What to Do After a Data Breach?

Nowadays, almost every business is depended on the internet. With such heavy dependency on the internet, it is very common to encounter some data breach. The numbers of hackers are increasing every day. Thus, security breaches or data breaches can happen to any company. According to recent reports, 17% of all the Americans have been victims of Data Breach. Their data got compromised by some database leak or data breach.

The data breach can heavily affect an IT company. If your credit card information gets leaked, then you can apply for a new credit card and get your old credit card blocked. Thus, no one can use your old credit card for transaction purpose. But, you can’t re-issue your personal information. Hence, your information can be easily used by hackers.

Almost every major company like Home Depot, LinkedIn, Yahoo and Target has suffered from data breaches. More than 500 million accounts of Yahoo were compromised in 2016. If you’ve become a victim of a data breach, then you follow below tips to recover from the threat.

1. Determine what type of data was stolen.

First, you must understand what the hackers took. Every database has many different types of information stored. Thus, you must figure out what type of data is stolen. For this, you can categorize your data into three different categories:

Least important or sensitive data: The information which can be easily found comes under this category. For example, your name and address can be easily found through a quick Google search. Thus, hackers can’t cause much trouble for you.

More important or sensitive data: Your Email address, credit card numbers and date of birth comes under this category.

A stolen Email address can result in increased spam in your inbox. If your credit card details are stolen, then hackers can do transactions. Thus, it is a very sensitive data which should never get leaked. Your date of birth is mostly useless. But, after combining it with your name it becomes an important piece of data. Anyone can find your real identity using your name and date of birth.

Most important or sensitive data: Your Password, security code numbers, and passport numbers come under this category.

This type of data can be used to pose as you. Anyone can access your account if he knows your password. Thus, your accounts will easily get hijack. If someone has stolen your credit card CVV, then he can do online transactions easily. A bank account number will let hackers track your financial history. They can also hack your bank accounts and transfer all the money.

Most companies will tell you that your most sensitive information is encrypted. But, even your encrypted data is not safe. The hackers can easily decrypt most forms of algorithms and encryption. If you are using a weak password, then it will get decrypted in seconds. Hence, try to use a strong password always.

The most important piece of data is your security code number and passport details. With those details, anyone can find your real identity. Also, they can easily pose as you. Hence, they can do crimes on your name. In such cases, you must act immediately report to the police authorities.

2. Change all your passwords.

If your online account has been hacked, then you must change your passwords first. Many people use the same password in all of their accounts. If you are one of them, then you must change your other account passwords also. Make sure that you are using a strong password this time. A strong password must consist of a symbol, characters, and numbers.

Also, this time don’t use the same password for your other accounts. This way you are protecting your accounts from a future data breach.

If the website you are using has 2-step verification feature, then enable it. After enabling this option no one can access your account even with a password. They need to enter OTP to access your account. Thus, your account will become almost impossible to hack.

You can also use various password managers to store your passwords. Most password managers can generate strong passwords for your accounts. Also, they will store those passwords. Thus, you can easily login into your accounts without remembering the password. These password managers will manage all your account passwords.

3. Contact your bank or credit card provider

If your credit card details were compromised then you must contact your credit card provider. Make sure that you are talking with customer care or some other human representative. Explain to them the whole situation and tell them that your credit card is at risk of fraud. If the data breach was big, then the bank will already know about the data breach. But, still, you must contact them and tell them that your account got compromised.

The credit card issuer will also issue a new credit card for you. Once you have reported to the bank, your credit card can’t be used for fraud transactions. If your debit card is stolen, then this step becomes more important. Your bank account cash will get deducted if someone is using your debit card. Most debit cards don’t have the same security protections as a credit card.

4. Contact credit bureaus.

You must contact all the major credit bureaus in your area. The major credit bureaus are TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. If your social security number is also stolen, then you can also credit freeze your records. Thus, no one will be able to open new accounts using your identity cards. This is required when the most important or sensitive data has been breached.

After credit freeze, no one can do a credit report on you. They can’t open an account on your name, without your permission. Thus, freezing your account will give solid protection to your identity.

In Florida, you can get free credit alerts. Hence, you can also get your credit report when you are visiting these credit bureaus. It is advisable to take credit reports every 6 months. This will help you in keeping an eye on credit rating.

5. Update your security system.

You must also update your security system after any data breach. Make sure that your computer firewall is enabled. Also, don’t forget to upgrade your antivirus to the latest version. If you are not using any malware scanner tool, then you must install it also. This will make sure that no one can hack your system in the future. Thus, the possibility of a future data breach will automatically go down.

It is important to act fast when you suffer from a data security breach. You can also take our security services to deal with a data breach. We will help you in recovering from any data breach. Also, we will increase the security of your system. Thus, the possibility of a future data breach will go down. We’ll guide you through all the security threats and how to deal with them.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.