Data breaches can affect any company and any person at any time. An astounding one in five Americans will be the victim of one of these attacks this year.[1] The theft of your corporate or personal data puts your entire livelihood at risk. When hackers access your data, they can transfer your money, steal your identity, take out loans in your name, access medical care in your name or even commit crimes, and the responsibility is on you to repair the damage. If you’re the victim of a cybersecurity breach, it’s important to take action as soon as possible. Keep reading for some tips on what to do when you find out your personal or business information has been breached.

 

Determine What Information Was Accessed

If you’re a company manager, determine what information was accessed by the hackers.[2] For individuals, the company should notify you of what information was potentially accessed by unauthorized users. For example, American Family Insurance recently informed thousands of individuals in Ohio that hackers used their online insurance quoting platform to obtain individuals’ driver’s license numbers.[3] The hackers may have used this information to apply for fraudulent unemployment compensation in the individual’s name. Individuals were advised to set up fraud alerts and notify the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services of the potential fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation.

 

Secure Your Information

Once you know that your corporate or personal information was unlawfully accessed, do everything you can to protect it. Find the source of the problem, and fix it. This might involve installing a patch for software, replacing an old system, requiring two-factor authentication, changing logins or passwords, and more. Create a new security plan for the data your organization has or for your personal data. For example, individuals shouldn’t toss out junk mail in the trash or use public Wi-Fi to check their bank account balances. Consider using an instantly generated email and online prepaid credit card with a low, finite limit when purchasing products or paying for services online.

 

Assess Your Vulnerabilities

You’ll also need to assess your vulnerabilities after a cybersecurity breach.[4] Artemis IT has robust tools that can handle this for any size of a business. For example, if you use an easy-to-guess password or your password is the same for all of your logins, it’s time to make some changes. Consider the software you use and how your data was breached. If your software is out of date or your browser isn’t supported, make changes to improve your digital security. Install and test firewalls and antivirus solutions. Consider placing a fraud alert or freeze on your credit.

Dealing with a data breach of your corporate or personal information is a stressful event. However, not taking action can lead to dire professional and personal consequences. The ramifications of the theft of your data can last for years, and it may impact your entire business or personal life. To lower the risk of a data breach, you need a company with up-to-date tools that can protect your data. To learn more about what to do after a cybersecurity breach that affects your business or your personal information, contact us at Artemis IT today.

 

 

References:

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2021/03/02/alarming-cybersecurity-stats——-what-you-need-to-know-for-2021/?sh=781d4b8d58d3

[2] https://www.travelers.com/resources/business-topics/cyber-security/how-to-manage-a-data-breach-the-safe-way

[3] https://www.databreaches.net/american-family-insurance-to-notify-283734-of-breach-linked-to-unemployment-benefits-fraud/

[4] https://www.american.edu/kogod/research/cybergov/upload/what-to-do.pdf