This article is sponsored by Incogni. Product choices and opinions expressed are from the sponsor and do not reflect the views of How-to Geek editorial staff.
Thousands of data compromises happen every year, with hundreds of millions of individuals affected by it. These data breaches can lead to a huge range of different consequences, including the risk of identity theft for years to come, unauthorized transactions or impacts to your credit score, and an overall loss of privacy.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to prevent a data breach from happening, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Immediate action after a data breach can be essential to not only protecting you and your family’s identities, but also restoring your peace of mind and sense of security. Using a tool like Incogni can help take back control of your data.
1. Confirm That You Have Actually Been Affected by the Breach
The first and most important step that you can take after a big data breach is to make sure that you have actually been affected by it. Sometimes a data breach only affects certain accounts or areas of a company, which means that you might be lucky enough to have avoided it entirely.
Typically, a company will send out a notification to any accounts that were affected by a data breach, but for additional peace of mind, it’s a good idea to check data breach databases to confirm. One good website to try is https://haveibeenpwned.com.
Even if it seems like you have dodged a data breach, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your accounts and be aware of what kind of data was leaked. For example, if financial data was leaked, then it’s a good idea to keep a closer eye on your transactions and bank statements than usual, just in case.
2. Protect Yourself and Your Data
Once you know that you’ve been unfortunate enough to be affected by a data breach, there are a number of steps to take. First and foremost, it’s a good idea to change your password. This is definitely true for whatever company was affected by the breach, but also true for the rest of your passwords, especially if you were doing something that you should never do and using the same password for multiple logins.
It can also be a good idea to set up two-factor authentication for any services that allow it at this stage for additional security.
From there, it’s a good idea to assume that your data is compromised. Freezing your credit is a good idea at this stage just to ensure that nobody with your personal information can access it, and it is probably a good idea to reach out to your financial institutions such as banks and credit cards, and inform them of the breach as well.
Additionally, you can file an identity theft report. The FTC allows you to report your potential identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling the number 1-877-438-4338. This website will also help you with potential steps you can take to recover after this as well.
3. Use a Third-Party Service
Incogni: Online Data Removal Service
Incogni is a subscription-based service that maintains the online privacy and safety of its customers by working with the world’s top data brokers to have their information removed from the web.
After this, you may want to consider paying for a third-party service such as Incogni to help remove your data online. It’s not uncommon for the perpetrators of data breaches to then sell the personal data they have illicitly gained to anybody willing to pay for it, which is how all of your personal information can end up being freely accessible by anybody online.
Incogni automatically identifies data brokers and people search websites likely to have your personal data and sends out removal requests, follow-ups, and more to wipe your personal information off of these databases. You can monitor this process on the Incogni dashboard, and see exactly where and when your data is being scrubbed from the internet.
For even greater privacy, Incogni uses up to three phone numbers, three emails, and three addresses when searching for your personal information, meaning that any data points associated with your identity from previous homes or phone numbers won’t be used to identify you.
Incogni
Currently, Incogni is offering a 58% discount on its services when you use the coupon code HOWTOGEEK at checkout, which when coupled with the option for individual or family plans, means you can easily protect those you love most. Incogni’s Family & Friends plan can also be used to protect up to four loved ones, which can be a great way to protect a vulnerable family member without them needing to do anything themselves.
4. Learn More About Your Legal Rights
When it comes to your data and your privacy, there are a wide variety of options available to you. Firstly, it’s a good idea to learn about any relevant legal protections or laws that might be relevant to you. In the U.S., it might be important to learn more about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act if there’s been a breach of your medical or personal health information, or the California Consumer Privacy Act if you are concerned with your privacy rights.
Beyond that, filing a complaint with the relevant authorities or agencies may be a good idea, as may a class-action lawsuit against the company that was responsible for the data leak. Similarly, you may be eligible to request compensation for a data breach, especially if you have suffered damages.
5. Take Additional Steps to Protect Yourself Going Forward
Beyond these steps, it can be a good idea to protect yourself going forward, not just for your security, but also for your peace of mind. A good place to start here can be by swapping to a reputable password manager if you aren’t using one already, as this will make your other accounts less susceptible to a data leak.
Beyond this, it can be a good idea to review the app or website permissions that you have given out if they pose a security risk, backup your data, or sign up for an identity protection or credit monitoring service.
It can also be a good idea to remove as much of your personal information from websites such as social media or by looking up people search websites and data brokers and opting out of their services, either manually or through a third-party service such as Incogni.
Keep Yourself Safe Even After a Security Breach
While being the victim of a data breach is a tragedy, it doesn’t have to be a disaster. By taking proactive action, you can get ahead of any potential data breaches in order to protect the data of both you and your loved ones.
This means that confirming your data has been breached, filing identity theft reports, and protecting your data through a service like Incogni can be the absolute difference between your leaked data having serious consequences and complete safety.
