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Data breaches are becoming an increasingly regular occurrence as more and more of our lives are being managed online, and our email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and even passcodes are at increasing risk of being exposed and used for malicious intent.
Many countries have laws that compel companies or organizations to notify individuals of data breaches, or at least inform the affected customers and even provide identity protection services. However, cybersecurity experts warn that even after a breach is disclosed, those affected must remain vigilant and be on guard for phishing attacks and other social engineering attempts.
So how could we protect ourselves? The security experts at Techxplore explained how one should act when personal data is leaked in a data breach.
They begin by emphasizing that if your data is exposed, you should immediately change your password for the account involved, use a long and strong password, and activate two-factor authentication. Furthermore, if the leaked password is used for other accounts, change it there as well.
The second tip is to keep monitoring your accounts. While it might be difficult to do so independently, there are several websites that can do it for you (like Have I Been Pwned, or Malwarebytes’ Digital Footprint Portal). You should also consider telling your bank and credit agencies so they can alert you of any suspicious activity, issue a new card, or freeze your account.
Another important thing to remember is that breaches involving a telephone company leave customers vulnerable to having their phone numbers stolen or their SIM swapped, which means malicious actors could then use the hijacked number to access other accounts that use it for multi-factor authentication. To reduce the risk telemetry company AT&T advises setting up a unique passcode that’s needed to prevent significant account changes (like importing your phone number to another carrier).
