However, there are steps you’ve got the option to take toprotect yourself.
AT&T is urging their customers to reset their account passcodes and keep an eye on their accounts.
If your information was disclosed in this breach, youll want to follow our recommendations carefully.
What Is a Data Breach?
A data breach shows up when information is taken or stolen without proper authorization.
In the digital world, these break-ins occur when malicious individuals illegally gain access to computer systems.
7 Ways to Make Money if You Hate People
Do you avoid people too?
Enough small talk.Here are some waysto earn extra cash, without all of the social stuff.
What Can Be Exposed in a Data Breach?
How Do You Protect Yourself After a Data Breach?
Begin by changing your password on any platform that has been compromised.
This will prevent anyone from accessing your account if your old password surfaces online.
Additionally, youll want toenable Two-Factor Authentication(2FA) on the website if that security option is available.
The updates will also help protect you from future security breaches.
However, information tied to a credit card account or bank account should be changed.
Again, the goal here is to render any information that may have been stolen unusable.
Some top companies, such asAura Identity GuardandIDShield, offer up to $1 million in fraud protection.
Additionally, breached companies may offer free theft protection services to affected individuals.
The data breach cost Target $18.5 million, and the company providedfree credit monitoring services for affected customers.
According to theIdentity Theft Resource Center, the most common source of data breaches in 2021 was phishing attacks.
These attacks typically involve someone pretending to be a trusted individual to lure victims into revealing sensitive information.
Other leading causes of data breaches include ransomware and malware attacks.
The first thing to do is determine exactly what information has been stolen.
Then change the passwords and increase security on all those accounts.
This could include freezing credit or debit cards.
you might also reach out to the breached company for more advice.
Then monitor your accounts closely for any unauthorized activity.
Lastly, if needed, contact an identity theft protection company.
You may be able to reach out to the affected government agency for more advice.
Begin by visiting that agencys official .gov website to learn more.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer with The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
