If anything, bad actors might even be working overtime throughout the holidays.
In case you happen to find yourself notified of a data breach, take a deep breath and read on…
Many of us have experienced this before, we go to check our email and learn through a notification that our personal information has been compromised. It could come from a reputable website you trusted or from a site you purchased something from once, long-ago. We’ve outlined some steps you can take to minimize the potential fallout and avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.
Confirm before you click - Remember the motives of phishing attempts will often try to elicit an emotional response to get you to make quick decisions under duress. Be aware that hackers commonly send out fake breach notifications.
Heed the company’s advice - Data breach notifications often share details about what data was stolen. Be sure to review this and follow up if the breached company offers credit monitoring to protect yourself from fraud.
Change passwords immediately - Changing a breached password ensures hackers can’t log in to your account. If you were using the same password for other web accounts, those need to be changed immediately, too.
Monitor the Dark Web - Keep an eye out for suspicious activity with your personal information with Dark Web alerts that will continuously monitor a database of breached credentials.
Add extra security with two-factor authentication - Using two-factor authentication will add an extra step to prove the right person is logging in to an account.
Use a password manager - Get a password manager, like LastPass , to strengthen and simplify your online security.
To view additional resources and our full blog post on this topic visit here .
What other advice would you offer to avoid the consequences of a data breach?
Do you have other tips for those who may learn their information has been leaked?
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