In the News
How significant can a data breach be? In Emails of nearly 1 billion people leaked in massive data breach, Natalie O’Neill at the New York Post discusses the extensive data exposure of personal information from the Verifications.io, a company used for marketing purposes, website. O’Neill explains that this is being considered the most significant data breach and included vast amounts of personal information. O’Neill states that as of Friday, the website was not working.
Our Take
The frequency of data breaches is unfortunately increasing, but a breach that impacted almost one billion individuals is practically unheard of. A breach of this magnitude implies that a majority of the world is connected to this breach in some way, whether you are directly impacted or whether you know of someone who is. The reality of a breach this size is disheartening because if it happened once, it can happen again. Companies must improve their data management practices and security procedures. Additionally, the possibility of federally enforced data privacy laws is likely in future years. There are ways to reduce your chances of being a victim of a data breach. For starters, only inputting the required information on online forms and accounts can limit the information exposed in a breach. Additionally, changing passwords frequently and being mindful of how much aggregate personal information you have shared online is helpful to secure your data.
Recommendations
So how can you protect your personal information from exposure?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Use safe password practices, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Utilize additional security/privacy measures and settings on apps, accounts, and platforms whenever possible
- Check your email, financial accounts, and credit reports regularly for abnormal activities