“Have I been data breached?” Have you asked this question recently? Are you having doubts about the state of your computer or the safety of your data today? Then, read on to know more.
Have I Been Data Breached?
Today, it may be hard to detect a data breach if you have been a victim of one. This is because the criminals often hide their identity and location. They might even mask their IP address.
The first thing you ought to do is to check your credit card statements.
This is because many online stores store customer credit card information on their databases. In case of a data breach, the hackers will access your credit card information and make fraudulent purchases. In case you notice any suspicious charges on your credit card, inform your bank immediately.
Next, you can check on the internet if there are reports of a data breach involving your company or organization on the web. This will allow you to find out if a hacker has breached your network or computer system.
Using a search engine, look for keywords like “breach” and “hack” in combination with the name of your company or organization. The same can be done using relevant keywords like “fraud,” “identity theft,” or “credit card fraud” if you suspect that you might have been hacked.
You may also check out the website Have I Been Pwned. It allows its users to check if their email addresses were involved in any data breach incidents in the past seven years. You can also subscribe to its notifications service.
Then, it will inform you if someone has created an account in your name using any of the passwords previously exposed in data breaches.
If you are worried about your data being leaked online, it would be best to change all of your online accounts’ passwords immediately. You may also opt to use two-factor authentication in case it is available for your account. Lastly, stay alert and always think twice before clicking on any links when surfing the web today.
How to Avoid a Data Breach
To avoid a data breach, you need to take the necessary steps to protect your data from unauthorized access. You may be asking what you can do to prevent a data breach.
What should you do?
First, make sure that your computer is up to date with the latest operating system and application updates. It will help ensure that your system is free from any possible virus or malware attacks.
How should you do it? You need to check your computer for malware and viruses regularly. This means that you have to run an antivirus program regularly. In addition, use a firewall that will warn you if a hacker tries to access your computer from the internet.
Next, keep your computer’s software up to date and install security patches and upgrades as soon as they are released. This way, you can avoid any possible vulnerabilities in your computer’s software or operating system.
Conclusion
So, if you have been asking, “Have I been data breached?” then you should be able to know the answer after having read the above article.
