Data Breaches: How To Protect Yourself From A Hack

We are living in an era where all of our most important information and data is stored electronically and in the cloud, which means that data breaches are a real threat. Here are some easy things that you can do to protect yourself from a data hack and keep your sensitive information private:

Change Your Passwords

Have you had the same password for the past two decades? Is your password a combination of your spouse’s name and your anniversary (or something similar)? If so, you are making it too easy for hackers to access your accounts, ranging from your emails to your online banking system. Change your passwords frequently, don’t go with the obvious, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and characters.

Monitor Your Accounts

One of the best ways to protect yourself is to monitor all accounts. For example, if you get a notification from your bank informing you that one of your accounts has been breached, don’t just assume that’s the only account that’s vulnerable; if a hacker has one piece of information, it is likely that they have another.

Avoid Scams and Suspicious Offers

While it can be difficult to spot scams and potential hacks in the forms of emails and offers, you should never open popups, and should think twice about opening emails from people you don’t know. Clicking on links within emails or providing your information for offers that seem too good to be true is risky, too.

For more tips on how to avoid data breaches, check out The New York Times’ article on avoiding ransomware attacks