What Actually Happens in a Data Breach
You've probably gotten an email that starts with “ We are writing to inform you of a security incident.” or something like that. This is a data breach notice. Over time, they arrive more and more often. Below, learn what a data breach is, and how to stop data breaches from happening.If you actually understand and know what a data breach is, you can actually react the right way instead of panicking or ignoring the data breach.
What a data breach is
A data breach is when somebody steals information from a company's systems. This information can be names, or maybe email addresses, or passwords, and maybe credit card numbers. Sometimes, a data breach is a hacker hacking. A data breach could also be a mistake that leaves data in the open. Basically, information that is supposed to be private gets to a hacker.
Big data breaches get on the news, but small data breaches happen all the time.If you have accounts that are online, some of your data has most likely been in a data breach. That doesn't mean to give up. This is a reason to build habits that stop damage from data breaches from happening.
Why data breaches are dangerous to you
The danger from data breaches is based on what was stolen.If something like just your email address was stolen, the only thing that could happen would be just getting more spam. If one of your passwords were stolen, hackers could try the password on your other accounts. If your credit card information was stolen, you might see charges for things you didn’t buy.
The worst thing that could happen is a stolen password that you use a lot. As said in other articles, hackers can take one password and use the password for all of your other accounts.One data breach can turn into a bunch if you share that password across other websites.
How passwords are supposed to be stored
Good companies don't have your actual password. They have a scrambled version(called a hash) instead . If a good company is breached, the stolen passwords are hashed and scrambled. Hackers can almost nver get a password from a bunch of scrambled letters.
But, not every company does this. Some companies may have your passwords in plain, readable text. When those companies are breached, hackers can immediately get your password and steal it. You don't have any control over how a company has your passwords and data,which is why your own habits matter and are so important.
What to do when you hear about a breach
If a company you use gets hacked, do these things:
- Change your password on that account right away.
- If you reused that password anywhere else, change it on those accounts too.
- Turn on two-factor authentication if you have not already.
- Watch your bank and card statements for anything strange.
- Be alert for phishing emails that use the breach as an excuse to trick you.
Acting quickly gives hackers less time to use your stolen data.
How to limit the damage before it happens
You can't really stop companies from getting hacked. But, you can make sure a single breach doesn't hurt you that much:
- Use a unique password for every account, so if one gets leaked, others won’t.
- Turn on two-factor authentication on important accounts.
- Make sure not that many places store your card.
This is where a password manager becomes useful. It gives each and every account a strong and unique password, without you having to remember any of the passwords. So, when the next breach happens, and there definitely will be a next breach, only one account will be affected. The rest of your accounts stay protected.
With HatePassword, your passwords live in a vault encrypted on your device, and each account gets its own unique password. Breaches will keep happening to companies all around the world. What you should do is to make sure that when companies that you use are breached, the damage stops at one account instead of going across all of your other accounts.