A data breach occurs when information is stolen from a system. For instance, if hackers gain access to a large corporation’s database of customer information, their personal details, from their contact information to their Social Security number, might be compromised. It’s terrifying to think that a data breach could impact you, but the unfortunate reality is that these breaches are surprisingly common.
The good news is that you can take steps to reduce the risk of becoming the victim of a data breach. Below are a few steps that you can take to keep your information as safe and secure as possible.
Limit Who Has Access to Your Information
You can’t always avoid giving a business your personal information, including your credit card details, but the more you can limit the number of organizations that have access to this information, the more you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of a data breach.
Consider the companies that you have opened accounts with, and the information that they have about you. See if there are any privacy preferences that you can enforce to prevent them from using your data in a manner you don’t agree with. For example, if you can, tell them that they are not allowed to share your information with any third parties.
Protect Your Computer with Security Software
Another step you can take to fight data breaches at home involves finding and installing high-quality antivirus software and other software that can help protect against malware, phishing, hackers, and more. There are a lot of options out there, and you can find products to suit every budget, so take your time to sort through what’s available.
By installing the right security software, you can surf the web with greater confidence, knowing that you have an extra layer of protection. But you should continue taking steps to protect yourself, of course. For example, avoid clicking on links in emails that look suspicious and avoid websites that don’t seem secure or legitimate.
Remove Your Information from People Search Sites
Another way to prevent a data breach is by seeing where your personal information is available, and then taking steps to have that info taken down. A classic example is people search websites, which are databases that make it a snap to find contact details, family details, and more about a person. Go to Radaris to see what we mean. Type in your name and see if your details pop up in the results. You might be shocked to see that strangers can easily learn so much about you, but if you go to the Radaris opt out section, you can tell them to take your information off their site.
You can do a Google search using your full name to see which people search websites have your details. You might even find your information on lesser-known sites, such as SearchPeopleFree, at which point, you’d need to find the SearchPeopleFree opt out instructions.
These people search websites can give someone with ill intentions quite a bit of information about you. They might then be able to use that information to further dig into who you are. So, if you find your info on FastPeopleSearch, as another example, go to FastPeopleSearch opt out right away.
As you can see, protecting yourself against data breaches doesn’t have to be extremely challenging!
