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Fri. Sep 13th, 2024
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How to protect yourself from cybercrime

By Matthew. Jr
How to protect yourself from cybercrime

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Personal data for 470,000 people may have been leaked on the dark web by a ransomware group that breached the city of Columbus. Hackers may have released the Social Security numbers of every American, the LA Times reported. AT&T had call records stolen for nearly all of its customers, according to The New York Times.

And all this happened in the last month.

With seemingly non-stop headlines about hacks, data breaches and ransomware, The Dispatch reached out to cybersecurity experts to discuss this latest surge in cyber incidents and what it could mean for the average person.

How common are data breaches?

Data breaches, online scams and identity theft have become increasingly common since 2020, when much of modern life has moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Teresa Murray, director of the surveillance team of consumers from the US Public Interest Research Group. Thursday interview.

“A lot of ways of doing business have gone online in 2020 and people have become more comfortable with that. And it’s more difficult for people to be able to distinguish what’s real and what’s not,” Murray said.

The rise in data breaches may be particularly so as many companies have turned to hoarding user data that they share with third parties for revenue, such as Facebook, which shares user data with advertisers. That means more data for unscrupulous thieves to get their hands on, Murray said.

“Everybody that you and I know has a complete spreadsheet, a complete file of information that has been accumulated about us there,” she said.

Ciera Frazier, owner of local credit firm Frazier Consulting Services, said she hears about breaches “at least once a week,” and hackers don’t always use stolen data the way people might expect.

“When we think of data breaches, we think of someone trying to open a credit card in my name or someone trying to open a bank account in my name, but I’ve seen people’s identity stolen and these people who stole their . identity, work in their name and get their apartments, and it goes that far,” Frazier said.

There may also be technical explanations for the rise in data breaches. According to the Harvard Business Review, large data-rich companies often misconfigure their cloud configurations, making them an easy target for hackers.

Ransomware attacks are also becoming easier to carry out, with sophisticated groups franchising their malware to allow other criminals to use it. And attackers are increasingly targeting vendors that interact with thousands of organizations, potentially compromising data for millions of people with limited hacking.

So, with the digital frontier increasingly used by companies to harvest your data, which is then often stolen by hackers, what can people do to protect themselves?

How to escape a data breach

When it comes to data breaches by big companies that own your information, there’s not much you can do to recover your data to prevent it from being leaked, Murray said.

“Unfortunately, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, so it’s not like you can try, even if you know where all your information is, you can’t go and collect it all back,” she said.

However, there are a few things within the average person’s control that can reduce the risk of a criminal using your data to harm you. Murray recommends:

  • Using a different password for everything
  • Using built-in security features such as two-factor authentication
  • Avoid strangers online

Despite the common belief that you should change your password every few months, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends changing it only if there is evidence that it has been compromised.

How to protect yourself from data breaches, cybercriminals

When it comes to the recent Columbus breach and cybersecurity in general, Murray and Frazier had similar advice for residents concerned about their data appearing on the dark web or being used by thieves.

Both recommended credit freezes through the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. According to Murray, it only takes about 20 minutes and is useful even if you don’t think your data has been stolen.

“It just drives me crazy because people talk about, ‘Oh, I’m going to do it someday.’ I put it on their to-do list,’ or they’ll say, ‘Well, I don’t have enough. time to do that, maybe when I’m on vacation or this summer or whatever. And yet they’ll spend half an hour looking at restaurant menus online to figure out where they want to go out to eat on Friday night, and they can’t take 20 minutes to freeze their credit files,” Murray said. .

Both recommend turning on fraud and transaction alerts for bank accounts and credit cards so you know immediately if an unauthorized transaction is being made. To that end, Murray recommends updating your information with your bank and credit card company so they can easily contact you.

Credit monitoring is also a useful tool for detecting unauthorized purchases, Frazier said.

And above all, “be more paranoid about everything,” Murray said.

“Any phone call, any text message, any email you didn’t expect, anything you get, don’t confirm information, don’t send information, don’t send money. If someone says they’re calling from your bank or the Police Department or the FBI or the Social Security Administration, they’re simply not providing or confirming any information, no matter how many things they might know about you, such as your date of birth, address, and location where you work,” she said.

[email protected]

@NathanRHart

By Matthew. Jr

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