Hundreds of data breaches happen every month, cybersecurity experts say technology has evolved, making it harder for you to avoid becoming a data breach victim.
Ken Colburn, of Data Doctors, said every month, hundreds of companies are added to a massive list of data breaches, exposing the sensitive information of millions of customers.
“So that just shows you how much information is being hacked and breached all over the place on a constant basis,” said Colburn.
In June, the headlines made waves as researchers reported a record-breaking breach exposing 16 billion passwords.
Login credentials were exposed, potentially putting users of online services like Apple, Facebook, Google, and others at risk.
“Your password will be stolen, there’s just no way around that,” Colburn stated.
Colburn said the massive breach is a compilation of breaches. He added that cybercriminals are attempting to put all the stolen information into one place, giving them easy access to find victims.
Colburn said, “If the person you’re doing business with online gets breached, that password is no longer usable.”
Colburn says that when a company experiences a breach, consumers should receive some type of alert. However, don’t wait to act.
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Once you find out if the breach has compromised your information, change your password immediately.
“If you are using good, strong passwords and use a unique password for each account, then you don’t need to change them until you have a reason to change them,” explained Colburn.
Try to use sophisticated passwords and try for 16 characters. Lastly, use a different password for every single online account.
Sure, it’s a pain in the you know what, but it’s a lot safer than using the same password on your accounts, Colburn explained.
“If you use the same password on multiple accounts, the bad guys have what you call a credential stuffing box. These automated systems are set up so that when an email and password have been
discovered they automatically try it on 10,000 websites to see if you are using the same password,” he said.
You can keep a secure list of your passwords, either digital or written, to track your passwords.
Do you want to test the strength of your password? Check out this website.
Do you want to know if your email address is part of a data breach? Check out this website.
