Protecting Yourself After A Data Breach - Shield Insurance Agency Blog

Protecting yourself after a data breach

A data breach is becoming more and more common. With over a billion records exposed since 2005, it’s likely that — if it hasn’t happened already — you’ll eventually rip open a letter to find that your data has been compromised and your personal information is at risk.

So what do you do next?

Just because you received this letter does not mean that you’re the victim of identity theft, it just means that your data was exposed, a data breach. However, there are five main steps you can take to better ensure that you come out of the situation with your identity and finances intact.

Breathe and read.

The first step is to not panic. That may sound counter-intuitive, but the best thing you can do is take a deep breath and thoroughly read the letter. The letter will explain what information is at risk, how the data breach occurred, and how you can get more information. When you’ve finished reading it over, keep it in a safe place in case you ever need to prove that your data was exposed.

Let your bank, mortgage lender, and other financial organizations know that your data has been compromised. This way, they can keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

Monitor billing and financial statements.

You must be on the lookout for fraudulent activity, too. Your bank or credit card provider may have text or email alerts to help you monitor your account, but be sure to check your statements regularly. And don’t just look for big withdrawals. Small purchases could be criminals seeing what they can get away with.

Check your credit report.

You can get a free credit report once per year. So after about 30 days, request your copy and check for anything suspicious. If you would like some extra protection, you may want to sign up for a credit monitoring service. While this typically comes at a cost, the business that exposed your data may offer these services for free in response to the breach.

Change your passwords.

In case the cybercriminals are in your online accounts or got a hold of the information that could give them access, change your passwords. Plus, it’s a good practice to update your passwords every 90 days. Be sure to include numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters in your new passwords.

Grange Insurance offers an Identity Theft coverage endorsement that can be added to a Grange Personal Auto or Homeowners insurance policy. For full details on coverage and discounts, contact your Shield Insurance Agent. This article is for information purposes only. For specific coverage details, always refer to your policy.

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4 Tips To Help You Stay Ahead Of Smartphone Hackers – Shield Insurance Agency Blog

4 Tips to Help You Stay Ahead of Smartphone Hackers

Shield Insurance Blog | Smartphone Hackers | Start A Quote Today!

Did you know that Americans check their phone on average 80 times a day? Surprising, right? Unfortunately, the amount of times that our phones can be compromised is surprisingly high as well.  And because mobile phones are so valuable to hackers, more and more new exploits are being discovered.

To help you stay ahead of smartphone hackers, we’ve combined the most frequent dangers and tips on what to do to help protect yourself.

What smartphone hackers value

  • The device itself: Your data can be wiped, the device reset, resold and reactivated. Thieves have gotten better at taking phones apart and reassembling them into new phones to sell.
  • Your data: Your phone is likely linked to your email, financial accounts and other personal records. Armed with your smartphone, a hacker could access your banking  by resetting your email password or receiving a secure pin via text.

Lost or stolen phones: What to do before and after

  • Track your phone with an app. The best ones track to within feet of where the phone is located. If your phone has been stolen, report its location to the police.
  • Secure your phone with a password, swipe code or passphrase. Set the security settings to wipe the data on the phone after a certain number of password tries.
  • If you lose your phone or it is stolen, notify your carrier right away and wipe the data if you are sure you cannot retrieve the phone.

Social engineering

Hackers are using social engineering to persuade mobile carrier customer service to fraudulently transfer phone numbers without your permission. Once they transfer your number to their device, they have password resetting capability for your email, banking, and other accounts.

To help lower the chances of this happening to you:

  • Place a “do not port” alert on your account.
  • Use a pin for your account and require it for all changes.
  • If you receive a text or call from your mobile provider saying that someone is attempting to port your number, call them immediately. Do not respond directly to the message, as that may be a separate scam.

Phishing And Viruses

Texts and emails created by hackers can contain deceptive links or attachments that could infect your phone with malware. The malware can then steal your personal and financial information.

Here are some recommendations to help protect your phone:

  • Do not accept text messages from numbers you do not recognize. Block them. If you are not already on the National Do Not Call Registry, sign up – it’s free and just takes two clicks.
  • Don’t click on links in texts, especially those that look suspicious, and don’t download files from emails unless you are already expecting something from someone you trust. If it’s financial, give the person a call, just to confirm it actually came from them.
  • Just as you have virus and malware protection for your home PC or laptop, it’s time to invest in smartphone protection. There are many competitive products priced at around $50 a year.
  • Don’t plug into any unknown charging stations or devices. Bring a wall charger or power bank with you.
  • Keep your operating system up to date. Operating system updates are usually issued in response to major security exploits. Because these updates are known to have weaknesses, you should review your product’s website to determine why the update has been issued and when to install it.

Mobile phones and your data on them can be compromised in a multitude of ways. Although keeping a step ahead of hackers is tough, educating yourself is critical.

For information only. Not applicable to all situations. The original version of this article written by Monique Ferraro, Counsel Cyber Practice at Hartford Steam Boiler, can be found on their blog.

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