The Navy also advises sailors to “beware of dating or other apps that encourage or require the use/sharing of personal information;” to be wary of and research strangers attempting to contact them; and to set their accounts to the “highest level” of privacy on social media.

In addition, the service urges personnel to scrub their online personal identifiable information found in search engines like Google, and turn off phone applications’ access to location tracking, microphone, and camera.

Sailors also are asked to make their passwords to accounts more complex or set up multi-factor authentication, to be mindful of what they post online and request that friends and family limit information and images they may post about them.

The advisory comes after several cyber-related incidents targeting U.S. troops in the Middle East, including a March message to forces that appeared to be official guidance from U.S. Cyber Command warning troops to turn off location services – a notice that the command said it didn’t send.