It seems there’s always news of another data breach. Whether you’ve been a victim or want to proactively protect your personal information, Consumer Reports offers guidance on what you can do before hackers strike.
Consumer Reports tech editor Nicholas De Leon understands how it feels to be the victim of a data breach. His advice? Don’t panic. His Social Security number was stolen in the Equifax breach, but he eventually resolved everything.
One important step Nicholas took was freezing his credit at the three major credit agencies — a move CR generally recommends since it can help prevent criminals from opening new accounts in your name.
However, any time you need credit, such as renting an apartment or buying a new phone, you’ll need to unfreeze your credit. This can be done by calling the credit agency and requesting them to freeze and unfreeze your credit as needed.
A less restrictive option is placing a fraud alert on your credit. This tells lenders to take extra steps to verify someone’s identity because their personal information may have been compromised.
It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your free weekly credit reports, your credit score, and your credit card statements. If you notice any unauthorized charges on your credit card statement, contact your issuer immediately.
Finally, if you’re a victim of a data breach, be sure to change your password, not only for your hacked account but also for any other accounts where you used the same password.
Instead of reusing passwords in the future, consider using a password manager.
Password managers generate and store unique, complex passwords for each of your accounts. Many will also alert users if their passwords have been leaked in a data breach. CR recommends password managers such as 1Password, Dashlane, and Keeper.
Additionally, CR suggests deleting any online accounts you no longer use, as having too many digital accounts increases the risk of your data being misused or stolen.