How to Protect Yourself Immediately When Your Data is Breached

Data breaches have become an increasingly common and alarming occurrence, especially in huge companies. These types of incidents affect millions of individuals and hundreds of organizations worldwide.

Large companies such as tech giants, which are perceived as beacons of cybersecurity, are now frequently targeted by cyberattacks. Recent high-profile breaches have compromised the personal and sensitive information of individuals.

Such news of a cyberattack on one of your trusted companies could stir up panic among individuals. Hence, it is crucial to know how to respond effectively when your data is at risk.

If you find yourself a victim of a recent data breach, here are some immediate actions that you can take to ensure your protection:

Stay Informed

Monitor official communications from breached services for updates and instructions. Big companies involved in data breaches will start confirming the incident once their internal investigation is done.

Companies could provide detailed information about the hack and will share recommended steps that should be followed by their users to secure their accounts.

As an individual be responsible to inform yourself about the common cybersecurity threats and continuously educate yourself about this incident to avoid panicking.

Strengthen Password With 2FA

Password-related advice is often taken for granted by many users. However, it is proven to be the most effective way of securing one's account online.

Be sure to immediately change the password on the affected service. Create a strong and unique password that you have not used elsewhere to prevent being traced by hackers.

Ensure that your two-factor authentication (2FA) feature is enabled, if available, to add an extra layer of security to your account.

Monitor Connected Accounts

In case you use the same password on other services, change those passwords immediately. Keep an eye on your financial and social media accounts for any unusual activity.

Report any suspicious activity from your account immediately, if there is any. Regardless, make it a habit to use a unique password on all your accounts from this point forward.

Use Password Manager

For long-term measures, explore the abilities of password manager apps. Oftentimes, we think of our passwords as an extension of our daily lives, making it easier for hackers to trace them based on our social media activity.

Password managers can generate strong and unique passwords for all your accounts that have zero connection or clue about yourself online. It can also store all your passwords from each account so you don't have to worry about forgetting or memorizing them all.

Be Cautious With Online Activities

Be wary of emails, messages, or links from unknown sources. Some hackers are known for running phishing campaigns once they breach a huge data from a company.

These threat actors will pose as a legitimate company that you trusted to encourage you from clicking their link. Hence, make it a habit of inspecting any messages from the validity of the email address to the content of the text.