If the spring season has brought an urge to scrub your living space from top to bottom, why not clear out the digital detritus cluttering your electronic devices and online accounts at the same time?

Carrying out the digital equivalent of spring cleaning a home isn't just an opportunity to tidy up our online lives. Eliminating dust bunnies like dormant accounts and forgotten files can help protect personal data, according to cybersecurity experts.

"Clutter is fuel for scammers. Old accounts, exposed data and forgotten apps give them more ways in," Michael Sherwood, a product vice president at cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, said. "Cleaning up your digital life is one of the simplest ways to shrink your attack surface in a threat landscape that's getting smarter, faster, and more automated."