, several lawsuits have been filed to block DOGE’s access to sensitive personal data.

Cybersecurity experts say that protecting your personal and financial information should be part of a strategy to take care of your overall financial well-being, regardless of the political climate.

“For people who are concerned about the security of their data collected and stored by the federal government, our advice is the same as any other time or circumstance,” James  L. Lee, president of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, said in an emailed statement. 

“There are actions you can and should take to protect your personal information, no matter what organization is collecting and storing it — from the corner market to local doctors to government agencies at all levels. Personal information is always at risk of identity misuse,” Lee said.

Here are five actions cybersecurity experts recommend you take now:

Freezing your credit will block access to your credit report and prevent anyone from opening new accounts in your name. Then, if someone gets your Social Security number or other private information, they can’t take out a loan or open a credit card.

You must contact all of the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to freeze access to your credit with each. The process only takes a few minutes, and it’s free. Just make sure to temporarily unfreeze your credit before you apply for a new credit card, loan, or mortgage.

Take the time to review your credit reports from each of the credit reporting agencies to make sure there are no errors or signs of identity theft. You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the bureaus weekly by going to annualcreditreport.com.

You may not need to check your reports every week, but it’s important to review your credit history at least quarterly to ensure there are no issues.

If you don’t have one already, create a “My Social Security” account on the Social Security Administration’s website to check your earnings records, get estimates of your monthly retirement benefits and manage current benefits. Review your statement, download a copy and contact the Social Security Administration if there are any mistakes. Establish your account now to ensure no one else does so in your name. 

“Keeping a local backup of your Social Security statement, credit history [and] student loan payments is always a good idea, and doubly so as the future is unclear at so many of the administering agencies,” Emory Roane, associate director of policy at the non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said in an emailed statement.

The IRS allows consumers to proactively request an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) — a unique six-digit number — to use when filing your tax return. The IP PIN verifies your identity when you file an electronic or paper return. It prevents someone else from using your Social Security number to file a fake return, possibly stealing your refund. 

McAfee’s Grobman recommends that consumers make sure that “sensitive data that they have control of goes to the minimal number of places possible.” 

“Setting up multi-factor authentication, the various secure ID and PIN capabilities that the IRS offers, is absolutely critical to helping ensure that only you or your designated tax preparer is accessing that sensitive information on government systems,” he said.

Create a “passkey” for any online account that offers one for enhanced security. A passkey is a string of encrypted data that you can access with a face scan, fingerprint, or PIN. Use multi-factor authentication — like a password plus a code — if you can’t add a passkey. Don’t reuse passwords.

Instead, Lee, of the Identity Theft Resource Center, recommends you “use a password manager to create and remember a different password for every account. Google and Apple offer free password manager apps, and password managers are included in Safari, Chrome, Edge and other major web browsers.”

SIGN UP: Money 101 is an 8-week learning course on financial freedom, delivered weekly to your inbox. Sign up here. It is also available in Spanish.

The Social Security Administration plans to shed 7,000 employees as the Trump administration looks for ways to cut federal spending.

The agency on Friday confirmed the figure — which will bring its total staff down to 50,000 from 57,000.

Previous reports that the Social Security Administration planned for a 50% reduction to its headcount are “false,” the agency said.

Nevertheless, the aim of 7,000 job cuts has prompted concerns about the agency’s ability to continue to provide services, particularly benefit payments, to tens of millions of older Americans when its staff is already at a 50-year low.

“It’s going to extend the amount of time that it takes for them to have their claim processed,” said Greg Senden, a paralegal analyst who has worked at the Social Security Administration for 27 years.

“It’s going to extend the amount of time that they have to wait to get benefits,” said Senden, who also helps the American Federation of Government Employees oversee Social Security employees in six central states.

Officials at the White House and the Social Security Administration were not available for comment at press time.

More from Personal Finance:
Trump, DOGE job cuts may be biggest in history
Funding freeze stymies Biden-era consumer energy rebates
Trump, Musk float idea of $5,000 ‘DOGE dividend’ checks

The Social Security Administration on Friday said it anticipates “much of” the staff reductions needed to reach its target will come from resignations, retirement and offers for Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments, or VSIP. 

More reductions could come from “reduction-in-force actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions” or reassignments to other positions, the agency said. Federal agencies must submit their reduction-in-force plans by March 13 to the Office of Personnel Management for approval.

Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley last week told CNBC.com that the continuity of benefit payments could be at risk for the first time in the program’s history.

“Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits,” O’Malley said. “I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.”

Other experts say the changes could affect benefits, though it remains to be seen exactly how.

“It’s unclear to me whether the staff cuts are more likely to result in an interruption of benefits, or an increase in improper payments,” said Charles Blahous, senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a former public trustee for Social Security and Medicare.

Improper payments happen when the agency either overpays or underpays benefits due to inaccurate information.

With fewer staff, the Social Security Administration will have to choose between making sure all claims are processed, which may lead to more improper payments, or avoiding those errors, which could lead to processing delays, Blahous said.

Disability benefits, which require more agency staff attention both to process initial claims and to continue to verify beneficiaries are eligible, may be more susceptible to errors compared to retirement benefits, he added.

The Social Security Administration’s funding for administrative costs comes out of its trust funds, which are also used to pay benefits. Based on current projections, the trust funds will be depleted in the next decade and Social Security will not be able to pay full benefits at that time, unless Congress acts sooner.

The efforts to cut costs at the Social Security Administration would likely only help the trust fund solvency “in some miniscule way,” said Andrew Biggs, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

What President Donald Trump is likely looking to do broadly is reset the baseline on government spending and employment, he said.

“I’m not disagreeing with the idea that the agency could be more efficient,” Biggs said. “I just wonder whether you can come up with that by cutting the positions first and figuring out how to have the efficiencies later.”

As the Trump administration overhauls the student loan system, many borrowers pursuing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program are worried about its future.

“There’s a lot of panicking by PSLF borrowers due to the uncertainty,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

PSLF, which President George W. Bush signed into law in 2007, allows certain not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after 10 years of payments.

Here’s what borrowers in the program need to know about recent changes affecting the program.

While it’s frustrating not to be inching toward loan forgiveness for the time being, an option down the road may help, said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit.

The Education Department’s Buyback opportunity lets people pay for certain months that didn’t count, if doing so brings them up to 120 qualifying payments.

For example, time spent in forbearances or deferments that suspended your progress can essentially be cashed in for qualifying payments.

The extra payment must total at least as much as what you have paid monthly under an IDR plan, according to Studentaid.gov.

Borrowers who’ve now been pursuing PSLF for 10 years or more should put in their buyback request sooner than later, Kantrowitz said.

“The benefit is likely to be eliminated by the Trump administration,” he said.

Borrowers have already long complained of inaccurate payment counts under the PSLF program. While the student loan repayment options are tweaked, people could see more errors, Kantrowitz said.

“A borrower’s payment history and other student loan details are more likely to get corrupted during a transition,” he said.

As a result, he said, those pursuing PSLF should print out a copy of their payment history on StudentAid.gov.

“It would also be a good idea to create a spreadsheet showing all of the qualifying payments so they have their own count,” Kantrowitz said.

With the PSLF help tool, borrowers can search for a list of qualifying employers and access the employer certification form. Try to fill out this form at least once a year, Kantrowitz added.