Darnell L Williams
Introduction
You can have as many locks on your doors and
windows that you want. Criminals do not come through the doors and windows in
your home. They come though your computers, lap tops, and cell phones.
They come through at home, at work, or while
you are sitting in the park. They contact your children on their machines, asking
questions about you, your family habits, and your comings and goings. Most of
these people are not who they say they are. Some live in countries where the
criminals cannot be reach by law
enforcement.
Let's look at what TransUnion has to say about it.
Even if you’ll never use an online dating
site, here’s why recent dating-site data breaches should get your attention.
Dating sites like Adult
FriendFinder and Ashley Madison were built with privacy and discretion in mind.
But recent breaches of those and other sites’ data security reveal a different
reality, one which should frighten not just dating-site users, but everyone who
relies on data security.
Heavily guarded information is valuable.
Though it’s unclear
whether the recent dating-site hacking was more about money or morality,
sensitive personal information—because it’s generally harder to get—can sell
for a premium in the black market.
There’s also the danger
of extortion. Information exposed from hacked dating sites may not be too
valuable in and of itself. But the public release of just a first and last name
could be devastating where the names’ owner would strongly prefer to keep those
details private. That person may be faced with the choice of having those
details go public or paying a fortune to (possibly) keep them private.
It’s often the case that the most valuable information is the
information we most desperately want to protect.
Existing data security wasn’t strong enough.
Since consumer data
breaches have become more commonplace, businesses collecting consumer data know
that security is important. But discreet online dating sites, the federal
government and other guardians of particularly sensitive information have an
even-bigger interest in keeping that data secure.
Breaches at
organizations trying to keep data secure could embolden
cybercriminals for a variety of reasons. One motivation is money, but another
is notoriety. Some cybercriminals hack into sites to prove their skill to other
hackers.
Online dating sites aren’t the only vulnerable sites.
You may have seen on
TV that hackers have hacked into the VA Administration, IRS file, and other
government agencies. They have hacked into hospital records, local and state personal records such as police
files, plus other private records. I suspect that more records have been hacked
that the media or others have not told you about.
If it can happen to
sites like Ashley Madison and Adult FriendFinder, a data breach can happen to
other less-sought-after sites. It’s becoming harder and harder to assume your
personal data is safe anywhere.
Despite your best efforts, your personal data may be at risk.
By all means, do
everything you can to protect your personal data from thieves. But know that
just being responsible—shredding sensitive documents at home, creating a
variety of strong online passwords, being cautious on public Wi-Fi, and other
smart steps—may not be good enough to prevent your information from slipping
into the wrong hands. Should that extremely unfortunate event happen, the real
question is, how will you be able to help limit the damage?
You may be what I call a "Broke
Bitch" but that will not stop a criminal from opening up store and bank accounts
in your name.
Why the right credit protection tools are even more valuable
now.
When data breaches
expose personal information, thieves can get their hands on it. Criminals buy
and sell your information on the Black Market. And if your personal information
is exposed by a breach, there’s nothing you can do to avoid that possibility.
Sure, the breached
system may get a security update to help prevent another breach. And exposed
data could’ve been re-secured without any criminals noticing it was exposed in
the first place. But if a breach does happen, you can’t be sure your identity
wasn’t stolen until you find out the hard way.
That’s why TransUnion’s
built proprietary, next-generation credit protection tools into TransUnion
Credit Monitoring. This is what TransUnion gives you. I suspect that
the other credit agencies give something similar. You may want to contact them
online and find out for yourself.
In addition to 24/7 TU credit report and score access, members
get:
·
TU
Credit Lock: Block all access
to your TransUnion Credit Report with just a click or swipe.
·
TU
Instant Alerts: Get notified the
moment the credit union finds out someone’s applying for credit in your name.
·
3-Bureau
Monitoring & Alerts:
Find out about critical credit changes for ALL 3 national credit bureaus.
Data breaches are
exposing some of the most private consumer information out there—simple
identity protection steps may not be enough. Stay ahead of this ever-changing
threat with TransUnion
Credit Monitoring and other credit bureau computer software.
If you would
like to find out more about Credit Reporting protection, click on the link
below;
