Massive hack exposes Social Security numbers, personal info: See if yours was included
Cyberattacks on U.S. water system on the rise: EPA
Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation's drinking water.
A hacking group claims to have stolen 2.7 billion records of personal information from Americans.
These records include names, addresses, phone numbers and the worst part--Social Security numbers.
The data was also stolen from National Public Data, a platform that offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks.
Worried if your information was part of the breach? Here's how to check if your records are among the billions leaked online.
How to know if my personal information has been exposed?
Firstly, monitor and check credit reports for possible fraudulent activity on accounts and notify credit bureaus Equifax , TransUnion and Experian if something looks suspicious.
There are also search databases like the one from Pentester that lists all the accounts that have been leaked online. Just enter your name, state and birthday to see if your information was leaked. The search is free.
It is also reccommended to add two-factor authentication for passwords and avoid using the same login information for different services.
Always make sure to routinely change your password on your accounts.
How do I protect my personal information?
Here are some steps to safeguard your personal information amid constant security threats.
- Monitor accounts daily
- Add a service that monitors your accounts and the dark web for you
- Change passwords and add two-factor authentication
- Avoid sharing passwords or accounts
Who is behind the data theft?
A hacking group called USDoD claimed in April to have stolen personal records from National Public Data in a massive data breach. The NPD is a platform that offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
According to Engadget, previous leaks of data included phone numbers and email addresses, but that information reportedly was not a part of the latest data release.