In recent weeks, Elon Musk and his aides have gained access to many federal agencies’ systems and unknown amounts of data. Many readers have written in to share their fears that the agencies — and the personal data they possess on hundreds of millions of taxpayers — are now vulnerable.

When people tinker with vital systems, things can go wrong. New vulnerabilities can emerge that thieves could exploit, or existing tax or loan payments could disappear. And one wrong move can bring a whole website down for days or longer.

The level of risk isn’t clear, and in uncertain situations, it’s tempting to do something to feel that you’re protecting yourself.

That instinct is perfectly rational. But don’t just download your history of paying into Social Security or freeze access to your credit files because of the politics of now. Back up everything important, everywhere you can. Do this at least once a year or so. It’s just good hygiene.

Having multiple copies of all of the things that help you run your life brings a certain kind of peace that lacks a perfect word in English, but it’s the quality or state of being well sorted.

Here’s a guide for what to do.