In the News
Equifax is in the news again. In Equifax Partner Breaches Customer Data, Phil Muncaster at InfoSecurity Magazine discusses a recent incident at Image-I-Nation Technologies, a company whose software is used by companies like Equifax for background checks. Muncaster explains that customer information including Social Security Numbers were exposed during this data breach and that customer data from at least four states may have been impacted.
Our Take
The Equifax data breach last year was an enormous hit to both the company, and its customer’s in terms of privacy and company trust. The incident helped spark the conversation on the importance of data privacy and transparency. However, the reality is that data breaches and other cybersecurity threats have continued to occur at alarming numbers. Equifax being tied to another company impacted by a data breach is less surprising and more disheartening. One would think that after such a huge scandal, the company would fortify its systems and partners. It is more difficult and often rare for companies to police the third-parties that are associated with their service…even if these companies have access to sensitive customer information.
Recommendations
How can you protect the personal information from being exposed on data breaches?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to, especially when asked to input highly sensitive information
- Don’t reuse your account passwords, and take advantage of multi-factor authentication whenever possible
- Minimize the number of accounts that have direct access to your bank account, card numbers, or Social Security Number
- Track your finances closely to notice suspicious transactions before they become dangerous
- Stay up to date on the news regarding recent data breaches and security flaws to see if you may have been affected