There’s a reason that browsers like Edge have added breached password notifications. Data breaches are an unfortunate part of life nowadays, and can have costly consequences for individuals. Hackers can steal identities and compromise individuals bank accounts, just to name a couple.
Cyber criminals breach about 4,800 websites every month with form jacking code. It has become all too common to hear of a large hotel chain or social media company exposing customer data. Hackers can breach your personal information and passwords without you knowing it. The time from breach to notification of the breach can be lengthy. One example is the data breach of CafePress. This is a popular online retailer that prints personalised items. CafePress suffered a data breach in February 2019. That breach exposed millions of names and addresses, security questions, and much more. As mentioned, the breach happened in February. But many consumers weren’t notified until late summer of that year. The FTC recently took action against the company. This was due to its careless security practices. The point is that months or years can go by without you knowing about compromised data. Unless you happen to look at the right website, you may not even realise it. Those breached password features in browsers are helpful. But what if you have other information beyond a password compromised? It’s best to protect yourself with some knowledge. We’ll help by listing several recent breaches. If you’ve interacted with any of these companies, you’ll want to take steps to protect yourself from the fallout.
Recent Breaches of Personal Information That Could Impact You
Neopets Breach May Have Compromised 69 Million Accounts
You wouldn’t suspect a cute site like Neopets to be a cybersecurity risk. But users of the platform got a rude awakening due to a breach of the service. An estimated 69 million accounts may have had emails and passwords leaked. The full stolen Neopet database and copy of the source code were being offered for sale for about $94,500.
One Employee Computer Causes a Marriott Breach
Hotel giant Marriott suffered another breach in July 2022. It blamed a single unsecured employee computer. About 300-400 individuals had data leaked. This data included credit card numbers and other confidential information. Unfortunately, the company shows a pattern of poor cyber security. Within the last four years, it has suffered three separate breaches. That’s enough to want to pay in cash or use a pre-paid card if you stay there. Goodness!
Shield Health Care Group Exposes Up to 2 Million Records
In March of 2022, Shield Health Care Group detected a breach. This Massachusetts-based company found that hackers breached up to 2 million customer records. This includes medical records, social security numbers, and other sensitive personal data.
8.2 million Current and Former Customers of Block Compromised
Block was formerly known as Square, a popular payment processing platform. It announced in April of 2022 that it was breached the previous December. A former employee accessed customer names and brokerage account numbers. Some accounts also had other stock trading information accessed. About 8.2 million current and former customers had their data exposed.
Crypto.com Breach Nets Hackers Over $30 Million
Cryptocurrency may be hot at the moment, but it’s very susceptible to cyber attacks. In January 2022, over 483 users had their Crypto.com wallets breached. The criminals made it past two-factor authentication, which is usually quite effective. They stole about $18 million in bitcoin and $15 million in Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
How Secure Are Your Passwords?
There are many solutions that can help you better manage and secure your passwords. Give us a call to learn more about protecting your personal data from a data breach now. Discuss this with us on 01937 848380 or email [email protected]
This article is used with permission from The Technology Press.