What to Do If Your Personal Data Has Been Exposed
2024-04-25
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1As more of our lives move online, the risk of our personal data being stolen or misused is increasing.
2Personal data includes email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and even passwords.
3And large data breaches are happening more often.
4In breaches, online criminals can use stolen data to target people with leading messages to get important information.
5Or they can take out loans and credit cards in their name.
6Here are some ways to protect yourself:
7Oren Arar is vice president of buyer privacy at online security company Malwarebytes.
8He said in the United States, there is no federal law enforcing companies or organizations to inform individuals of a data breach.
9But he said it is common practice for them to do so and they often provide identity protection services.
10The situation is better in the European Union.
11It requires companies and organizations to tell individuals of some kinds of breaches.
12Even after a breach has been made public, cyber security experts say people need to pay attention.
13Look out for emails or phone calls that say they are from the hacked organization or someone offering help.
14Contact the organization to see if they can confirm it.
15Use official links, do not use any links or contact details in any messages you have been sent.
16The Federal Trade Commission's website, identitytheft.gov, can tell you of identity theft victims.
17And it provides step-by-step advice with how to deal with different situations.
18If your data has been breached, the first thing you should do is change your password for the account involved.
19Use a strong, long password including letters, numbers and symbols.
20And make sure to add a second level of security.
21That may include having an email or text sent to you.
22It could also mean using a device called a USB authenticator.
23And if you have been using the same, or similar, password for different online accounts, make changes to it for each site.
24Hackers may take your password from one service and try it on your other accounts.
25Arar said, "Just because your info shows up in a breach doesn't mean someone's stolen your identity or money.
26But it does mean you're at risk."
27He said it is wise to monitor your accounts, change any leaked passwords, set up a second security system, and have a separate email address for less important sign-ups.
28It can be hard to follow all the different data breaches.
29But there are online services that you can look at to see if your email has been involved in a data breach.
30Darren Guccione is CEO of Keeper Security.
31It makes password protection programming and offers a tool called BreachWatch.
32It keeps watch on the dark web to see if your personal information shows up there.
33He said, "When public data breaches occur, cybercriminals gather as much data as possible so they can sell it on the dark web."
34If your credit card payment numbers are stolen, inform your bank or credit card company.
35Explain that your card is at risk of fraud and ask them to warn you of any suspicious activity.
36They will likely give you a new card.
37Additionally, some banks and credit cards permit you to lock your account online.
38You can also inform credit agencies.
39The three main companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
40They can freeze your credit.
41That makes it hard to see your credit report and open a new account.
42Or they will ask lenders to contact you before lending money.
43Online security experts warn that breaches involving a telephone company leave buyers at risk of having their phone numbers stolen.
44Thieves can use a stolen number to enter accounts that use that phone number as a second security.
45To reduce that risk, telephone company AT&T advises creating a password that is needed to make large account changes.
46Also, delete emails containing personal information from your email account.
47That will help block possible damage by someone who gains entry to your email account.
48I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Gregory Stachel.
1As more of our lives move online, the risk of our personal data being stolen or misused is increasing. 2Personal data includes email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and even passwords. And large data breaches are happening more often. 3In breaches, online criminals can use stolen data to target people with leading messages to get important information. Or they can take out loans and credit cards in their name. 4Here are some ways to protect yourself: 5Pay attention 6Oren Arar is vice president of buyer privacy at online security company Malwarebytes. He said in the United States, there is no federal law enforcing companies or organizations to inform individuals of a data breach. 7But he said it is common practice for them to do so and they often provide identity protection services. 8The situation is better in the European Union. It requires companies and organizations to tell individuals of some kinds of breaches. 9Even after a breach has been made public, cyber security experts say people need to pay attention. 10Look out for emails or phone calls that say they are from the hacked organization or someone offering help. Contact the organization to see if they can confirm it. 11Use official links, do not use any links or contact details in any messages you have been sent. 12The Federal Trade Commission's website, identitytheft.gov, can tell you of identity theft victims. And it provides step-by-step advice with how to deal with different situations. 13Change your password 14If your data has been breached, the first thing you should do is change your password for the account involved. 15Use a strong, long password including letters, numbers and symbols. And make sure to add a second level of security. That may include having an email or text sent to you. It could also mean using a device called a USB authenticator. 16And if you have been using the same, or similar, password for different online accounts, make changes to it for each site. Hackers may take your password from one service and try it on your other accounts. 17Arar said, "Just because your info shows up in a breach doesn't mean someone's stolen your identity or money. But it does mean you're at risk." He said it is wise to monitor your accounts, change any leaked passwords, set up a second security system, and have a separate email address for less important sign-ups. 18Keep monitoring 19It can be hard to follow all the different data breaches. But there are online services that you can look at to see if your email has been involved in a data breach. 20Darren Guccione is CEO of Keeper Security. It makes password protection programming and offers a tool called BreachWatch. It keeps watch on the dark web to see if your personal information shows up there. 21He said, "When public data breaches occur, cybercriminals gather as much data as possible so they can sell it on the dark web." 22Tell your bank and credit agencies 23If your credit card payment numbers are stolen, inform your bank or credit card company. Explain that your card is at risk of fraud and ask them to warn you of any suspicious activity. 24They will likely give you a new card. Additionally, some banks and credit cards permit you to lock your account online. 25You can also inform credit agencies. The three main companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They can freeze your credit. That makes it hard to see your credit report and open a new account. Or they will ask lenders to contact you before lending money. 26Take extra care 27Online security experts warn that breaches involving a telephone company leave buyers at risk of having their phone numbers stolen. Thieves can use a stolen number to enter accounts that use that phone number as a second security. 28To reduce that risk, telephone company AT&T advises creating a password that is needed to make large account changes. Also, delete emails containing personal information from your email account. That will help block possible damage by someone who gains entry to your email account. 29I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Gregory Stachel. 30Kelvin Chan reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 31_________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33breach - n. an occurrence in which someone is able to get into a place that is guarded or is able to get secret information. 34hack - v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information or cause damage 35expose - v. to reveal 36symbol - n. a letter, group of letters, character, or picture that is used instead of a word or group of words 37monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time 38occur - v. to happen 39fraud - n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person