Unfortunately, data breaches and attacks are becoming increasingly popular. They can go down at any moment, which would affect the account. Unknowingly we all have been a victim of the data breach. These scams can result in loss of money or personal data. Here we will tell you all the information about data breaches. How can you check what data is leaked? Why does it happen? And how to prevent a data breach?
I. Reasons for Data Breach
Some reasons for a data breach can be particular bugs, weak passwords, a pre-existing system that victims were not aware of, or something like a malicious link that starts with a simple click and unfortunately ends in a scam.
A data leak can also happen due to weak security measures, or sometimes just down to a fault that has gone unnoticed by a company/organization. This could be anything from your email address winding up on the Dark Web’s shady corners to business documents and identity scams.
Now, if you think you have not done any mentioned services, even Facebook has compromised with its user’s data. According to the reports, data of around 533 million Facebook users has been leaked in April this year. This means that someone can get our data from the companies that have it. The data is then sold on the DarkNet.
II. How can you check what data is leaked online?
You can check if your Email has leaked or if you have been a part of a data breach or not using the following method:
Step-1: Go to Firefox Monitor
Step-2: Enter your Email Address and click on Check Breaches
Step-3: It will show all the known data breaches you’ve been a victim of
Step-4: Click on “more about breach.” To know more about specific data
On this website, you can see all the information about the leaked data. It also tells you about what data has been compromised, like password or IP or any other data.
Firefox Monitor also recommends what you can do for that breach data.
III. What to do now?
- Check whether the breached apps or sites still have access to your Gmail account or not?
- Go to Google Account Settings > Security > Third-party apps with account access
- If you find any of the sites or apps whose data has been breached in the list, immediately remove it by clicking on “Remove Access.”
2. Change the password of your email account: Create a unique password that you have never used.
3. Update other logins where you used the same password: Hackers can easily access those accounts where you may have used the same password.
4. Enable 2FA: Enable 2FA for your Gmail and for sites where you are logging in.
IV. How to avoid data breaches?
Most people who use the internet have been part of one breach or another, which means your name, IP, Email, the password could have been leaked.
- Change your passwords from time to time.
- Use VPN: To prevent your IP address from getting picked up from websites or being part of leaks, you can use a VPN.
- Do not share your number: When signing up for new accounts, do not share your phone number if it is not mandatory.
- Use website manager to block cookies.
- Avoid clicking on unknown links: A single click on a link can cost you everything. Avoid links you get on your desktop or mobile.
- Do not visit any Black sites; they might steal your data.
Follow these precautions and avoid your personal information getting into the wrong hands. If you want us to share more cybersecurity-related articles, please let us know by commenting down below.
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