If your personal information is exposed in a data breach, act quickly to secure your accounts, change compromised passwords and monitor your financial activity for suspicious transactions. A data breach occurs when information is accessed or disclosed without authorisation, potentially exposing details such as email addresses, passwords and personal information.
Your information may be exposed when a company, website or online service you use experiences a security incident. Even if you did not cause the breach, exposed information can be used in phishing attempts, account takeovers or identity theft.
4 Steps to Take After a Data Breach
Change compromised passwords
If your password was exposed, change it immediately. If you use the same password on other websites, update those accounts too. Use a unique, strong password for every account and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), an additional verification step that helps prevent unauthorised access.
Check your accounts for unusual activity
Review your email, banking and online shopping accounts for unfamiliar logins, transactions or changes to your personal details. Contact your bank immediately if you notice suspicious financial activity.
Be alert to targeted scams
Cybercriminals may use exposed information to create convincing messages that appear to come from a trusted company. Be cautious of unexpected requests for passwords, payment details or verification codes. Contact the organisation through its official website or contact number if you need to verify a message.
Monitor your personal information
Stay alert to signs that your information is being misused, including unexpected password reset notifications or unfamiliar accounts opened in your name. If you suspect identity theft, contact the relevant financial institution or service provider and report the incident to the appropriate authorities.
How Can You Monitor Your Digital Identity?
ESET HOME Security Ultimate includes ESET Identity Protection, which monitors for exposed personal information and compromised credentials, including through dark web monitoring, and sends alerts when potential risks are detected. This gives you an opportunity to investigate and take action when your information may be at risk.
Discover how ESET can help protect your digital identity with ESET HOME Security Ultimate