In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month – and perhaps the holiday when millions of kids give adults 50-50 odds on being tricked – Google’s counseling users to play it safe.  The company highlighted guidelines for "protecting your data in the cloud" today.

Some people may find Google’s advice overly basic or redundant (we should note that Google’s recently introduced two-step verification and a Gmail Security Checklist).  Still, the tips are solid and might save a few people from encountering problems.

First, Priya Nayak wrote on the Google Online Security Blog, "Never re-use passwords for your important accounts like online banking, email, social networking, and commerce."

Next, "Change your password periodically, and be sure to do so for important accounts whenever you suspect one of them may have been at risk.  Don’t just change your password by a few letters or numbers (‘Aquarius5’ to ‘Aquarius6’); change the combination of letters and numbers to something unique each time."

Finally, Nayak suggested, "Never respond to messages, non-Google websites, or phone calls asking for your Google username or password; a legitimate organization will not ask you for this type of information.  Report these messages to us so we can take action.  If you responded and can no longer access your account, visit our account recovery page."

Here’s hoping all WebProNews readers make it through October without running afoul of malware or hackers.