Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are on the rise. Businesses and people alike will want to do all that they can to prevent a cyber attack. If a person finds that they are a victim of a cyber attack, they will want to do several different things after they have confirmed that their information has been leaked. As soon as the leak has been confirmed, and they find out what information of theirs has been compromised, it is time to take action.
1. Changing Login Credentials
Once the breach has occurred, every single one of your log-in credentials has been exposed. This includes log-ins to your bank, email, streaming subscriptions, and more. Everything will need to be changed. Even if you think that you have the strongest password in the book, it has been leaked, so you will want to change it. It is also important to note that you should also change your security questions and answers as these were most likely leaked as well.
2. Contact the Breached Organization
Next, you will want to contact the organization where your information was breached. Ask about their cybersecurity services, and how they are being improved. If you are continuing with this company, it is imperative that you know that your information will not be breached again. They should work closely with you to ensure that this does not happen to you again. If you find that you are not confident about the company improving their cyber security, you may want to consider leaving that company until they can improve their systems.
3. Monitoring Your Accounts
For the next few months, you will want to monitor all your accounts, This is even true if you have changed your passwords. You will want to monitor both your bank account and your credit report. This is especially true if, during the breach, your social security number was released. Once a criminal has your social security number, they can try to get loans, bank accounts, and more in your name. More than once people have been surprised to check their credit report only to see that there are charges there that they have never even known about.
Be wary of phone calls and emails that you may receive after the breach. They may call and tell you that they are from the breached company as they are trying to fish for more of your personal information. Always make sure that you are talking to someone official before giving out any information.
To monitor your credit report, you can log on to one of the three credit reporting agencies to see if something comes up. You can get a free report from each company once a year. You may also want to consider signing up with a credit monitoring company. Some banks offer this as a free service, so you may want to check with your bank. The more monitoring on your account after a breach the better.
Preventing Another Cyber Attack
While it is not always possible to prevent every cyber attack, keeping your personal information safe is imperative. You will only want to do business with companies that have strong cyber security policies. Having a strong cyber security policy is a sign that the business is aware of the problem and will help to ensure your information is less likely to get out.
You will want to ensure that when you go on the business’s website to purchase anything or pay, they have security enabled. This will help to prevent your information from getting leaked.
You will also want to still take the normal precautions like having a strong password, security answers, and never talking about your personal information on the phone.
If a company has let you know that you have been a victim of a cyber security breach, you will want to make sure that you check your credit, change your passwords, change your security questions, and you will want to ensure that you stay in contact with the company frequently. This will help to ensure that your information is not compromised again and that you do not suffer from the negative effects of the breach.
Read More: 6 Different Types of Cyber Attacks and How to Prevent Them
