What To Do If Your Personal Info Has Been Exposed In A Data Breach
At this point in time, data breaches such as the one that occurred recently and included millions of AT&T customers are becoming nearly a daily occurrence.
Personal information such as email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and even passcodes are among the types of information that are becoming increasingly susceptible to theft or accidental disclosure as more and more aspects of our lives are moved online.
Cybercriminals can use stolen data to target individuals with phishing messages or by taking out loans or credit cards in their name, which is a widespread and harmful kind of identity theft. Additionally, cybercriminals can use stolen data to target individuals with malicious breaches.
To better safeguard yourself, here are some suggestions.
Take note of this.
According to Oren Arar, vice president of consumer privacy at Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity company, there is no federal law in the United States that requires businesses or organizations to notify individuals of data breaches. However, it is common practice for these entities to inform customers who have been affected by the breach and frequently offer identity protection services.
In the European Union, where the legislation governing privacy demand disclosure of some sorts of breaches, the situation is relatively better. The European Union is comprised of 27 countries.
Those who specialize in cybersecurity advise that individuals should continue to stay attentive even after a breach has been made public. Phishing and other forms of social engineering can take the shape of emails or phone calls that pretend to come from the organization that has been hacked or from someone offering assistance. Be on the lookout for these kind of attempts. Get in touch with the company or organization that is involved to find out whether they are able to verify it. However, you should make use of their official website, smartphone app, or social media channels; in any communications that you have received, you should not include any links or contact information.
