Best Practices To Protect Yourself From a Data Breach

Data breaches happen on an hourly basis each day but that doesn’t mean you leave yourself open to multiple attacks. There are many actions you can take to ensure both your laptop and home networks stay fully secure. From multi-factor authentication to account alerts, we’re covering the absolute best ways to protect yourself from an invasive data breach.

Here’s How Data Breaches Work

Data breaches occur because there are always multiple entry points for hackers to access. Think about it. Companies access data on an hourly basis. People connect using their mobile phones and tablets to upload and download all day long. All these entry points allow hackers to take advantage of security flaws. This makes it even more complicated to try and defend against these attacks.

With such a high volume of hostile attacks occurring because of malicious software, you need 24/7 protection and some helpful tips to help keep your computer and network functioning naturally.

Use Only Complex Passwords

If you’ve been using the same password for, well, every password you have, it’s probably best to start by changing those up right away. The rule of thumb says use a different password for each account and don’t use standard information that is easy to find out. Yes, that includes your birthday as well!

If Multi-factor Authentication Is Available, Use It!

If you have this feature available to protect your accounts, use it. This hard to fake method requires the user to present two pieces of identity in order to access their account. Most of the time, a password is required first and then the user is asked for a code, which is sent to the user on the spot, via a text or phone call.

Keep Your Eyes Open For Fraud

Always ensure that you are updating your accounts on a regular basis and making sure that all purchases match what you actually paid and that there are no transactions that seem suspicious, If one of your accounts contacts you by email to claim a data breach, make sure their credentials match up to ones your used to seeing before calling them back. Always check the area code as well, this can be a great indictor of f raud call, especially if the area code or phone number look out of the ordinary.

Set Up Account Alerts

If your account offers you the ability to sign up for account alerts, be sure to take part in this helpful initiative. Depending on who your accounts are with, you might be to recieve noitfications for fraudulent purchases and those that exceed a dollar amount that has been predecided upon. This is the perfect way to be able to catch a malicious hacker in the act and stop them before they can do any further damage.

One of the unfortunate realities of this world is that there are some pretty nasty people out there and they are dying to get a hold of your finanacial information. Hopefully, implementing the tips we’ve shared today can provide the security you need to protect yourself from th next data breach.

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