As a customer of a major company, if you learn that it has had a security breach, or if you find out that your own computer has been compromised, then you need to act quickly to ensure your safety. Remember that a security breach on one account could mean that other accounts are also at risk, especially if they share passwords or if you regularly make transactions between them.
If a breach could involve your financial information, notify any banks and financial institutions with which you have accounts.
Change the passwords on all your accounts. If there are security questions and answers or PIN codes attached to the account, you should change these too.
You might consider a credit freeze. This stops anyone using your data for identity theft and borrowing in your name.
Check your credit report to ensure you know if anyone is applying for debt using your details.
Try to find out exactly what data might have been stolen. That will give you an idea of the severity of the situation. For instance, if tax details and SSNs have been stolen, you'll need to act fast to ensure your identity isn't stolen. This is more serious than simply losing your credit card details.
Don'trespond directly to requests from a company to give them personal data after a data breach; it could be a social engineering attack. Take the time to read the news, check the company's website, or even phone their customer service line to check if the requests are legitimate.
Be on your guard for other types of social engineering attacks. For instance, a criminal who has accessed a hotel's accounts, even without financial data, could ring customers asking for feedback on their recent stay. At the end of the call, having established a relationship of trust, the criminal could offer a refund of parking charges and ask for the customer's card number in order to make the payment. Most customers probably wouldn't think twice about providing those details if the call is convincing.
Monitor your accounts for signs of any new activity. If you see transactions that you don't recognize, address them immediately.
