Data Breaches Explained: How to Protect Yourself
In 2023, over 353 million people were affected by data breaches. Your email, password, credit card number, or home address may already be for sale on the dark web. Here's what you need to know.
What Is a Data Breach?
A data breach occurs when unauthorized individuals gain access to confidential information stored by companies, governments, or organizations.
What Hackers Steal
- Email addresses and passwords
- Credit card and banking information
- Home addresses and phone numbers
- Dates of birth and Social Security numbers
- Medical records and personal health data
How to Know If You've Been Breached
- Have I Been Pwned: haveibeenpwned.com (free)
- Google Password Checkup: Built into Chrome
- Firefox Monitor: monitor.firefox.com
What To Do After a Breach
- Change your password immediately on the breached service
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) everywhere possible
- Check your credit report if financial data was exposed
- Beware of phishing emails pretending to be from the breached company
- Consider identity theft protection for serious breaches
Prevention: Your Defense Strategy
Do This:
- Use a password manager
- Enable 2FA on every account
- Use unique passwords everywhere
- Monitor breach notifications
Avoid This:
- Reusing passwords
- Ignoring breach alerts
- Storing passwords in notes/text files